Rob Reiner’s Son Nick Reiner Arrested in Connection with Deaths of Director & Michele Reiner
More information is coming to light following Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner’s deaths.
An investigation found the couple’s son Nick Reiner was “responsible” for their deaths, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a Dec. 15 press release. The 32-year-old has been arrested and booked on suspicion of murder, per the LAPD.
Nick—who co-wrote the movie Being Charlie, which his dad directed—was originally being held on $4 million bail, according to online jail records reviewed by E! News, but the LAPD said he is now being held without bail.
On Dec. 14, the LAPD reported to Rob and Michele’s home, where authorities found two bodies which had suffered stab wounds, per LAPD. The victims were later identified as the 78-year-old director and his 68-year-old wife, who were parents to Nick, Jake Reiner and Romy Reiner. (Rob is also dad to daughter Tracy Reiner, whose mom is late director Penny Marshall.)
E! News has reached out to reps for the Reiner family for comment and previously reached out to law enforcement for comment but has not heard back.
In the wake of what the LAPD have called an “apparent homicide,” Rob and Michele’s loved ones confirmed their identities as the victims, sharing in a statement, “We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by Tracy.
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“I came from the greatest family ever,” the 61-year-old told NBC News, noting she’d seen her father just one day earlier. “I don’t know what to say. I’m in shock.”
Over the years, Nick has been candid about his struggles with addiction and drug use, which led to 17 stays in rehab starting when he was 15, he previously told People.
When he refused to go back to rehab, he was ultimately left homeless.
“If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs they were suggesting,” Nick explained to the outlet in 2016, “then I had to be homeless.”
“Having to deal with that stuff,” Nick continued, “made me who I am now. Now, I’ve been home for a really long time, and I’ve sort of gotten acclimated back to being in L.A. and being around my family. But there was a lot of dark years there.”
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He turned that pivotal period of his life into Being Charlie, which was based loosely on his struggles.
“It’s not my life,” Nick said, “I went to a lot of these places, so I had a lot of these stories.”
Being Charlie was one of the many films Rob directed during his career, which also includes When Harry Met Sally, This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride and Stand By Me.
For a further look at the investigation into the Reiners’ deaths, read on.
(E! News and NBC News are both part of NBCUniversal.)
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Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner’s Son Nick Reiner Details Struggle With Drugs
Years before Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner’s tragic deaths, their son Nick Reiner shared that he struggled with addiction, even collaborating with his father on the 2015 film Being Charlie about substance abuse.
Nick explained that he had been to rehab 17 times before turning 30.
“I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas,” he told People in 2016. “I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun.”
Two years later, Nick recalled an instance when he “wrecked” his home while high on drugs.
“I went 10 rounds in my guest house,” he shared on the Dopey podcast in 2018. “I got totally spun out on uppers—I think it was coke and something else—and I was up for days on end. I started punching out some things in my guest house.”
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Rob Reiner and Nick Reiner Fight at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas Party on Night Before Couple Is Found Dead
The When Harry Met Sally director and his 32-year-old son got into a heated argument at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Dec. 13, multiple sources at the event told People. Family friends also confirmed to the L.A. Times that Rob and Nick fought at the holiday celebration, saying that guests noticed Nick acting strangely.
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Rob Reiner and Wife Michele Singer Reiner Are Found Dead in Their Brentwood, Calif., Home
The day after the Christmas party, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call of a death investigation at a home in Brentwood, Calif., at about 3:40 p.m. on Dec. 14.
“Once inside the residence, officers discovered two victims,” the LAPD said in a press release, “who were subsequently identified as Robert and Michele Reiner.”
The Robbery Homicide Division, Homicide Special Section (RHD/HSS) started an investigation into the circumstances of their deaths.
Deputy Police Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that many family members would be interviewed, per NBC News. In addition to Nick, the couple are parents to daughter Romy Reiner and son Jake Reiner, and Rob also adopted late ex-wife Penny Marshall‘s daughter Tracy Reiner.
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The Reiners’ Manner of Death Revealed as Homicide
Rob and Michele did not die of natural causes, with a source close to the Reiner family telling NBC News that the couple appeared to have died from stab wounds.
“As a result of the initial investigation,” the LAPD said in a press release, “it was determined that the Reiners were the victims of homicide.”
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Nick Reiner Is Arrested on Suspicion of Murder
The LAPD said their investigation determined that Rob and Michele’s son Nick was “responsible for their deaths.” The screenwriter wasn’t taken into custody until hours after his parents’ bodies were found.
“Nick Reiner was located and arrested at approximately 9:15 p.m.,” police said in a press release, adding as of Dec. 15, “He was booked for murder and remains in custody with no bail.”
E! News was not able to find a lawyer on file to speak on Nick Reiner’s behalf.
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Rob Reiner’s Daughter Tracy Reiner Reacts to His Death
After Rob’s death, Tracy said she’d seen her father the day before his passing.
“I came from the greatest family ever,” she told NBC News. “I don’t know what to say. I’m in shock.”
Michael Tullberg/Getty Images; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for DIFF
Jane Fonda Says Michele & Rob Reiner Were “Happy” Night Before Deaths
Jane Fonda saw Rob and Michele the night before their tragic deaths.
“I saw them night before last looking healthy and happy,” the actress wrote on Instagram Dec. 15. “I am reeling with grief. Stunned.”
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The Obamas Had Plans to Meet With the Reiners
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live Dec. 15, Michelle Obama revealed that she and husband Barack Obama were supposed to see Rob and Michele on the day of their deaths.
This story was updated on Dec. 15, 2025, at 12:17 p.m. PT to include the LAPD press release.
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