“At a very, very down point in my career, Rob literally saved my career,” Woods shared.

James Woods tears up mourning late Rob Reiner, slams ‘distasteful’ attacks

"At a very, very down point in my career, Rob literally saved my career," Woods shared.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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December 16, 2025 3:46 p.m. ET

Rob Reiner; James Woods. Credit:

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty; Slaven Vlasic/Getty

James Woods is mourning the loss of his close friend, director Rob Reiner.

In the wake of Rob and Michele Reiner's death, famous figures have shared heartfelt tributes to the beloved filmmaker and his photographer wife, who were both found dead of an apparent homicide in their Brentwood, Calif., home on Sunday. Their son, Nick Reiner, has since been taken into custody and is currently being held without bail.

"I knew Rob Reiner because at a very, very down point in my career, Rob literally saved my career and really put me back on track in a way that was so important and rewarding in my life," Woods shared during an appearance on Fox News' *Jesse Watters Primetime* on Monday. "He really fought for me when the studio didn't want me in a movie."

Woods played notorious KKK member Byron De La Beckwith in Reiner's *Ghosts of Mississippi*, the murderer of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. Beckwith, an avowed racist, wasn't convicted of the crime until 1994, over three decades after the murder. He was 42 when he murdered Evers, 73 when a jury finally convicted him, and 80 when he died in prison in 2001.

James Woods and Rob Reiner behind the scenes of 'Ghosts of Mississippi'.

Columbia Pictures/Getty

"I was 32 years too young for the part, but he really believed that I was right and could do it," Woods said of Reiner. "It was something that virtually nobody agreed with except one of his partners, Martin Shafer, who was the head of Castle Rock, one of the greatest production companies ever," he added. "I went from really being basically out of a job to getting an Academy Award nomination."

Woods became noticeably emotional during his appearance, getting choked up as he explained how he and Reiner remained friends despite their drastically differing political views; Woods is an outspoken conservative who has been vocal about his support of Donald Trump, while Reiner was a well-known Democratic donor and hands-on political activist who made headlines for being a sharp critic of Trump.

"When people say horrible things about Rob right now, I find it, quite frankly, infuriating and distasteful," Woods told Watters. "I judge people by how they treat me, and Rob Reiner was a godsend in my life. We got along great, we loved each other ... He was always on my side."

Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.

Eric Charbonneau/Getty

While Woods couldn't argue that their politics were vastly different, he asserted that he believes "Rob Reiner is a great patriot. Do I agree on many of his ideas on how that patriotism should be enacted, to celebrate the America that we both love? No. He doesn't agree with me either, but he also respects my patriotism. We had a different path to the same destination, which was a country we both love."

He added, "Just because you disagree with people doesn't mean that you have to hate people."

Despite being on opposite ends of the political spectrum, Woods reiterated that he had nothing but love for Reiner. "Did I agree with his politics? I did not. Did I love him as a friend, as an artist, as an icon of Hollywood and as a patriot? I most certainly did," he declared. "And I am just absolutely devastated by this terrible event, especially for his family."

Although the actor attributed the 'distasteful' comments about Reiner and Michele's death to random people on social media, one famous face in particular has made headlines for highly controversial comments in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Trump has been the subject of substantial bipartisan pushback for using Reiner's death as an opportunity to criticize the late filmmaker, who previously told CNN that the president was threatening to wipe out "our 250 years of American democracy."

Jimmy Kimmel slams Donald Trump's 'hateful and vile' Rob Reiner comments

Rob Reiner's son Nick not medically cleared to appear in court after being arrested for murder of parents

![Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner seen at Netflix’s original documentary “13TH” reception hosted by Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos and Ambassador Nicole Avant with a special conversation moderated by Oprah Winfrey with director Ava DuVernay and Van Jones] on Sunday, January 15, 2017, in Los Angeles, CA; Nick Reiner at “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” Los Angeles Premiere held at The Egyptian Theatre on September 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California](https://ew.com/thmb/tKwGtoVF41YG4qTGHidvtGvGhXM=/300x200/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Rob-Reiner-Michele-Singer-Reiner-nick-reiner-121625-904b8a8282ff451a83d11693b95aa86b.jpg)

The president referred to the *This Is Spinal Tap *director as "tortured and struggling" in a Truth Social post early Monday morning and accused him of suffering from a "massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME."

Despite the voices from both sides of the aisle slamming his comments, the former reality star doubled down when asked if he stood by his remarks hours later during a press conference at the White House.

Trump noted that he believes Reiner "hurt himself career-wise," over his sustained criticism of the president and his policies. "He became like a deranged person — Trump Derangement Syndrome. So I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all, in any way, shape, or form. I thought he was very bad for our country."

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The ladies of *The View*, California Governor Gavin Newsom, many celebrities, and even some of Trump's conservative colleagues, like Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, have condemned the president's comments.**

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