Rob and Nick Reiner's past family dynamics at dinner recalled as police examine tragic deaths

A 2015 dinner with Rob, Michele and Nick Reiner offers context as investigators examine a family tragedy

Steven Zeitchick, a senior editor for THR, has opened up about a dinner he shared with Rob Reiner, his wife Michele and their son Nick at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015 following the deaths of the film-maker and his wife, and the arrest of their son on suspicion of murder.

The meeting took place during the festival premiere of Being Charlie, a film directed by Rob Reiner and co-written by Nick, which drew directly on the family’s experience with addiction. The dinner, held at a busy downtown Toronto restaurant, followed the screening and included candid discussion about family strain, recovery and responsibility.

Rob Reiner spoke openly that evening about pride in his son and relief at his sobriety. “I’m so proud; it’s incredible. He’s been through everything; it’s so hard, you’re in this position of no control,” he said, adding that the film represented a turning point. Michele Reiner emphasised that the project was not intended as a public statement but a personal one, saying, “We had to do it for each other.”

Nick Reiner, who had turned 22 that day, was more reserved. He acknowledged uncertainty about sharing his story so publicly, saying, “It was tough at first, to think, ‘Am I actually going to do this?’” He also described his resistance to rehabilitation programmes, noting, “I just couldn’t get by in these programs.”

Rob Reiner later reflected on parental regret. “When Nick would tell us that it wasn’t working for him, we wouldn’t listen,” he said. “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.” Michele added, “They would tell us he’s a liar, that he was trying to manipulate us. And we believed them.”

At the time, the family expressed hope that the film marked a resolution. Looking back, the evening suggested progress but not closure, a sense that reconciliation was still fragile.

Now, with Nick Reiner arrested on suspicion of killing his parents, memories of that dinner feel both intimate and unsettling, offering no clear answers but underscoring the complexity of a family struggling to navigate love, addiction and limits.