Fact Check: Did Rob Reiner attack Rush Limbaugh in a tweet a day after his death?

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A recent claim circulating online references a statement attributed to filmmaker and activist Rob Reiner made after the death of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.

The claim highlights a specific phrase that was said about “purveyors of disinformation” and has attracted widespread attention and debate.

But how much of this story is actually true? Let's find out.

Claim: Rob Reiner attacked Rush Limbaugh after the political pundit's death in 2021

The claim was spread widely on X (formerly Twitter), with some social media users labeling the tweet an “attack” and sharing alleged screenshots of an article about it.

One X user referenced a post by President Donald Trump criticizing Reiner after his death and compared it to his supposed post about Limbaugh, writing, “For all the people attacking Trump’s post.”

Another post read, “Rob Reiner attacked and trashed Rush Limbaugh a day after he died.”

Others argued that describing Reiner’s post as an “attack” was an exaggeration.

One user said, "Now the MAGA is trying to say that Rob Reiner was just as bad as Trump when Rush Limbaugh died. And all they have is a BREITBART article."

One post highlighted the director's words as hyperbolic and showed the same screenshot of the tweet, “Flashback, this was the so-called ‘attack.”

Fact Check: True, Rob Reiner did tweet about Rush Limbaugh after his death

The tweet mentioned in the claim was genuine and accurately attributed to Reiner.

The 'When Harry Met Sally' director wrote in his tweet, “Rush Limbaugh is gone. But there is no scarcity of purveyors of disinformation left in his wake. To protect our Democracy we must remain vigilant in calling out their big lies. Starting with climate change.”

The tweet regained attention after Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead at their Brentwood mansion in Los Angeles on December 14. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Reiner, a Democratic donor, occasionally criticized Trump and his administration, prompting the president to claim in a post that Reiner had died from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Discussion over Trump’s statement also brought Reiner’s old posts, including the one in question, back into focus to compare their responses to Limbaugh’s death.

The post can be seen in an archived version of Reiner’s verified Twitter (now X) account, with text and a timestamp matching the claim. Reiner shared the comment on February 18, 2021, a day after Limbaugh’s death from lung cancer.

Labeling the tweet as an “attack” was subjective and mirrored the language used by the outlet Breitbart in its coverage at the time.

A Breitbart article published on February 18, the same day as Reiner’s tweet, carried the headline, “Rob Reiner Attacks Rush Limbaugh as Purveyor of 'Disinformation' Day After His Death.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.