Claim:
Singer Barbra Streisand said about the slaying of Rob and Michele Reiner: “Let me be blunt — I’ve been around this industry long enough to recognize when desperation spirals into an unsalvageable tragedy. What unfolded this past weekend was no accident. Do not insult my intelligence by calling this ‘fate’ or attempting to skirt the truth. Rob and Michele were not safe in their own home. They faced trials that no parent should ever have to endure. We all know the long, agonizing battle they fought alongside their son, Nick Reiner. Those parents did everything to save their child, but in the end, that very sacrifice led to the most heartbreaking conclusion.”
Rating:
In mid-December 2025, a Facebook post claimed to quote actress and singer Barbra Streisand reacting to the slaying of famed director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner. Per the post, Streisand allegedly mourned their deaths while saying it was “no accident.”
The rumor spread days after the couple was found fatally stabbed in their home in Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 2025. Soon after, the Los Angeles Police Department announced authorities had arrested Nick Reiner, the couple’s 32-year-old son. Prosecutors have charged him with two counts of first-degree murder.
The Facebook post stated:
“Let me be blunt — I’ve been around this industry long enough to recognize when desperation spirals into an unsalvageable tragedy. What unfolded this past weekend was no accident.”
Barbra Streisand didn’t just speak; she commanded the room, her voice trembling with grief as she addressed the loss of her lifelong friends, Rob and Michele Reiner.
“Do not insult my intelligence by calling this ‘fate’ or attempting to skirt the truth. Rob and Michele were not safe in their own home. They faced trials that no parent should ever have to endure. We all know the long, agonizing battle they fought alongside their son, Nick Reiner. Those parents did everything to save their child, but in the end, that very sacrifice led to the most heartbreaking conclusion.”
Streisand’s words cut through the Hollywood silence like a knife.
“I see how the media is dancing around the hard questions. You talk about the struggle? You talk about addiction? You talk about the mental health of the survivor? But what about Rob and Michele’s pain? Who will weep for the people who dedicated their entire lives to healing a family, only to receive this ultimate devastation in return?”
She lowered her voice, yet the weight of every syllable still sent a chill through the room.
“We cannot keep romanticizing family tragedies into sympathetic narratives simply because they involve celebrities. I am not standing here to judge, but to protect the dignity of my friends. They deserve to be remembered as magnificent parents who loved until their very last breath — not merely as victims of a tragic circumstance.”
“Tonight, I choose to stand on the side of the light they brought into this world, not the darkness that ultimately consumed them.”
A comment under the post also linked to an article on an on an advertisement-filled website called sportlight.feji.io, with the title, “Barbra Streisand Breaks Hollywood Silence, Condemns Media Mythmaking, Honors Rob and Michele Reiner as Loving Parents While Rejecting Tragedy Narratives Surrounding Their Family’s Final Loss.”
The text in the above posts and article was not a factual account of what Streisand said. While Streisand did comment on the Reiners’ deaths on her verified social media accounts, she did not use the above words. As such, we rate this claim as an incorrect attribution.
GPTZero, a tool for detecting text generated with artificial intelligence (AI), rated the language in the above Facebook post as having a 100% likelihood of being AI-generated. (Research shows AI-detection software is imperfect, and readers should consider the tools’ results with skepticism.)
A search of segments of Streisand’s purported quote resulted in no authentic news sources that would confirm the alleged statement.
Regardless of whether the story was the product of AI, Streisand never said the above words. Per her verified Facebook and Instagram accounts, she said:
This weekend saddened me immeasurably. First the tragic shooting at Brown University, then the horrific massacre in Australia, and then 2 people I knew personally, Rob and Michelle Reiner lost their lives. Rob and I came up in the industry together and he was a wonderful actor, and a very gifted director. He was also a passionate activist and human being. He will be sorely missed.😢 May he and his wife rest in peace.
Such posts that are likely AI-generated can be characterized as “AI slop,” or just “slop” — low-quality content that’s easy to create thanks to artificial intelligence tools. For further reading, Snopes wrote a detailed explanation of AI slop.
Snopes has previously reported on the fake screenshot that claimed Rob Reiner once tweeted “F*** all of you MAGA a*******.”
Sources
“Barbra Streisand Breaks Hollywood Silence, Condemns Media Mythmaking, Honors Rob and Michele Reiner as Loving Parents While Rejecting Tragedy Narratives Surrounding Their Family’s Final Loss – Nhuluxury.” Spotlight.Feji.Io, 16 Dec. 2025, https://sportlight.feji.io/blog/barbra-streisand-breaks-hollywood-silence-condemns-media-mythmaking-honors-rob-and-michele-reiner-nhuluxury. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
“Detectives Announce Arrest in the Murder of Robert and Michele Reiner NR25238kt.” LAPD Online, https://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/detectives-announce-arrest-in-the-murder-of-robert-and-michele-reiner-nr25238kt/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
Esposito, Joey. “Unraveling Baseless Rumor Rob and Michele Reiner’s Son Nick Is Transgender.” Snopes, 15 Dec. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/rob-reiner-son-nick-transgender/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
Izzo, Jack. “Snopestionary: AI Slop, Explained.” Snopes, 22 Aug. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//articles/470975/ai-slop-media-literacy/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
Kar, Sujita Kumar, et al. “How Sensitive Are the Free AI-Detector Tools in Detecting AI-Generated Texts? A Comparison of Popular AI-Detector Tools.” Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, vol. 47, no. 3, May 2025, pp. 275–78. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176241247934. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
Liles, Jordan. “Rob Reiner Didn’t Share Profanity-Laced Tweet about Trump and MAGA.” Snopes, 18 Dec. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/reiner-tweet-trump-maga/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
“Los Angeles District Attorney Announces Murders Charges against Rob Reiner’s Son.” YouTube, Guardian News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUS8e29gFPM. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
“Son Nick Arrested after Rob Reiner and His Wife Found Dead in Los Angeles Home, AP Source Says.” AP News, 15 Dec. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/rob-reiner-home-investigation-ed88cfde7c41be55803fa0c792f55cdc. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
