Jamie Lee Curtis says honoring Rob and Michele Reiner at Emmys was ‘tougher’ than expected

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jamie Lee Curtis has opened up about the emotional challenge of honoring her late friends Rob and Michele Reiner at the 2026 Emmy Awards. The actress said paying tribute to Rob during the ceremony was harder than she had anticipated, as she felt responsible for representing everyone who had been affected by his loss.

Curtis, 67, shared her reflections ahead of receiving the inaugural Michele and Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award at the Children's Institute's Cape & Gown Gala on November 8. She told The Hollywood Reporter that she was deeply honored to continue the couple's legacy of activism after sharing a close friendship with them.

Jamie Lee Curtis recalls emotional tribute to Rob Reiner at the Emmys

At the 78th Emmy Awards on September 14, Curtis gave a tearful tribute to Rob during the show's In Memoriam segment. She called the late filmmaker and actor "a cherished legend" and her "beloved Meathead," referring to his role in 'All in the Family.'

Curtis explained the responsibility she felt while honoring her friend during the ceremony.

"I felt a responsibility to represent everyone — strangers, fans, colleagues, friends, close friends and family — in that moment at the Emmys," Curtis said. "I was happy to do it, but it was a little tougher than I anticipated."

Her connection with the Reiners stretched back decades. Curtis married her husband, Christopher Guest, at Rob's house on December 18, 1984. Rob served as best man at their wedding, while Curtis' late sister Kelly was her maid of honor. Rob was also the godfather of Curtis' daughter Annie. When Michele married Rob, they became Annie's godparents.

Jamie Lee Curtis opens up about grieving Rob and Michele Reiner

Curtis also spoke about the challenge of discussing her friends publicly while processing her loss. She explained that she wanted to support their work without making the occasion about herself.

"I'm going to be at the event to support the work that Rob and Michele did, and it shouldn't be about me. And yet I've been the one talking a lot about them. So it's been a little strange because it's a very private grief, and yet I'm a public-facing person. I'm trying to walk that line a little bit," she told The Hollywood Reporter.

Curtis acknowledged the emotional difficulty of speaking about the couple in the past tense.

"It's been an emotional day because I've been talking about my relationship with them and talking about them in the past, and it's only nine months later. It's been difficult but important because we just want to carry on their work," she told the publication.

Jamie Lee Curtis prepares to honor the Reiners' legacy

The Michele and Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award was created by the Children's Institute and its president and CEO, Martine Singer, Michele's sister, in collaboration with the couple's children, Jake and Romy.

According to a statement cited by PEOPLE, the award recognizes the Reiners' "lifelong commitment to improving the lives of children and families and strengthening communities across Los Angeles, throughout California and beyond."

Curtis described the couple's lives as "celebratory" and said they "would not want" the upcoming gala to be "morbid and funeral-like. It has to be a celebration… I'm going to suit up, show up, do my thing, stand there in community and say thank you to them."

She added that "love and service" were always at the center of Rob and Michele's work and said she hoped to honor their legacy in that respect.