CNN Sets Two-Hour Primetime Block on the Reiner Tragedy and Rob Reiner’s Legacy on Sunday, December 21
The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper Presents “Rob Reiner: His Life and Legacy,” with Sara Sidner at 8PM ET/PT
Encore Presentation of Archival Larry King Live Interview with Rob Reiner Airs at 9PM ET/PT
NEW YORK, NY – (December 19, 2025) – CNN will devote two consecutive hours of primetime programming this Sunday, December 21 to the latest developments surrounding the Reiner case, pairing timely reporting with historical context from Reiner’s public life and career.
The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, a six-time Emmy® Award-winning CNN Original, returns with “Rob Reiner: His Life and Legacy” with CNN Anchor and Senior National Correspondent Sara Sidner premiering at 8pm ET/PT. An encore presentation of Rob Reiner’s April 1997 appearance on Larry King Live will premiere at 9pm ET/PT. Both hours will stream on demand the next day for subscribers of CNN’s streaming offering.
In “Rob Reiner: His Life and Legacy,” Sidner examines the most recent details surrounding what happened the night the Reiners were killed, the ongoing investigation involving Reiner’s son, and the legal case unfolding against him. The hour also looks more broadly at Rob Reiner’s far-reaching influence on Hollywood and American politics, featuring reflections from those who knew him personally and worked alongside him. Friends and fellow activists including Alan Horn, Dustin Lance Black and Howard Dean offer insight into Reiner’s creative achievements, civic engagement, and the imprint he left on American culture.
Immediately following at 9:00pm ET/PT, CNN will air a special encore presentation of an archival Larry King Live interview with Rob Reiner that originally aired on CNN in 1997, providing viewers with a rare opportunity to revisit Reiner in his own words and contextualize his career and public life. Together, the two-hour special offers CNN audiences timely reporting, perspective, and historical depth as the Reiner case continues to unfold.
The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper is a collection of unique and immersive single subject, one-hour episodes from CNN’s award-winning longform storytelling team showcasing character-driven stories, special interviews, and investigative deep dives featuring reporting from CNN’s anchors and correspondents. The series, which has been honored with two consecutive Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Recorded News Program, is executive produced by Susan Chun.
The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper and the archival Larry King Live interview will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps on Sunday, December 21. Both hours will also be available on demand beginning Monday, December 22 to CNN’s streaming subscribers and pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps, and Cable Operator Platforms.
Past episodes of The Whole Story are available to stream on demand for CNN’s streaming subscribers and on HBO Max.
The Whole Story is also available as a CNN Podcasts showcast. Visit CNN.com/audio or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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About CNN Originals
The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN Flashdocs, and CNN Studios. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 60 multi-part documentary series and 70 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 120 awards and 450 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films’ first Academy Award® for Navalny. Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy® Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown; five time Emmy® nominee, Apollo 11, directed by Todd Douglas Miller; Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid directed by Matt Tyrnauer; Emmy® nominated Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico; the Emmy® Award-nominated “Decades Series”: The Sixties, The Seventies, The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, and The 2010s, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; the Emmy® Award winning Little Richard: I Am Everything, directed by Lisa Cortés; Luther Vandross: Never Too Much, directed by Dawn Porter; The Many Lives of Martha Stewart; Primetime Emmy® and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; See It Loud: The History of Black Television, executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight in partnership with the BBC; the Producers Guild Award and three-time Emmy® Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy; This is Life with Lisa Ling; BAFTA nominee and Directors Guild Award winner, Three Identical Strangers, directed by Tim Wardle; the five-time Emmy® Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell; the American version of the long-running UK comedy series, Have I Got News For You, hosted by Roy Wood Jr; and the six-time Emmy® Award-winning The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. CNN Originals can be seen on CNN, the CNN Original Hub on Max and discovery+, the CNN Originals FAST channel, and for pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms.
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Press Contacts
The Whole Story Press Contact
Sara Sidner Press Contact