CNS Can’t Stop Lazily Attacking Rob Reiner As ‘Meathead’

Like its Media Research Center parent, CNSNews.com loves to lazily dismiss any political opinions expressed by director Rob Reiner by associating him with Mike Stivic — who was nicknamed “Meathead” by bigoted lead character Archie Bunker — the role he played on “All In The Family” 50 years ago and hasn’t played since 1978. It hasn’t stopped doing so over the past year, even though Reiner has done many more things in the ensuing 40-plus years.

An August 2020 article by Craig Bannister put “Meathead” in the headline and described Reiner as a “producer and left-wing activist” who “starred as a character nicknamed “Meathead” in the iconic sitcom ‘All in the Family.'” In an October 2020 article, Bannister described Reiner as a “political activist and Filmmaker” but surprisingly did not mention his “All In The Family” role. 

An anonymously written Jan. 18 article, complaining that Reiner called Donald Trump a “lifetime criminal,” described Reiner as having “played Archie Bunker’s son-in-law (“Meathead”) on “All in the Family” and went on to become a Hollywood movie director” and illustrated it with a black-and-white still shot of Reiner and Carroll O’Connor, who played Archie Bunker, in a scene from “All In The Family” — then irrelevantly added that “Reiner explained in a 2012 interview with the Huffington Post that he does not practice a religion.” The anonymous writer didn’t mention that Trump doesn’t practice a religion either.

A Jan. 28 article by Bannister called Reiner a “liberal Filmmaker” (though he didn’t explain why he capitalized “filmmaker”) but didn’t mention “Meathead” as he complained that Trump’s second impeachment trial was a choice between democracy and racism. Bannister repeated the “liberal Filmmaker” tag in a Feb. 1 post unhappy that Reiner said that Trump “committed the single worst Crime against Democracy in our Nation’s history.”

An anonymously written Feb. 22 post about Reiner’s comments on the death of Rush Limbaugh, however, returned “Meathead” to the headline and described Reiner as “the actor who played Archie Bunker’s son-in-law Meathead on ‘All in the Family,'” but illustrated the article with a file photo of Reiner with Hillary Clinton. 

In an April 14 article complaining that Reiner called Republicans “secessionists” who “stand for nothing but White Nationalism.” Bannister described him as a “liberal activist and Hollywood producer.” But an anonymously written July 21 article calling Trump a “criminal sociopath” returned to describing Reiner as having “played the son-in-law of Archie Bunker on ‘All in the Family'”and was illustrated with another “All in the Family” file photo. 

It appears CNS is still having issues separating an actor from a role he hasn’t played in more than 40 years.