Everything Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner Said About Their Son Nick's Struggles with Addiction Jordana ComiterDecember 17, 2025 at 3:30 AM 0 Phillip Faraone/FilmMagic; BACKGRID Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner on March 30, 2019 ; Nick Reiner on Sept. 9, 2025, in Los Angeles On Dec. 14, Rob Reiner and his wife were found dead by suspected homicide in their home Their son Nick, who had previously been open about his struggles with drug addiction and homelessness, has been arrested in connection with their killings and will be charged with two counts of firstdegree murder The awardwinni...
- - Everything Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner Said About Their Son Nick's Struggles with Addiction
Jordana ComiterDecember 17, 2025 at 3:30 AM
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Phillip Faraone/FilmMagic; BACKGRID
Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner on March 30, 2019 ; Nick Reiner on Sept. 9, 2025, in Los Angeles -
On Dec. 14, Rob Reiner and his wife were found dead by suspected homicide in their home
Their son Nick, who had previously been open about his struggles with drug addiction and homelessness, has been arrested in connection with their killings and will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder
The award-winning director had been candid over the years about navigating Nick's struggles, though he said in September 2025 that his son had been in a "really good place"
Rob Reiner and his wife were candid over the years about navigating their son Nick Reiner's struggles with addiction. Now, he is accused of killing them.
On Dec. 14, the When Harry Met Sally... director and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead by suspected homicide in their Brentwood, Calif., home. Multiple sources who spoke with family members told PEOPLE that the couple were killed by their son, who was arrested later that day in connection with their deaths. The Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced at a press conference on Dec. 16 that Nick will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a special allegation that used a knife.
Shortly after their deaths, a source told PEOPLE that Rob and Michele "could never reach stability" with Nick, who had previously been open about his years-long struggles with drug addiction and homelessness and cycled in and out of rehab around 18 times.
"They tried everything — giving him space, keeping him close — but his struggles are so deep. It's just a parent's worst nightmare," one source said, while another insider added that the couple "tried in every way to help their son."
Rob and Michele — who also shared son Jake, daughter Romy and Rob's daughter Tracy from his first marriage — had also been candid about navigating Nick's battles, with the Oscar-winning director even channeling it into his work with his 2015 film Being Charlie, which was co-written by Nick.
Here's everything that the late Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner said about their son Nick's struggles with addiction.
Rob "felt bad" for his son, but was "never angry"
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Director Rob Reiner and his son Nick Reiner attend AOL Build Presents: "Being Charlie" at AOL Studios in New York on May 4, 2016, in New York City
In 2015, Rob and Nick collaborated on Being Charlie, a film loosely inspired by their own experiences. The story centers on a teenager battling addiction who grows resentful of his parents after they repeatedly send him to rehab.
Ahead of the film's release, Rob reflected to PEOPLE about his son's own struggles and recalled discovering that Nick had been using drugs just shy of his 15th birthday.
"I was never angry," Rob said. "I felt bad for him and I didn't know what to do to help – and a lot of times parents don't know what to do."
Rob went on to say that making the movie with his son "forced us to look at what each other was going through."
"Anytime you get an insight into what somebody else is experiencing, it makes you understand them more," he said. "And if it's a father-son, a child and a parent, it makes the relationship better. Our relationship is better now than it was, and it's got places to go."
Rob said there were "painful and difficult highs and lows"
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Jake Reiner, Nick Reiner, Romy Reiner, Michele Singer Reiner and Rob Reiner on Sept. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas
Rob reflected on Nick's recovery and addiction in a September 2015 interview with the Los Angeles Times, recalling how things had changed over the years.
"It was very, very hard going through it the first time, with these painful and difficult highs and lows," Rob said, adding that making Being Charlie "dredged it all up."
Working on Being Charlie together made Rob "understand" Nick a lot more
In May 2016, Rob and Nick appeared on the BUILD Series to discuss Being Charlie, and got candid about how the experience making the movie affected their relationship. While they admitted that they didn't have the strongest relationship before collaborating, the father and son shared that they grew closer while working on the project.
"I mean, you know, we got into issues [but] ... the whole process for me, it did make me understand him a lot more and I think it made me a better father, hopefully it did," Rob said, while Nick added that it made him feel "closer" to his dad.
Rob said he regretted not trusting his own instincts about his son's struggles
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Michele Singer Reiner and Rob Reiner at SNL50: The Homecoming Concert at Radio City Music Hall on Feb. 14, 2025, in New York
Elsewhere in his interview with the Los Angeles Times, Rob opened up about his regrets on how he and Michele handled Nick's addiction.
"The program works for some people but it can't work for everybody," the director said. "When Nick would tell us that it wasn't working for him, we wouldn't listen. 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."
While speaking on the BUILD Series, Rob also got candid about struggling with the idea of enforcing "tough love," which had been advised to him by many people.
"The whole idea of tough love and you have to be a certain way, it's not my nature, it's not the way I am built," he said. "If your kid is going through rough times, [as] the parent, your main job is to keep your child safe."
Rob continued, "At the end of the day, I know my child better than an expert does and I probably should have trusted my own instinct and that's one of the things I did learn about the whole experience."
Michele said she felt "influenced" by those who tried to tell her how to handle her son's addiction
In the BUILD Series conversation, Michele echoed Rob's remarks on wishing they hadn't always let outside voices influence them.
"We were so influenced by these people," she said. "They would tell us he's a liar, that he was trying to manipulate us. And we believed them."
Rob said his son was in a "really good place" and hadn't done drugs in over six years in September 2025
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Rob Reiner, Michele Singer, Romy Reiner, Nick Reiner, Maria Gilfillan and Jake Reiner at 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues' Premiere on Sept. 9, 2025, in Los Angeles
Just three months before Rob and his wife were killed, the actor said he believed Nick was in "a really good place."
During an interview with NPR in September 2025, Rob revisited Being Charlie and compared his own father-son relationship to that of the one depicted in the film. Unlike the on-screen characters, Rob said he was "never, ever too busy" for Nick.
"I mean, if anything, I was the other way, you know, I was more hands-on and trying to do whatever I thought I could do to help," the actor continued. "I'm sure I made mistakes and, you know, I've talked about that with him since."
Rob also shared that Nick was doing "great" at the time, saying that he "hasn't been doing drugs for over six years."
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: December 17, 2025 at 01:36PM on Source: RED MAG
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