Hollywood Week: Rob Reiner, Wife, Murdered, Son Arrested, Funeral Plans

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Category: Haute This Issue

Published on Saturday, 20 December 2025 09:13

Written by Janet Walker

Nearly one week has passed since the brutal murders of Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner, 70, in their Brentwood home, allegedly at the hand of their son, Nick Reiner, 32, who is currently awaiting arraignment.

Rob Reiner, Wife Murdered

Hollywood icon Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner, were found viciously murdered in their Brentwood home, one week ago, soon after their son, Nick Reiner was arrested and is currently being held without bail in the Los Angeles County Jail.

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The Reiner's were discovered by their daughter, Romy Reiner, 27, after a massage therapist arrived at the home on Sunday, December 14, and was unable to reach them. The therapist called their daughter who arrived shortly and entered the home, where media reports she found her father, slain.

She did not see her mother and had no knowledge of her mother's death until she was told, later, after police and paramedics arrived. She also identified her brother, Nick, as living in the guest house on the property. Media reports have backtracked on previous statements that she identified him as a suspect, to first responders who arrived at the home on 3:30pm Sunday, December 14.

Timeline, Motive

Throughout the week, media reports have presented a timeline that represents a series of events leading up to the slayings.

On December 13, Talk Show host Conan O'Brien hosted a holiday party at his home. Reiner and his wife were invited. Their son, Nick, 32, who had a well-documented history of mental health and drug addiction accompanied by erratic and sometimes violent behavior, was not invited but Reiner asked if he could attend, as they did not want to leave him alone out of concern for his actions

"The Times reported on Monday that Nick Reiner had behaved erratically that evening and had alarmed guests with his behavior, according to two people who attended the party. One of those two guests, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preserve relationships, said Rob Reiner had rebuked his son, telling him that his behavior was inappropriate for a guest in someone else's home," The New York Times reported.

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Allegedly, the behavior was so troublesome to the guests that it triggered heightened concern, and suggestions of calling the authorities for a medical intervention to place the younger Reiner on a psychiatric hold, were circulated. This idea was allegedly rejected by the party's host.

Even as it was a family matter, Reiner publicly stated that he was afraid of his son. That he believed Nick would hurt him, and further, that he believed he could he killed by his son, a celebrity stated at the memorial service recently held at the home of comedian Albert Brooks.

For guests, observing the behavior, even an escalation of words, as Reiner and his wife were elderly, was troublesome and hinged on elder abuse. For the Reiner's, this verbal abuse was common, and Nick's behavior was a daily coin toss.

"Nick was always troubled, even in his early teens," said Alan Horn, who co-founded the production company Castle Rock Entertainment with Rob Reiner and most recently saw the couple last month. "Rob and Michele kept all this very private, but they did share with us and others that they struggled with Nick's addiction issues, tried everything and were really at a loss as to what else to do," The Wall Street Journal reported.

Preliminary Medical Reports

Preliminary medical reports indicate the Reiner's throats were slit and were killed by wounds consistent with repeated sharp blunt force injuries.

No further information is available to indict what type of struggle may have ensued, as the couple were discovered in separate areas of the Chadbourne Road home.  

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Nick Reiner, Son, Arrested

Nick Reiner, 32, was identified by his sister as living on the property. Although media reports have backtracked on previous statements that she identified him as a suspect to paramedics who arrived at the home and discovered Mr. Reiner at 3:40pm Sunday, December 14.

Nick Reiner, who has had a well-documented struggle with mental health and drug addiction and was the couple's middle child. His addictions, and constant parental need, separated him from his siblings, and was consistent with Middle Child Syndrome, which is an accepted theory of behaviors that a middle child will usually engage in to find their place in the family.

One of those actions is rebellion. For Nick, his middle child rage and rebellion was manifested in drug addiction, and the subsequent separators of homelessness and other cascading events resulting from his drug additions. So even when he was not living in close proximity to his parents, he had their attention, their concern, their worry, he dictated their emotions.

"The family struggle was largely kept private when Nick Reiner was young, but as an adult he openly discussed his battles with heroin and cocaine in interviews and podcasts. He once estimated he had been in drug treatment 18 times during his teenage years," The New York Times reported.

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In 2015, he co-wrote the film, Being Charlie, which was a semi-autobiographical sketch of his life, the drug abuse, his stints in rehab, and his parents, who attempted to intervene with every possible intervention to no avail. The film was directed by Reiner's father, Rob Reiner.

While it was a collaborative project, the film drudged up many old memories and hurts. For the addict, this can be freeing, for those who have been injured by the addict, the past is better left buried, as resurrecting old wounds can resurrect old emotions and the cycle of injury and control repeats.

The Reiner's talked about lacking resource to understand their son's struggle with addictions, and largely depended on the professionals, expressing "how desperate they were for help and, because the professionals had "diplomas on their wall," they listened to them when they should have been listening to their son. The professionals advocated for a "tough love" approach that involved Nick being homeless if he refused treatment programs, a method Reiner later regretted following," The Mirror reported.  

Nick has also spoke openly as an adult, to control of the narrative, on his life as an addict, his homelessness, and the plethora of drugs he injected throughout his life. As an addict, neurologically the euphoric effect of Meth and other drugs would chemically alter his brain, inducing cravings for that same, otherworldly feeling, and unfortunately that high, is a first time only, and the addict will sell their soul to experience that same euphoria, again.

Conversely, the damage resulting from long-term use, and even a clean addict will have residual bouts of leftover brain damage, contributes "to nerve terminal damage in the brain and leading to impaired motor skills, rapid cognitive decline, increased anxiety, psychotic disorders, violent behaviour, hallucination, delusions and depression," as reported in Methamphetamine: Effects on the brain, gut and immune system.

Reiner was diagnosed with was schizophrenic, and his new medication was making him "out of his head," according to media reports his medication was altered about one month before the gruesome murders. 

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Arrest and Court Appearance

Reiner was taken into custody, without incident, approximately six hours after the bodies of his deceased parents were found. He checked into The Pierside Santa Monica hotel, where hotel staff discovered bloodstained sheets and a shower full of blood, in a room occupied by Reiner.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Tuesday. "Their son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances in their slayings. The charges include "a special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife," according to the DA's office," CBSnews.com reported.

Reiner, who made his first court appearance this week, was dressed in a suicide prevention smock, and only spoke when asked if he understood he had the right to a speedy arraignment. He answered "Yes, You Honor."

His next court appearance is scheduled for January 7, 2026. Reiner has hired criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson. He is expected to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Reiner Filmography

Rob Reiner was a beloved director, actor, and champion of a better America. He is known for creating many iconic films, which have stood the test of time and remain culturally relevant and part of cinematic history.

The American Film Institute [AFI] lists seven of Reiner's films in the AFI Catalogue of Feature Films: The First 100 Years (1893-1993). He is known for creating the mocumentary, for his first film, Spinal Tap, [1984] a fictious documentary on the adage of "sex, drugs, and rock and roll." The mockumentary has since become a tool used by other filmmakers.  The Sure Thing [1985], Stand By Me [1986], The Princess Bride [1987], When Harry Met Sally [1989], Misery [1990], A Few Good Men [1992], The American President [1996].

Reiner, the son of comedian and writer Carl Reiner, began his acting career in 1961 and over the next decade he worked consistently. In 1971, he was cast as the Polish son-in-law opposite Carroll O'Connor's "Archie," in All in the Family. He appeared in all 184 episodes. He continued acting, with memorable roles throughout the 1990s.

In 1984 he began directing feature films and seemed to be a natural. His string of hits began in 1986 with Stand by Me and followed with the classic The Princess Bride. His follow up to this cultural pop-classic, was When Harry Met Sally, which has become the quintessential romantic comedy, and who can forget the famous scene in Katz's deli, where Reiner's mother Estelle, responds to Meg Ryan's effective delivery, with "I'll have what she's having."

He directed Kathy Bates in the Stephen King Adaptation of Misery, which won Ms. Bates an Academy Award. A Few Good Men, followed in 1992, and also produced one of those confrontational scenes which has become a pop-culture meme with Jack Nicholson's deliver of "You can't handle the truth."

Reiner's love of cinema, and his leanings toward politics, lead to his choice for The American President. He continued steadily directing with nearly one film per year over the next thirty years including The Ghosts of Mississippi, in 1996, The Bucket List, in 2007, The Magic of Belle Island, in 2012, Being Charlie, in 2015, LBJ in 2016.

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Family Statement

"Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day," Jake and Romy Reiner said in a statement released by a family spokesperson on Wednesday. "The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren't just our parents; they were our best friends. We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life. We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave," ABCnews.com reported.

Funeral Plans

From all reports, a small closely guarded funeral, with only good friends of the couple expected to be invited. Public memorials are expected to follow.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five award-winning screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," a non-fiction narrative, "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," and "Songs of Freedom: A Collection of Biblical Teachings," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Authors Guild, the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.