Saturday Night Live paused its year-end Christmas episode on Saturday night (Dec. 20) to pay tribute to Rob Reiner, honoring the filmmaker’s early and influential role in the show’s history.
Just ahead of the episode’s goodnights, SNL aired an on-screen tribute card featuring Reiner during his time on the program.
The gesture came less than a week after Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home. Their son, Nick Reiner, has since been arrested and charged in connection with their deaths.
While Reiner became best known for his work as a director — including This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride and A Few Good Men — his relationship with Saturday Night Live dates back to the show’s earliest days.
Reiner hosted the program’s third-ever episode on Oct. 25, 1975, at a time when the series was still defining its identity.
Unlike the show’s first two hosts, George Carlin and Paul Simon, Reiner fully participated in sketches throughout the episode, helping establish the host-as-performer format that would become central to SNL’s structure. The episode is now considered a foundational moment in the show’s evolution.
Reiner was joined during the episode by his wife at the time, Penny Marshall, with the pair appearing together in several sketches.
One of the most memorable moments saw their sketch interrupted by John Belushi and the Bees — SNL’s first recurring characters — in a scene that captured the show’s early, chaotic energy. Notably, the episode featured no musical guest; instead, Belushi performed “With a Little Help From My Friends” while impersonating Joe Cocker.
Reiner’s connection to SNL extended well beyond his hosting duties.
In 1993, Chris Farley impersonated Reiner in a cold open alongside Phil Hartman’s President Bill Clinton. Many performers from the SNL universe also appeared in Reiner-directed films over the years, including This Is Spinal Tap, which starred Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer — all closely tied to the show.
Earlier this year, Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were among the attendees at SNL50: The Homecoming Concert, underscoring his enduring relationship with the program.
Saturday’s episode was hosted by Ariana Grande with Cher as musical guest. The broadcast also marked the final appearance of cast member Bowen Yang.
