In a striking display of cross-political loyalty, veteran Hollywood actor and prominent Donald Trump supporter James Woods has publicly condemned the former President for his "distasteful" remarks about the late film director Rob Reiner. Woods made the comments during an emotional appearance on Fox News' Jesse Watters Primetime on Monday night, just days after Reiner and his wife were found murdered.
An Unlikely Defence and a Career-Saving Friendship
The 78-year-old Woods, known for his conservative views, delivered a heartfelt tribute to Reiner, a staunch liberal activist, describing him as a "Godsend in my life". He revealed that Reiner had saved his career by casting him in the 1996 film Ghosts of Mississippi, a role that earned Woods an Academy Award nomination. "Rob literally saved my career and really put me back on track," Woods stated, becoming visibly emotional.
Woods emphasised that he judged people by their personal treatment of him, not their politics. "We got along great, we loved each other… He was always on my side," he told host Jesse Watters. He argued that Reiner was a "great patriot" and that while they disagreed on how to enact their shared love for America, they were on "a different path to the same destination".
Trump's Controversial Comments and Woods' Rebuke
Woods' defence served as a direct rebuttal to Donald Trump, who had posted on Truth Social earlier on Monday. In the post, Trump described the 79-year-old Reiner as suffering from a "mind crippling disease known as Trump derangement syndrome" and claimed he was "very bad for our country". Trump later doubled down in the Oval Office, calling Reiner a "deranged person".
Woods labelled such rhetoric as "infuriating and distasteful", adding a pointed message: "Because you disagree with people doesn't mean that you have to hate people." He also noted that Reiner, unlike many others, had refrained from criticising conservative commentator Charlie Kirk after his assassination.
A Family Tragedy and Ongoing Investigation
The backdrop to this political clash is a profound personal tragedy. Rob Reiner and his 68-year-old wife, photographer and LGBTQ+ advocate Michele Singer Reiner, were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on Sunday. Their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being held without bail.
Los Angeles police are set to present their case to prosecutors, who will decide on formal charges. The couple had been married for 36 years. Just three months prior, the family was photographed together at the premiere of Reiner's film Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues.
Nick Reiner had publicly struggled with addiction, and his relationship with his father was explored in the 2016 film Being Charlie, which they co-wrote and directed together, respectively. Rob Reiner had said the project helped them understand each other better.
The entertainment world and political commentators continue to reel from the shocking crime and the subsequent war of words, which has highlighted the deep divisions in American public life, even in moments of profound loss.
