Jack Black calls Rob Reiner 'incredible inspiration': 'There is no Tenacious D without 'Spinal Tap''

Jack Black during an interview with host Seth Meyers on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 (Lloyd Bishop/NBC) (NBC)

By Josh Johnson

December 17, 2025 at 10:50 am EST

Jack Black paid tribute to late director Rob Reiner during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Tuesday, calling the This Is Spinal Tap filmmaker "such an incredible inspiration to me."

"There is no Tenacious D without Spinal Tap," Black said.

This Is Spinal Tap, which was released in 1984, is a mockumentary about a fictional metal band called Spinal Tap. The film, which marked Reiner's directorial debut, became a cult favorite and eventually inspired a sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, that just premiered in September.

"I just wanted to really quick give a shoutout for one of the biggest inspirations in my life and send love to the universe to one of the greats," Black said of Reiner. "He brought so much joy."

Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer, 68, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested for murder.