Critics Choice 2026: Chelsea Handler honours “nicest guy in Hollywood” Rob Reiner during ceremony
Chelsea Handler paid an emotional tribute to Rob Reiner at the Critics Choice Awards 2026, saying the Hollywood director should be remembered for his “decency”.
Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead at their home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, on December 14th, having succumbed to “multiple sharp force injuries”, according to their official causes of death. The couple’s son, Nick Reiner, has been charged in connection with their murders.
Subsequently, as the year’s award season now kicks into gear, with the Critics Choice taking place on January 4th, Handler, who was hosting the awards, took a moment to honour the Spinal Tap director.
“Everyone in this room knows that the nicest guy in Hollywood was Rob Reiner,” she began, adding, “Anyone who ever spent time with Rob Reiner knows that the minute you met him, he felt like an old friend when you were in a conversation with him.”
Handler continued: “He was present, he was focused, and he was funny, and he would ask you tons of questions, whether you were discussing politics or film or the latest beauty trends.”
However, the host felt it was important to highlight the attributes and qualities which Reiner and his wife would be most fondly remembered for, particularly singling out their “decency”.
“Rob and Michele were tireless in their efforts to so many important causes, all stemming from one basic idea: decency, and that we should all look out for each other,” Handler said.
“I think we can all agree that we definitely need more of that,” she added. “So let’s use tonight as a reminder of that decency and as a reminder of everything Rob and Michele represented and fought so hard for.”
Elsewhere over the course of the evening, the big awards went to One Battle After Another for ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’ for Paul Thomas Anderson, while Timothée Chalamet won ‘Best Actor’ for his role in Marty Supreme, and Jessie Buckley won ‘Best Actress’ for Hamnet.
Jimmy Kimmel also took home the award for ‘Best Talk Show’, where he credited Donald Trump for the win due to “all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day.”
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