Nick Reiner described violent outbursts and theft before homicide investigation

Nick Reiner previously detailed destroying his parents’ guest house while under the influence as a teenager

Nick Reiner, the son of filmmaker Rob Reiner and writer Michele Reiner, had previously spoken publicly about addiction, family conflict and criminal behaviour years before he was taken into custody in connection with his parents’ deaths.

The 32-year-old is currently being held on a felony charge as authorities investigate what has been described as a double homicide. Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead on Sunday. Their daughter, Romy Reiner, discovered them, and police arrested Nick Reiner later that evening at around 9.15pm. He remains in LAPD custody.

Reiner had been open about his struggles with substance abuse on the Dopey podcast, hosted by Dave Manheim, where guests discuss addiction and recovery. In a 2018 episode, he recalled an incident that occurred after his parents asked him to leave a guest house they had allowed him to live in.

“It’s not much of a story,” he said, adding that he no longer remembered “the specifics of it.” He then described damaging the guest house while under the influence of stimulants, explaining, “I went 10 rounds with my guesthouse… I got totally spun out on uppers… I started punching out different things in my guest house... I think I started with the TV and went over to the lamp, everything in the guest house got wrecked... I literally punched the TV.” 

In another episode recorded in 2017, Reiner described stealing $200 from his parents as a teenager to pay a sex worker he contacted through Craigslist. He recounted how he accessed the money and later met the woman, describing the encounter and its aftermath in his own words.

During a separate appearance on the podcast, Reiner addressed his relationship with his family’s fame, saying, “I never wanted to identify with my father, with money, or being judged on any of that stuff.”

The investigation into the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner is ongoing, and police have not released further details.