Jamie Lee Curtis Breaks Down Honoring "Beloved Meathead" Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner Earns Posthumous Emmys 2026 Nomination for ‘The Bear’
Jamie Lee Curtis is honoring the memory of those lost.
The 2026 Emmy Awards paid tribute to Dolly Parton, Catherine O'Hara and more late Hollywood legends who have died throughout the last year during the awards show’s In Memoriam segment in Los Angeles Sept. 14.
The emotional tribute—which featured Noah Kahan performing a heartfelt rendition of Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”—ended with Curtis honoring Cheers' James Burrows and Rob Reiner, who, along with his wife Michele Singer Reiner, was killed at his Brentwood, Calif., home on Dec. 14.
"Last year we lost another cherished legend: our beloved meathead, Rob Reiner," Curtis shared onstage through tears. "Last week, Robbie won an Emmy for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his beautiful work on The Bear."
And that win allowed Reiner to make Emmys history even after his death.
"He now holds the record of 48 years for the longest gap between acting Emmys, which was previously held by his father Carl Reiner at 37 years," she shared. "He was generous and kind, and funny as hell, and a friend to all. And we all miss Rob and Michele, and all those we lost this year."
Before the main Emmys ceremony—hosted by Mariska Hargitay—Reiner won a posthumous award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series at the Sept. 6 Creative Arts Emmy Awards for his performance as restaurant consultant Albert Schurr on season four of The Bear. (See the full list of winners, here.)
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Presenter Wendi McLendon-Covey accepted the award on the late star’s behalf, telling the crowd—who gave Reiner a standing ovation—"We all wish he was here.”
The touching win marked Reiner’s first Emmy since 1978, when he picked up an Emmy for Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in All in the Family.
Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Along with Reiner, Parton was also honored at the 2026 Emmys, with Sally Field and Reba McEntire taking the stage to honor the country icon.
"If there are truly angels on earth, then we just lost one: Dolly Parton," Field shared. "It was my great good fortune to have worked with Dolly in a film called Still Magnolias and, over the years, I never stopped loving her."
Parton—who won her first Emmy in 2021 for her work on Dolly Parton's Christmas On The Square Square—died on Aug. 25 at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer.
To see all of the stars who attended the 2026 Emmy Awards, keep reading…
Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Ayo Edebiri
in Chanel and Mikimoto jewelry.
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Shailene Woodley
in Balenciaga.
Jesse Grant/NBC
Julia Garner
in Loewe and Marco Bicego jewelry.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Sarah Jane Nader & Brooks Nader
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Tiffany Haddish
Jesse Grant/NBC
Allison Janney
in Pamella Roland.
Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Harrison Ford & Calista Flockhart
in custom Paul Smith (Ford) and Zuhair Murad (Flockhart).
Randy Shropshire/NBC
Emilia Clarke
in Prada.
Randy Shropshire/NBC
Amy Poehler
Jesse Grant/NBC
Julianna Margulies
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Florence Pugh
in Vivienne Westwood.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Jessica Williams
in Honor, Tyler Ellis bag, and Jessica McCormack jewelry.
Randy Shropshire/NBC
Sterling K. Brown
in Brunello Cucinelli.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Paul Anthony Kelly
in Louis Vuitton and Vacheron Constantin watch.
Randy Shropshire/NBC
Michelle Pfeiffer
in Saint Laurent.
Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Kaley Cuoco & Tom Pelphrey
in Giorgio Armani (Pelphrey).
Photo by LISA O'CONNOR / AFP via Getty Images
Linda Cardellini
in Yara Shoemaker.
LISA O'CONNOR / AFP via Getty Images
Sally Field
in Akris.
Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Sarah Snook
in Cartier jewelry.
AFF-USA/Shutterstock
Michael J. Fox, Traci Pollan & Kids Sam Fox, Esme Fox, Aquinnah Fox & Schuyler Fox
John Shearer/WireImage
Rhea Seehorn
in Louis Vuitton and Swarovski jewelry.
Jesse Grant/NBC via Getty Images
Awkwafina
Randy Shropshire/NBC
Mark Ronson
in Celine.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Tyler James Williams
in Canali and Christian Louboutin shoes.
LISA O'CONNOR / AFP via Getty Images
Grace Gummer
in Dior.
Randy Shropshire/NBC
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
in Dior and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Ted McGinley & Gigi Rice
in custom Jack Victor (McGinley).
Todd Williamson/NBC via Getty Images
Rosalind Eleazar
in Miss Sohee.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Marisol Ribeiro & Marcello Hernandez
in Prada (Hernandez).
Jesse Grant/NBC
Isabel Gravitt
in Alex Perry, Gianvito Rossi shoes and Sophia D jewels.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.