Killing of Rob and Michele Reiner

Rob Reiner was an American actor, director, and political activist. His credits include This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally..., Misery, Stand by Me, and A Few Good Men. Michele Singer Reiner was a photographer, producer, and LGBTQ rights advocate. Rob and Michele married in 1989 and had three children. is the second of three children: he has an older brother, Jake, and a younger sister, Romy. Reiner has a GED credential but decided not to attend college. Before his arrest, Nick Reiner had discussed long-running substance abuse problems in interviews and podcasts, including periods in and out of treatment beginning in his adolescence. Nick's first stint at a drug rehab was when he was 14 years old. The Irish Times, summarizing prior public accounts, reported that Nick estimated he entered drug treatment eighteen times by the time he was 16, and spoke about addiction to heroin and cocaine. Nick had an often contentious relationship with his parents, who committed many resources toward his recovery. Despite the constant cycle of active addiction and stays in rehab centers, Nick reportedly became closer to his father during the production of Being Charlie. Nevertheless, police visited the Reiner home on many occasions over the following decade due to incidents involving Nick. Nick was placed into a year-long mental health conservatorship in 2020. The conservatorship ended in 2021. At certain points, Nick was homeless During the argument, Rob reportedly chastised his son for his conduct. Another associate of the Reiner family disputed the intensity of the argument and told The New York Times that the Reiners would not have left the party early due to Nick's behavior, which the family had grown used to. == Killings and investigation ==

On the afternoon of December 14, 2025, Rob and Michele Reiner's daughter Romy discovered her father's body in the master bedroom of their Brentwood home. Her roommate, with whom she lived across the street from her parents' house, called 911 at 3:38 p.m. Pacific Standard Time after Romy fled the residence. Shortly after, Romy contacted Billy Crystal and his wife Janice, close friends of the Reiner family, who arrived at the scene as emergency services were attending to the victims. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responding to the call found a man and a woman dead inside the house. The investigation was handled by the LAPD's robbery and homicide division, and police stated detectives were working to obtain a search warrant as part of the investigation. and the manner of death was homicide. The death certificates also revealed they died "within minutes" of the attack. == Arrest and legal proceedings ==

Nick Reiner was arrested on the night of December 14 near the University of Southern California. Hochman said that they have not yet decided whether to pursue the death penalty. On December 17, Nick made his first court appearance with his defense attorney Alan Jackson, known for his work as both the prosecuting and defense attorney on cases involving celebrities and other high-profile matters. At his first court appearance, Nick only spoke briefly to a judge, did not enter a plea, and waived his right to a speedy trial after Jackson asked for a continuance regarding Nick's arraignment. He was being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility and his arraignment was set for January 7, 2026. On January 7, during the scheduled arraignment, Jackson withdrew from the case. Nick was then appointed a public defender and his arraignment was subsequently postponed to February 23. Nick pleaded not guilty in court on February 23. He was denied bail and ordered to remain in custody. He was ordered to appear in court again on April 29 for a preliminary hearing. During his April 29 hearing, Nick agreed to a general time waiver, again waiving his right to a speedy trial. == Tributes and reaction ==

Rob and Michele's other two children, Jake and Romy, released a joint statement on December 17, 2025, calling their parents their "best friends". Close friends and collaborators Albert Brooks, Billy Crystal, Larry David, Martin Short, Barry Levinson, Marc Shaiman, and Alan Zweibel released a joint statement which read in part, "There is no other director who has his range...he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him." They also wrote, "Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens ... They were a special force together—dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever". Director Martin Scorsese's personal essay remembering Rob and Michele Reiner was published in The New York Times on Christmas Day; he wrote about how he met Reiner through mutual friends in 1970s Los Angeles, regretting the need to use the past tense in describing them, and saying "I loved hanging out with Rob. We had a natural affinity for each other. He was hilarious and sometimes bitingly funny, but he was never the kind of guy who would take over the room." In January 2026, Mel Brooks, who had been best friends with Rob Reiner's father Carl Reiner, commented at a premiere screening of the documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, "Carl, with what's happened, I'm glad that he passed away when he did...I mean, he never could have survived this terrible, terrible thing." Numerous figures in the entertainment industry also paid tribute to Reiner, including Sean Astin, Kevin Bacon, Alec Baldwin, Kathy Bates, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cusack, Michael Douglas, Beverly Todd, Zooey Deschanel, Cary Elwes, Jane Fonda, Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg, Ron Howard, Eric Idle, Stephen King, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Demi Moore, Meg Ryan, Harry Shearer, Ben Stiller, Jack Nicholson, Barbra Streisand, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Woods, and Robin Wright. Sally Struthers, who played his on-screen wife in All In the Family, called the deaths "beyond devastating." Cast members from Stand by Me, including Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, and Wil Wheaton, also issued statements remembering Reiner. Late-night hosts including Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Howard Stern also paid tribute. Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass called Reiner's death a "devastating loss for our city and our country", citing his creative work and advocacy for social justice. California governor Gavin Newsom said he was "heartbroken", praising Reiner's "boundless empathy" and his advocacy for children and civil rights. Three ex-presidents issued condolences: former U.S. president Bill Clinton released a statement describing the Reiners as friends and praising their public service. Former president Joe Biden and former vice president Kamala Harris also issued statements mourning the couple and praising their character. Political commentator and strategist James Carville described Reiner as "a friend of mine" and also someone who held a huge "cultural impact" on his life. Journalists paying tribute to Reiner included CNN's Anderson Cooper. President Donald Trump mocked Reiner, writing on Truth Social that "a very sad thing happened" and stating Reiner and his wife died "reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as Trump derangement syndrome". Trump's reaction was widely criticized by both Republicans and Democrats; Republican critics included Mike Lawler, Don Bacon, and Stephanie Bice, as well as opponents of Trump such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie. When asked about his post during an event that afternoon, Trump reiterated that Reiner was "very bad for our country" and a "deranged person", accusing him of being one of those behind "the Russia hoax", a reference to the Russia investigation origins conspiracy theory. In protest of Trump's remarks about Reiner, wrestling personality Mick Foley severed all ties to WWE, which Trump has historically had close ties with. At the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026, Billy Crystal honored the Reiners in a tribute alongside friends and actors who had appeared in Rob's films, including Christopher Guest, Cary Elwes, Michael McKean, Mandy Patinkin, Carol Kane, Meg Ryan, Kiefer Sutherland, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, Kathy Bates, Wil Wheaton, Annette Bening, John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga. == Media ==

ABC News aired a one-hour special titled The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy on December 16. On December 21, CNN aired a two-part special, Rob Reiner: His Life and Legacy, the Whole Story, and Rob Reiner: In His Own Words, A Larry King Exclusive, as did CBS News with their news special titled Rob Reiner: Scenes from a Life. A special called TMZ Investigates: The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened was posted on Hulu on January 7, 2026. == Notes ==