Who is Rob Reiner's Son Nick? Addiction Battles, Homelessness, and Alleged Role in Parents' Shocking Death

Nick Reiner, the son of legendary filmmaker Rob Reiner, is at the centre of a devastating and still-unfolding tragedy. On 14 December 2025, Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 68, were found dead inside their Brentwood, Los Angeles home.

Authorities later determined the deaths were being investigated as a homicide, and multiple media outlets have since reported that Nick Reiner is allegedly behind the killings. However, police have not formally confirmed a suspect or announced charges.

As investigators work to piece together what happened, renewed attention has fallen on Nick's long and publicly documented history of addiction, homelessness, and recovery, a struggle that once became the subject of a deeply personal film made with his father.

Addiction That Began in His Teens

Nick, born Nicholas Reiner on 14 September 1993, has previously spoken openly about how early his struggles began.

In a 2016 interview with People, the middle child of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner revealed that he entered rehab for the first time around age 15. By his early twenties, he had been in and out of rehabilitation facilities more than a dozen times, with some reports citing as many as 17 or 18 stays.

According to reports, heroin and other hard drugs were at the centre of his addiction. During periods when he refused treatment programs, Nick said he was left without a place to live, spending nights and sometimes weeks homeless in states including Maine, New Jersey and Texas.

'I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas,' he said at the time. 'I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun.'

He explained that rejecting certain rehab paths often came with harsh consequences. 'If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs they were suggesting, then I had to be homeless,' he said, adding that addiction frequently ends in death for many who don't survive long enough to recover.

Nick later said he was last in rehab around age 19 and credited treatment with helping him move toward sobriety.

Turning His Struggles Into a Film

Nick's experiences eventually became the basis for Being Charlie, a semi-autobiographical film released in 2015 and directed by his father. Nick co-wrote the script, drawing heavily from his own time in rehab and stories he heard from others battling addiction.

Rob Reiner later described the project as deeply personal and said it helped him understand the full extent of what his son had been dealing with. For Nick, the film served as a way to process years of trauma and instability.

Afterwards, he continued working quietly on writing projects while keeping a much lower public profile than his siblings.

The Deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner

That quiet largely ended last Sunday, when authorities responded to a medical aid call at the Reiners' Brentwood home and found Rob and Michele dead. Investigators later confirmed stab wounds, and the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division took over the case.

According to several reports, Nick Reiner has been named by sources close to the investigation as the alleged perpetrator. There were reportedly no signs of forced entry, and the couple's daughter, Romy, is believed to have discovered the bodies and contacted authorities.

While some outlets report Nick has been taken into custody or questioned, police have not officially identified a suspect, confirmed an arrest, or released a motive. The investigation remains active, and officials have said more information will be provided as it becomes available.