MAGA Actor James Woods Tears Up as He Praises ‘Patriot’ Rob Reiner in Rebuke of ‘Distasteful’ Attacks: ‘He Really Fought for Me’

James Woods, one of Hollywood’s most outspoken supporters of President Donald Trump, choked up as he remembered “patriot” colleague Rob Reiner and his wife as he delivered an unexpectedly blunt rebuke of attacks on his legacy from the White House.

Reiner, the award-winning director and longtime Democratic activist, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead on Sunday afternoon by their daughter, having suffered apparent stab wounds. His 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, has since been arrested as a suspect and is being held on $4 million bail.

Appearing on Jesse Watters Primetime on Fox News Monday night to speak with host Jesse Watters, Woods recalled having worked on Ghosts of Mississippi in 1996, crediting the director with rescuing his career at a critical moment.

“Rob literally saved my career and really put me back on track in a way that was so important and rewarding in my life. He really fought for me when a studio didn’t want me in a movie,” Woods said.

The actor, a vocal Trump ally, addressed the discomfort many of his friends expressed over his close relationship with Reiner, a prominent liberal activist. “I judge people by how they treat me, and Rob Reiner was a Godsend in my life,” Woods said. “I think Rob Reiner is a great patriot.”

Woods framed their ideological divide as a test of maturity rather than loyalty.

“We had a different path to the same destination, which was a country we both love,” he said, adding: “Because you disagree with people doesn’t mean that you have to hate people.”

That tone landed heavily in the shadow of Trump’s response to Reiner’s death, posting on Truth Social, that the director had been killed “due to the anger he caused others” and blamed what he called “TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.” Later on Monday, Trump said, “I wasn’t a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned.”

Woods contrasted that reaction with Reiner’s compassion after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this year.

Without naming Trump, he continued: “When people say horrible things about Rob right now, I find it quite frankly infuriating and distasteful. Did I agree with his politics? I did not. That I love him as a friend, as an artist, as an icon of Hollywood, and as a patriot? I surely did.”

Watch above via Fox News.