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The son and daughter of the late Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele have made a rare public appearance to honor their parents.
Jake, 35, and Romy, 28, gave a speech at the Children’s Institute’s Cape & Gown Gala in Los Angeles on Sunday, where they presented the inaugural Michele and Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award to the family’s longtime friend Jamie Lee Curtis.
“I love the name for this award: Champion for Change. That’s what our parents stood for. They were never satisfied with the status quo; they were always champions for change to make the world better,” Jake said while presenting the award, according to a press release issued after the event.
“The work my parents did for children started at home, creating a loving environment for us from the moment I was born and long after Romy was born.”
“Jamie is someone who believes in the good in people, and will do everything in her power to make a situation right,” Romy added.
“She will move mountains not just because she can, but because she feels that it is the right thing to do. Her love and generosity during this time have meant more to me than she’ll ever know,” she added.
Curtis was a close friend of Hollywood director Reiner and his wife – she had her wedding at Reiner’s house in 1984 and chose him as her daughter’s godfather.
Romy praised Curtis for supporting them after the death of her parents, saying: “Her and her husband Chris have shown up for me in ways that not many people have. And for that, I feel very special to be on the receiving end of their love. I never had a connection as deep or knew them quite as well until now.”
“I truly feel there isn’t a person better to receive this than Jamie. She is a beautiful soul inside and out and I feel honored that she is accepting this award,” she said.
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Curtis, 67, accepted the trophy onstage with Jake and Romy.
“Rob and Michele lived so fiercely, so loudly,” she said. “They were undeniable.”
Michele’s sister, Martine Singer, the Children’s Institute’s president and CEO, said about the Reiners: “Their love was generous, fierce and unconditional: if they loved you, you knew it.”
“Michele and Rob were a force field. Our mission is to continue expressing that outrage, that sense of urgency, and do something with our own loud voices. That’s how we amplify the genius and the power of their work.”
According to the press release, the event was hosted by Chelsea Handler and included a musical performance from John Mayer. The event raised $4 million for the Children’s Institute.
Rob and Michele died in December 2025. Their son Nick, 33, is due back in court next year in connection with the killing of his parents, who were found stabbed to death inside their Brentwood, Los Angeles, home on December 14.