Rob Reiner, found dead at 78 with his wife Michele Singer Reiner on Dec. 14, was remembered for decades of political activism in California and nationally. He co-founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights to challenge Prop 8, helping set the legal groundwork that contributed to the Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage-equality decision. Reiner also led the successful Prop 10 campaign to create First 5 California and later proposed Prop 82 to fund universal preschool through taxes on the wealthy. Prominent leaders praised his advocacy, while critics including Donald Trump publicly commented on his activism.
Rob Reiner’s Activism: How the Director Helped Advance Marriage Equality and Push for Universal Preschool
Randy Shropshire/GettyRob Reiner speaks at a Human Rights Campaign event in Los Angeles on March 30, 2019
Rob Reiner, the actor and director found dead at age 78 alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, on Dec. 14, was widely remembered for both his film career and long-standing political activism. Their son, Nick Reiner, was taken into custody in connection with their deaths. Beyond his work in entertainment, Reiner spent decades pushing policy initiatives in California and on the national stage—most notably efforts to advance marriage equality and expand early childhood education.
Marriage Equality: Legal Strategy and Long-Term Impact
Reiner co-founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights in 2008 to challenge California’s Proposition 8, the ballot measure that restricted marriage to opposite-sex couples. That effort helped trigger a 2010 federal trial that became a key moment in the legal trajectory leading to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which extended marriage equality nationwide.
"We don't believe in separate but equal in any other legal position except this," Reiner said in 2011, invoking Brown v. Board of Education as he described the fight for marriage equality.
In a 2015 op-ed for Variety, days after the Supreme Court’s ruling, Reiner reflected on the long arc of social change and compared opposition to LGBTQ+ rights to past injustices such as denying women the vote or denying African Americans civil rights.
Amanda Edwards/WireImageRob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner at the Human Rights Campaign 2019 Los Angeles Dinner on March 30, 2019
Early Childhood Education: Prop 10, First 5 California, and Prop 82
Reiner’s activism on behalf of children was a signature part of his public life. In 1998 he led the campaign for California’s Proposition 10, which created First 5 California—a statewide system of early childhood development services funded by a tobacco tax. Reiner served as First 5’s first chair from 1999 to 2006.
He also championed Proposition 82 in 2006, a proposed ballot measure to raise taxes on the wealthiest Californians to fund free preschool for all four-year-olds. The measure did not pass, but the idea of directing higher taxes on top earners toward broad social services has since become a common element in progressive policy discussions.
National Politics and Opposition to Donald Trump
Reiner was active in national Democratic politics, supporting presidential campaigns by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. After Donald Trump’s 2016 election, Reiner joined the Committee to Investigate Russia, a nonprofit focused on alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections, and he remained an outspoken critic of the former president.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Eugene Gologursky/GettyPresident Donald Trump reacted to Rob Reiner's death on Dec. 15, 2025
"We’ve been the longest living democracy ever... This is the biggest step backward I’ve ever seen," Reiner said in an interview, urging people to continue speaking out for democratic norms.
Following the announcement of Reiner and his wife’s deaths, Trump posted on Truth Social, criticizing Reiner and describing him as afflicted by what Trump calls "Trump Derangement Syndrome." The post drew attention and responses from public figures across the political spectrum.
Reactions and Legacy
California Governor Gavin Newsom praised Reiner as "a passionate advocate for children and for civil rights" who made the state better through his work. Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama lauded Reiner’s belief in people and his commitment to action, while Bill and Hillary Clinton called the couple “good, generous people” who advanced inclusive democracy.
Colleagues and policy experts note tangible outcomes from Reiner’s activism: the legal challenge to Prop 8 helped reshape national marriage law, and First 5 California created an infrastructure for early childhood services that expanded preschool access for many children. Even where ballot initiatives failed, such as Prop 82, Reiner’s ideas influenced later progressive policy debates on funding universal early education.
What He Leaves Behind
Reiner’s public life combined celebrity influence with sustained engagement in policy design and political campaigning. Supporters credit him with bringing attention, funding and organizing capacity to causes that produced measurable policy changes in California and contributed to national legal milestones.
