Art imitates life more often than not, and that is exactly what happened with the ending of When Harry Met Sally… when Rob Reiner fell in love in real life. The veteran director originally planned a completely different ending. But he changed the decision when he met his future wife Michele Singer.
How Michele Singer Reiner inspired the change of When Harry Met Sally’s ending
When Harry Met Sally… has one of the most memorable endings of any romantic comedy. However, when the film was still being shot, Rob Reiner did not have plans for the main characters to end up together.
In a July 2019 interview with PEOPLE, Reiner explained, “We didn’t have them [end up] together,” and added, “They meet again in New York, have a little conversation, and walk in opposite directions.”
However, in the real ending of the film that made it to the screens, Harry runs to Sally on New Year’s Eve in one of the most iconic rom-com sequences. This ending came to be after Reiner and Michele fell in love.
Reiner further talked about the change in a 2024 interview with CNN. “It was going to be the two of them seeing each other after years, talking and then walking away from each other,” the director explained.
He continued, “Because I had been married for 10 years, I’d been single for 10 years and I couldn’t figure out how I was ever going to be with anybody.” Reiner further added, “And that gave birth to When Harry Met Sally.”
The director then spoke about how the ending changed ultimately. He said, “I met my wife Michele, whom I’ve been married to now 35 years. I met her while we were making the film, and I changed the ending.”
Both Reiner and Michele were found dead at their home in Los Angeles, California, on December 14, 2025.
Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on ComingSoon.
