Claim:
After the death of political pundit Rush Limbaugh in 2021, director Rob Reiner “attacked” the deceased in a tweet, saying, “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.”
Rating:
Context
Reiner did indeed make the remark. Some users also categorized the tweet as an “attack,” a subjective description that reflected wording used by conservative outlet Breitbart when it reported on the post at the time.
In late December 2025, a rumor spread online that Hollywood director Rob Reiner criticized conservative political pundit Rush Limbaugh in a social media post following the radio host’s death in 2021.
Social media users, particularly on X (archived, archived, archived), called the tweet an “attack” and shared purported screenshots of the post in question. Others on X (archived, archived, archived) attempted to point out that framing Reiner’s post an “attack” was hyperbolic.
Both sides agreed on the alleged content of Reiner’s message, however, claiming he wrote, “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 rumor circulated in the wake of the Dec. 14, 2025, fatal stabbing of Reiner and his wife, Michele, in their Brentwood mansion in Los Angeles. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Reiner, a Democratic donor, at times publicly criticized Republican U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, leading to Trump claiming in a post after the director’s death that the director died of “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
The discourse over the perceived callousness of Trump’s statement then resurfaced old posts of the director, including the one in question, in an attempt to show either the alleged moral disparity — or similarity — between Trump’s remarks and the way in which Reiner responded to Limbaugh’s death:
Let’s not forget how Rob Reiner treated Rush Limbaugh after he died. Make no mistake that if it was reversed Rob would be dancing a little jig over Trump’s grave. He’d probably be throwing a party. pic.twitter.com/xb9OY8HI3u
— RPGPundit❌ (@KasimirUrbanski) December 15, 2025
The tweet shared in the claim was authentic and correctly attributed to Reiner. It can be viewed in an archived link of Reiner’s verified Twitter (now X) account, the text and timestamp of which matches that shared in the claim. Reiner posted the comment on Feb. 18, 2021, one day following the announcement of Limbaugh’s death from lung cancer. Reiner’s X account has since been deleted.
Categorizing the tweet as an “attack” was subjective, though, and reflected wording used by conservative outlet Breitbart when it reported on the post at the time.
A Breitbart article published on Feb. 18, 2021 — the same day as Reiner’s tweet — featured the headline, “Rob Reiner Attacks Rush Limbaugh as Purveyor of ‘Disinformation’ Day After His Death.”
The article summarized Reiner’s post by writing, “Rob Reiner launched his social media attack on the late Limbaugh by calling him a liar, warning that other conservative media personalities are trying to deny climate change.”
A look at Reiner’s feed in the days following the post about Limbaugh showed no further mention of Limbaugh, though he did post about climate change again on Feb. 18, 2021.
That post said, “Since Climate Change doesn’t exist and Texas has an effective self contained energy grid, it’s the perfect time for their elected officials to go on vacation.”
Reiner appeared to be sarcastically referring to Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz taking a trip to Cancun while his state endured an historic winter storm.
So while users shared an authentic post from Reiner criticizing Limbaugh, it was up for debate whether it could reasonably be considered an “attack.”
Some users also pointed out how Reiner responded to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September 2025.
For instance, during an appearance on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Reiner said of Kirk, “That should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable. That’s not a solution to solving problems.”
Morgan reshared the clip on X (archived) following Trump’s social media post about Reiner’s death.
Sources
Folkenflik, David. “Talk Show Host Rush Limbaugh, A Conservative Lodestar, Dies At 70.” NPR, 17 Feb. 2021. Media. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2021/02/17/926491419/talk-show-host-rush-limbaugh-a-conservative-lodestar-dies-at-70.
Kimberlee Speakman. “Rob Reiner’s Response to Charlie Kirk’s Murder Provides Stark Contrast After Trump Mocked Director’s Death.” People.Com, https://people.com/rob-reiner-charlie-kirk-shooting-response-prior-to-trump-mocking-his-murder-11870979. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
Liles, Jordan. “Trump Post Said Rob Reiner Died from ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome.'” Snopes, 15 Dec. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/rob-reiner-trump-post/.
Rob Reiner on Twitter: “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.” 1 Mar. 2021, https://web.archive.org/web/20210301121330/https://twitter.com/robreiner/status/1362384112837824517.
Rob Reiner Twitterissä: “Since Climate Change Doesn’t Exist and Texas Has an Effective Self Contained Energy Grid, It’s the Perfect Time for Their Elected Officials to Go on Vacation. Especially the Ones Whose Father Killed JFK.” 18 Feb. 2021, https://web.archive.org/web/20210218231844/https://twitter.com/robreiner/status/1362542012185022465.
Shane Goldmacher and Nicholas Fandos. “Ted Cruz’s Cancún Trip: Family Texts Detail His Political Blunder.” The New York Times, 18 Feb. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/us/politics/ted-cruz-storm-cancun.html.
“The Great Texas Freeze: February 11-20, 2021.” National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/great-texas-freeze-february-2021.
