EXCLUSIVE: Rob Reiner's Fiercest Hollywood Rivalry Exposed — Inside Tragic Director's 'War' With Martin Scorsese… And How His Trademark Baseball Caps Was at Center of Their Feud
Rob Reiner and Martin Scorsese were involved in a feud... and a baseball cap is to blame.
Dec. 16 2025, Published 3:10 p.m. ET
Slain Rob Reiner once sparked one of Hollywood's most talked-about creative feuds by parodying Martin Scorsese on screen, in a clash that ended up centering on the beloved director's trademark baseball caps.
Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer, 68, were found dead at their home in Los Angeles on Sunday, with cops now saying the pair's troubled, confessed former drug addict son Nick Reiner, 32, was "responsible" for the double homicide. The killing has led to the re-emergence of his rivalry with the fellow iconic director Scorsese, 83.
RadarOnline.com can reveal it stemmed from Reiner's role as documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi in This Is Spinal Tap, the 1984 mockumentary that helped redefine screen comedy.
Scorsese was believed to have gotten mad at Reiner's onscreen portrayal of him.
The Feud Explained
DiBergi was partly inspired by Scorsese's earnest on-camera presence in The Last Waltz, his celebrated 1978 concert documentary about The Band.
Reiner played the character as an overly serious observer amid escalating absurdity. Scorsese was initially unhappy with the portrayal. Reiner later recalled the reaction, saying: "Initially, Marty got mad."
He added that time softened the response, explaining Scorsese eventually embraced the joke and the film's place in cinema history.
Reiner decided to wear a baseball cap for the role, which left Scorsese 'mad.'
The irritation peaked over one specific detail – DiBergi's constant baseball cap. Scorsese later insisted that Reiner had gone too far with the accessory, saying: "You will never catch me wearing a baseball hat."
The line became emblematic of the brief but intense creative tension between the two directors. Despite the early friction, the relationship evolved into mutual respect.
Reiner said the subject resurfaced years later when the two men worked together on Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013, in which Reiner appeared as an actor.
Reiner recalled: "We did Wolf of Wall Street a few years ago and we talked about it."
He said Scorsese told him, "Ah, I love it. I love that you did that."
A 'Hatchet Job'
The directors seemed to end their feud when Reiner appeared in Scorsese's 'The Wolf of Wall Street.'
The reconciliation came before Reiner revisited his most famous creation. Before his death, he released Spinal Tap II, in which he reprised his role as DiBergi.
Announcing the sequel, Reiner described DiBergi's motivation in character, saying the documentarian saw the band's reunion in the film as a chance to "make things right" after the band viewed the original film as a "hatchet job."
He added DiBergi had left his teaching post "in pursuit of film history."
Reiner also explained the sequel would follow the improvisational style of the original, again blurring the line between satire and sincerity.
Rob Reiner's Horrifying Death
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Reiner and his wife were found dead inside their Los Angeles mansion.
Speaking about DiBergi's fictional career decline, Reiner joked: "Here we are 40 years later and Marty DiBergi – who has not been the greatest filmmaker, let's put it that way."
As tributes continue to pour in following the Reiners' deaths, the story of the baseball cap feud has resurfaced as a reminder of Rob's fearless comedy and his willingness to lampoon even the most revered figures in film – including those who would later call him a friend.
Rob and Michele's son, Nick, was seen arguing with his father at a holiday party Saturday at Conan O'Brien's home, according to a source familiar with the incident.
He was booked on suspicion of murder and is being held without bail, with the double-homicide case against Nick in connection with the deaths of his parents set to be turned over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office today.
Along with the Spinal Tap movies, his father's prolific movie CV included When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, Misery, and A Few Good Men.
