Kelsey Grammer: A Brother’s Love and Loss

All There Is with Anderson Cooper

CNN

Society & Culture

4.8 • 8.7K Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1975 Kelsey Grammer’s 18-year-old sister, Karen, was murdered. For fifty years his loving memories of her were colored by questions about her death. In this moving conversation, Kelsey tells Anderson how he finally found answers and, in doing so, the beloved sister he lost so long ago. This conversation contains some graphic descriptions of violence. Join the community to share your story and watch Anderson's weekly streaming show All There Is Live at cnn.com/allthereis. Host: Anderson Cooper Showrunner: Haley Thomas Producers: Chuck Hadad, Grace Walker, Emily Williams Associate Producer: Kyra Dahring Video Editor: Eric Zembrzuski Technical Director: Dan Dzula Bookers: Kerry Rubin and Kari Pricher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Last night, I sat on the anchor desk and read the news about Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle, murdered in their home.
0:07.8	There is no shortage of sadness tonight, not to mention almost unimaginable shock and horror.
0:12.7	I didn't know Rob personally, but his work touched me.
0:19.0	Are you okay?
0:20.5	When I first saw a stand by me, I remember crying in the theater.
0:23.6	It was a coming-of-age film about childhood friendships,
0:26.6	and it made me reflect on my own painful coming of age after my dad died.
0:31.6	Why don't you just make ten louder, and make ten be the top number, and make that a little louder?
0:36.6	These go to 11. and make 10 be the top number and make that a little louder.
0:41.1	These go to 11.
0:43.6	I also loved his mockumentary.
0:44.7	This is Spinal Tap.
0:47.5	It remains one of my favorite movies of all time.
0:52.6	In September, I interviewed Rob about a Spinal Tap sequel he had made,
1:11.6	and I'm so glad I did. When we started talking, I think he was surprised and definitely amused it, how much I love spinal tap and how many of the lines I knew by heart. When we first did it, people came up to me, and they said, I don't understand this. Why would you make a movie about a band nobody's ever heard of? And one, you know, why wouldn't you make it about the Beatles? They thought it was a real band. I mean, they thought it was a real documentary. Anybody in the world who does this hand gesture, I mean, you know it's from Spinal Tap. Like, you know, it's like the puppet show on Spinal Tap, and someone's just sitting there like this. You know everything from you. Do you know every line from the film more than I do?
1:29.3	I'm so glad I got to have that conversation with him, not just because he seemed to have
1:33.3	a good time, but because at the end of it, I got to tell him directly just how much his work
1:38.3	had meant to me.
1:39.3	You have brought me so much joy through this and so much work that you've done. And also, I mean, you are also a very committed patriot and citizen of this country and concerned about this country.
1:51.0	Yeah, I just think you're awesome.
1:54.0	Oh, thank you so much. Thanks for having me. Thanks for talking with me.
1:58.0	Wow, it's my pleasure.
	...

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