The double murder of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, shocked the world this week. What makes the crime even more disturbing is that the couple’s son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested for allegedly killing his parents.
The night before the murders, the trio went to Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party, trying to maintain some normalcy for their son amid his struggles with substance abuse.
However, Nick demonstrated odd behavior at the party, which might not help his case when it comes to his trial. According to the Wall Street Journal, the screenwriter interacted with some famous personalities during the event and made them feel awkward with three embarrassing questions.
Director Rob Reiner’s son Nick is in custody and has been booked for felony murder after the director and his wife were found knifed to death at their home
Billy Crystal outside Rob Reiner’s home after director’s death pic.twitter.com/CdCvhcIa6I
— Lilian Chan (@bestgug) December 15, 2025
Nick reportedly asked multiple people, including actor Bill Hader, ‘What’s your name? Last name? Are you famous?’ From the beginning of the party, it was evident that all was not well with the screenwriter as he arrived at the formal setup in a hoodie.
Sources have also revealed that Nick behaved erratically at the venue, which also led to an argument between him and his father. Rob and Michele were discovered dead at their California residence just hours later.
Nick was soon taken into custody and charged with the murder of his parents. The family then released a statement confirming Rob and Michele’s death and wrote, “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Rob and Nick had long had a strained relationship due to Nick’s substance abuse and violent behavior. Nick first entered rehab as a teenager, but later had a relapse and also went through a period of homelessness. The friction between him and his parents came to public attention through the film Being Charlie, which was based on the father and son’s real-life tensions.
Nick Reiner was living in his parents’ guest house.
They brought him to Conan O’Brien’s home for a holiday party on Saturday night because they didn’t want him to be alone.
I don’t know everything that was happening in their relationship, but by all accounts — including private…
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) December 17, 2025
In a 2015 interview with The Los Angeles Times, Rob had expressed that he could have handled his son’s situation better. He said at the time, “We were desperate, and because the people had diplomas on their wall, we listened to them when we should have been listening to our son.”
However, the relationship between them seems to have worsened over the years. During Conan O’Brien’s Christmas bash, Nick was asked to leave the event shortly after his fight with his father, and after weirding out numerous celebrities.
Rob is remembered for his work as a director on films like When Harry Met Sally…, The Princess Bride, and The American President. He earned several accolades over the years, including an Oscar nomination. On the other hand, Michele was a film producer whose credits included God & Country and Shock and Awe.
