Nikki Glaser wrapped up hosting duties at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards by commemorating Rob Reiner.
Glaser, 41, took to the stage after the final award was presented on Sunday, January 11, wearing a hat emblazoned with a This Is Spinal Tap logo, which nodded to the late director’s acclaimed 1984 film. The comedian also subtly referenced the film during her closing words, telling the crowd, “Thank you guys for an amazing night, and I hope we found the line between clever and stupid.”
Her words mirrored one of the film’s most famous lines: “It’s such a fine line between stupid and clever.”
In the leadup to Sunday night’s event, Glaser told USA Today that despite the traditional absence of an “In Memoriam” segment at the Golden Globes, she was committed to paying tribute to Rob, who died alongside wife Michele Singer Reiner on December 14, 2025.
Rob Reiner gave a loving shout-out to his kids, including son Nick Reiner, during his 2017 Hand and Footprint Ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. During his speech at the event, Rob celebrated “the most important people” in his life — his family. The director name-dropped wife Michele Singer Reiner, daughter Romy and […]
“There’s not a whole section set aside to honor everyone we’ve lost,” Glaser said during an interview published on Thursday, January 8. “But I have something planned that I’m going to do in my own way to just acknowledge [Reiner] and celebrate him in my own way.”
She told the outlet that she thought Chelsea Handler’s Critics Choice tribute was “perfect,” before explaining that she didn’t want her own words to feel insincere. “I knew [Reiner], but not that well,” Glaser said at the time. “I’m not going to linger on it too much because I think that’s what we’ve been doing for the past few weeks. But obviously, I thought if something happened to me and Rob Reiner was hosting a show, given our relationship, how would I want him to handle it? I think I landed on something that I feel he would do for me, too.”
Nikki Glaser Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Nick and Michele, who died at the ages of 78 and 70, respectively, were found with apparent stab wounds in their Brentwood, California, home. In the wake of their deaths, the couple’s son Nick Reiner was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. (The couple also shared son Jake, 34, and daughter Romy, while Rob also adopted older daughter, Tracy, 61, while he was married to his late ex-wife Penny Marshall.)
Nick’s initial lawyer, Alan Jackson, stepped down from representing him on Wednesday, January 7, with public defender Kimberly Greene taking over Nick’s case. His arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday, but was rescheduled for Monday, February 23, in light of Jackson stepping down. If convicted, Nick faces life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
In the wake of their father and mother’s deaths, Jake and Romy said in a statement that they are living with “unimaginable pain.”
Rob Reiner Jesse Grant/Getty Images for TCM
Their statement read, “The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends.”
It continued, “We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life. We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.”
