Mel Brooks Had a Heartbreaking Daily Ritual After Carl Reiner Died (Exclusive)

Numerous big‑name stars, including Rob Reiner, discussed Mel Brooks’s legendary friendship with Carl Reiner for a new documentary. One standout anecdote reveals how Brooks coped after losing his best friend (and Rob’s dad) Carl in 2020. 

In the new HBO documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, Rob, who died on Dec. 14, and others reflect on how the bond between the two icons deepened the both lost their beloved spouses. Carl’s wife Estelle Reiner died in 2008 and Brooks’ second wife, Anne Bancroft, in 2005. 

“Mel lost his wife, and then Carl lost his wife, and then every night they spent together at Carl’s in his little living room with TV trays, eating dinner and watching a different movie every night,” Sarah Silverman says in the film. “I just love that kind of friendship.… I want to be able to have that kind of community with comics like they had with each other” 

Jerry Seinfeld echoes the sentiment. “What a great thing that that exists. You get to see what they did, where a lifetime of gigantic achievements leads you. A living room with deli sandwiches, watching Wheel of Fortune. That’s where you get if you succeed in every possible way in life.” 

When Carl died from a heart attack, Brooks, who was by his side in his final moments, found comfort in continuing their nightly routine, Rob said in an interview filmed for the documentary before his death. “After my father died, he would come to the house, sit there, watch television and have dinner, and he did that for months,” Rob recalled. “And he told us, the family, he said, ‘Let me know when you’re gonna sell the house.’ ”

Rob recalled trying to lighten the mood with a joke. “I said, ‘Maybe it would be better to stage the house with you in it.… It’ll up the value. You get Mel Brooks sitting here.’ ”

Speaking to PEOPLE for this week’s issue, Brooks explains why he kept returning. “There was such love and comfort in Carl’s house,” he says. “Even after he was gone, I felt that in the walls and the furniture. It was a place of happiness.”

Brooks continues to honor Carl’s memory by staying close to his family. “I still try to have dinner with his daughter Annie once a month,” he says.

Rob said Brooks’ devotion spoke volumes about the depth of his bond with Carl. “He was that close to my dad, where he kept, he wanted to be close to him even when my dad was gone.” He added, “I always thought even though Mel was only like four years younger than my dad, I think he looked to my dad as a father figure.”

Both episodes of Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! are available to stream on HBO Max.