Robert Norman Reiner (March 6, 1947 – December 14, 2025) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and political activist.
Reiner was a liberal activist. He was a co-founder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which initiated the court challenge against California Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage in the state.
In 1998, Reiner chaired the campaign to pass California Proposition 10, the California Children and Families Initiative, which created First 5 California, a program of early childhood development services funded by a tax on tobacco products. He served as the organization's first chairman from 1999 to 2006. His lobbying, particularly as an anti-smoking advocate, led to his likeness being used satirically in the South Park episode "Butt Out", where he was depicted as a morbidly obese, hypocritical tyrant.
Reiner came under criticism for campaigning for Proposition 82, a ballot measure to fund public preschools, while serving as chair of the First 5 Commission. He resigned from his position on March 29, 2006. An audit later concluded that the commission had not violated state law and had clear legal authority to conduct public advertising campaigns related to preschool. However, the auditor reported that the commission awarded more than $77 million in media contracts without reviewing their costs. Proposition 82 ultimately failed to win approval.
Reiner was a member of the Social Responsibility Task Force, an organization advocating moderation where social issues such as violence and tobacco use intersect with the entertainment industry. He was also active in environmental causes, successfully leading the effort to preserve California's Ahmanson Ranch as a state park and wildlife refuge rather than as a commercial real estate development. In July 2007, he introduced the reunited Spinal Tap at the London Live Earth concert.
Reiner was mentioned as a possible candidate to run against California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 but declined for personal reasons. He was quoted as saying "I don't want to be an elected official, I want to get things done." He campaigned extensively for Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election, and he campaigned in Iowa for Democratic candidate Howard Dean ahead of the 2004 Iowa caucuses. He endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2008 election, and in 2015 donated $10,000 to Correct the Record, a political action committee supporting her 2016 presidential campaign. After the 2016 election, Reiner continued to campaign against Donald Trump, calling him racist, sexist, anti-gay, and antisemitic. He remarked that Harvey Weinstein is a "bad guy" but that Trump was "also an abuser".
Reiner served on the advisory board of the Committee to Investigate Russia. He and David Frum launched the site in September 2017, accompanied by a video narrated by Morgan Freeman warning that "We are at war" and that Russia had attacked the United States. Other advisory board members at the time of launch included James Clapper, Max Boot, Charles Sykes, and Norman Ornstein. By November 2020, the board also included Evelyn Farkas, Michael Hayden, Michael Morrell, Leon Panetta, and Clint Watts.
Reiner endorsed Joe Biden for president in the 2020 United States presidential election. In June 2021, Reiner announced he was developing a television project, The Spy and the Asset, about the relationship between Trump and Vladimir Putin. He said the series would explore the leaders' childhoods and trace their lives up to the point where they intersect. Reiner said he was collaborating with writer Ward Parry on the project.
In September 2025, Reiner gave an interview with CNN, where he spoke out against Trump and the Federal Communications Commission. He said it "may be the last time you ever see me", in reference to the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
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