Why Rob Reiner Said He and Father Carl Lived ‘Totally Separate Lives’

Beloved director Rob Reiner, who died on December 14, 2025, at the age of 78,  wasn’t just known for directing some of the most popular films of the ’80s and ’90s, including Stand By Me, The is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, A Few Good Men, Misery and When Harry Met Sally, or for his Emmy-winning run as Mike “Meathead” Stivic on All in the Family. He was also, famously, the son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, who created The Dick Van Dyke Show, directed classic films like The Jerk and Oh, God!, and had a longtime comedy due with fellow comedy icon Mel Brooks. But despite the fact that the two men pursued very similar paths, Rob revealed in a 1987 interview that father and son didn’t consult on each other’s work, telling The Kalamazoo Gazette than he and Carl “lead totally separate lives.”