Jamie Lee Curtis says honouring Rob Reiner at Emmys was 'tougher'

Jamie Lee Curtis says paying tribute to Rob Reiner at the Emmys was “tougher than I anticipated”. 

The actress, 67, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the loss of her close friends Rob and Michele Reiner, who were found dead in their Los Angeles home in December. 

She described it as “a very private grief”.

Read more: Rob Reiner wins Emmy for 'The Bear' 9 months after his death

Curtis gave a tearful tribute to Reiner during the In Memoriam segment of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on 14 September. 

She called him “a cherished legend” and her “beloved Meathead”, after his role in All in the Family. 

“He was generous and kind, and funny as hell,” she said. 

She noted that the week before, Reiner had won a posthumous Emmy for guest actor in a comedy series for The Bear, giving him the record for the longest gap between acting Emmys at 48 years, passing his father Carl Reiner’s 37.

Asked about the moment, Curtis told THR: “I felt a responsibility to represent everyone, strangers, fans, colleagues, friends, close friends and family, in that moment at the Emmys. I was happy to do it, but it was a little tougher than I anticipated.”

The friendship was close. 

Curtis and her husband, Christopher Guest, were married at Reiner’s home in 1984, with Reiner as best man, and Reiner is godfather to the couple’s daughter Annie. 

Curtis will be the first recipient of the Michele and Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award from the Children’s Institute, at its Cape & Gown Gala in November, where John Mayer will perform. 

The institute is headed by Michele Reiner’s sister.

“They didn’t just create together,” Curtis said when the award was announced. “They lived a life of service.” 

Of carrying on their work, she said it has been difficult but important. TMZ reported that the Reiners’ son Nick has been charged in connection with their deaths.

Read more: Rob and Michele Reiner's son Nick makes shock demand ahead of murder trial