The Murder of Rob and Michele Reiner

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2:09If you're a fan of movies, odds are you've probably seen at least one film that was either directed, produced, or written by Rob Reiner. Yeah, I mean, I definitely know the name. I couldn't tell you much else about him, but I know the name Rob Reiner. Many film buffs can recall their first Reiner film I certainly can. As an ardent fan of Stephen King, my first introduction to the Reiner repertoire, was his 1986 film Stand By Me, which is an adaptation of King's 1982 novella, The Body. I haven't seen it, but I do like Stephen King, and I do like Stephen King movie adaptations. I f***ing lot. One of my favourite books is Dallas 63, which I think has a slightly different name. In America, it's like the specific date. It's about the type travel assassination, JFK sort of thing, made into a brilliant mini series, which I must watch again, because it's cracking. I recently reread the book for like the third time. So good. In addition to being one of most beloved and acclaimed adaptations of Stephen King's writing, Stand By Me also happens to be a critical

3:10dialing in its own right. And to someone who's an ardent king of Hishyanado, who is highly critical of any film or television adaptations of his work, I can easily say that in my opinion, Stand By Me is the top of the list. Why any people point Stanley Kubrick's The Shining as the best adaptation of King's work? Oh yeah, it is! I totally forgot that The Shining was based on King. Stephen King himself notoriously hated the film. On the other hand, King loved Reiner's adaptation of his novella, and during a private screening of the film, he reportedly became so emotional that he left the room in tears. After gathering himself, King returned and gave Reiner a rare hug. A few years later, in 1990, Reiner would adapt another work of King's, his iconic 1987 novel Misery for Dastic Book. Adodd surprisingly, the author, once again, adored Reiner's adaptation. And this is one of the things that makes the career of Rob Reiner so legendary. With nearly every single one of his films, there are countless stories filled to the brim with celebrities who adored the man. Reiner was a notable talent, and he moved seamlessly through multiple genres where he found both commercial and critical success.

4:12Anyone who could direct such an iconic comedy is The Princess Bride, which I saw under great pressure. People are so sorry, you've not seen The Princess Bride. You've got to watch The Princess Bride. It's fine. It's alright. It feels very dated, and a lot of the humor I just didn't get, but I guess it's a, you had to be there, sort of thing. And then transition into the horror staple of Misery, before helming the off-quoted drama A Few Good Men is definitely a rare bird. Yeah, and like, no matter my thoughts on The Princess Bride, obviously super talented. But what makes Rob Reiner so unique is the fact that he was beloved by everyone who knew and or worked with him. Seriously, try as hard as you want, but finding someone who has a legitimate reason to dislike Rob is damn near impossible. Yeah, I was looking at the thumbnail for this episode, which was made ahead of time. And I'm like, Rob Reiner is just smiling in the picture. I'm like, Rob Reiner seems like a friendly dude. You look at him and he's just got that genuine smile. He seems to be having a good time like every photo of him. And I'm like, yeah, do what do people like like Rob Reiner? He's just from the photo of him. I'm like, that seems like a good dude. He was loved as both an actor and director. Not only was Rob a

5:17talented storyteller, but he was also a joy to work for. And in Hollywood, people with such stellar personal and professional reputations like Rob Reiner, A Few and Far Between. If you'd like even more reason to love Rob Reiner, his relationship with his wife Michelle seemed to be one of his romantic comedies come to life. The couple met in 1988 on the set of his film when Harry Met Sally. I had no, that's a fantastic movie, which is essentially the goal standard for Rob Combs. I'll have what she's having. Yeah, it is a Rob Comb. I'm not the biggest fan of Rob Combs, I generally find the pretty cheesy, but when Harry Met Sally is a fucking good-ass movie. By all accounts, Michelle and Rob have had a hell of a head over heels in love with each other, and everyone just seemed to know that this was it. The pair would be together forever. The couple would go on to marry and welcome three kids, in addition to Rob's adopted daughter from his first marriage. They established a loving and devoted family unit. And if that wasn't enough to sell you on the Reiner's, the couple were also devoted social activists who had a particular

6:19passion for LGBTQ plus rights, marriage, equality, environmental causes, and the importance of early childhood development. So, if I haven't been able to emphasise enough already, Rob and Michelle Reiner, one of the most beloved and respected couples in Hollywood, and that's what makes their tragic deaths, so utterly shocking. On December 14, 2025, reports of the Reiner's deaths began to emerge on social media and in the press. Unfortunately later that day, those reports were confirmed as true. Rob and Michelle Reiner were discovered dead in their Brentwood home. And the horror didn't stop there. Not only were two of Hollywood's most adored figures dead, but it was soon confirmed that Rob and Michelle had been murdered, and it was their youngest child who made the gruesome discovery. But what came next was truly staggering. Rob and Michelle's middle child, Nick Reiner, was arrested, and charged with the murder of his parents. And that is about as far as I know about this story. I know these have been charged, I think he's on trial right now, which is probably why Adam was on this episode right now, boy. Rob Reiner, the Mention of Hollywood.

7:26If you're unfamiliar with the term Mention, who's not familiar with the term Mention? You Mention? It's a year-dish word that literally translates to person or human being. Now, but it means like f***ing legends, like absolute Mention of a man. In English and home in Claytonshire, calling someone a Mention is quite the compliment as you're essentially saying that that person is one of integrity, kindness, and warmth, who import and warmth, who embodies human decency. Okay, I didn't know it was that specific, I'm just like someone who's a Mention is like, yeah, boy. And that is exactly who Rob Reiner was, a true Mention in every sense in the word. Not only was Rob Reiner in a claimed and talented storyteller, but he was also a genuinely kindhearted man who was known for his deep devotion to his wife and children. Rob also had a reputation for being a passion at social activist. So, when I say Rob Reiner was the epitome of what it means to be a Mention, that's why. He was born on the 6th of March, 1947, in the Bronx, New York, to parents Karl and Estelle. At the time of his birth, Rob's parents were both working actors. Karl Reiner would go on to establish himself as an

8:27entertainment icon, while Estelle found even more success as a cabaret singer. Karl served in the military during World War II and reached the rank of corporal before being discharged in 1946. Upon his return to the States, Karl pursued a career in show business and found great success. After welcoming their first child, Rob, in 1947, Estelle and Karl would go on to have two more children, Annie in 1949 and Lucas in 1960. As Karl's career began to take off, he and his family relocated to New Rochelle, New York, before ultimately moving across the country to Los Angeles, California. That's quite an age gap. Like, my kids do to his apart, just shy. So, that's what they have and then they have another kid 11 years later. I mean, I cannot imagine having a kid in five years from now and going through the whole baby thing again. It's like, oh, it's wonderful and all of that, but it's also fucking hard. It's like enough, enough. Fortunately, I have been mutated. Mutated, mangled, snipped. So no more. In the 1950s, Karl made a name for himself as a sketch.

9:32Got what? That's too much of a measure, wasn't it? Transitioned into writing, he and his good friends and groundbreaking comedian in his own right, Mel Brooks, formed a legendary comedic duo that found great success in the 50s and 60s. Karl would go on to direct his own films, where he collaborated with famous comedians such as Steve Martin. Perhaps the work Karl is best known for is creating, writing and producing the Dick Van Dyke show, which is still considered to be one of the most influential American sitcoms in all time. Of all time, holy shit, it's quite the dynasty, isn't it? Wow. Due to the nature of his parents' careers, it's safe to say that Robyn and siblings grew up surrounded by comedic royalty. Also contributing to the immense talent that surrounded Reiner was the high school he went to, Beverly Hills High School, which is filled with the progeny of famous parents much like himself. Perhaps the most influential friendship Rob made in his deen years was his classmate Albert Lawrence Einstein, who for obvious reasons would go by the stage name Albert Brooks. Wait, was he related to Einstein? Is that why would you change it? Wouldn't you be like, yeah man, Einstein, baby, I'm part of that smart family, yes, relativity.

10:37Much like Reiner, Brooks was the son of two famous actors, with his father also being a well-known Canadian. Brooks would later go on to an equally impressive career as a comedic actor, director and writer. Yeah, again, Mel Brooks, super famous. Did he recently die? Mel Brooks, I think so. Some of his hits include writing, directing and starring in modern romance, lost in America, and defending your life. He was also nominated for their supporting actor at the Oscars in 1987, and had parts in acclaimed films such as Taxi Driver. Oh, and he also voiced Marlin, Nemo's dad, in the 2003 Pixar sensation Finding Nemo. That is so weird, this is the second dive in like two episodes. I think it was for, was it for casual criminalists? It might have been for another episode, but this is the second time in like two days that Finding Nemo has come up. And I would tell the story about my son finding it too scary, so I've never actually finished Finding Nemo, but I'm pretty sure I told you that story in the last episode. Perhaps, or maybe it was somewhere else in my plethora of channels. Who knows? So, yes, a pretty impressive guy who was just one equally impressive half of a pretty impressive best friend duo with Reiner.

11:42Brooks and Reiner would go on to have a lifelong friendship, with the two living together as roommates in the early days of their careers. It should come as a surprise to no one that young Rob Reiner quickly developed a passion for acting. Yeah, dude, you're the children of famous actors. You go to Beverly Hills High School with all the other children of famous actors. It's not really super surprising. In addition to taking drama classes in high school, Reiner pursued a degree in film at the renowned program at the University of California Los Angeles, or UCLA. Reiner attended the school from 1964 to 1966, but dropped out before completing his degree. One could make the argument that Rob Reiner was the quintessential Nepo baby due to the success of his parents in the entertainment industry, especially as father's reputation in the world of comedy. Yes, okay, so he's definitely a Nepo baby. But there's like a difference. You have Nepo babies, whereas like, okay, the only reason that you're here is because your dad or your mum is XYZ, and otherwise you wouldn't be here. And then there are Nepo babies where it's like, wow, they're pretty good at this. It's like, okay, good. They had a... I mean, everyone starts life

12:47at different places, right? Like, you got someone who was, I don't know, born in the slums of somewhere, someplace. And then you've got someone who is like, I don't know, barren Trump or whatever. I just say, we all started different places. That's fine. Reiner started getting a better place than most people. But if you go on to carve your own path and achieve your own thing, okay, I mean, yeah, it wasn't a Nepo baby, but then it did his own shit, which is cool. And while I do think it's fair to say that Rob Reiner had more connections and access than your everyday aspiring actor, no shit, I would never write him off as just another vaguely talented beneficiary of Hollywood Nepotism. No, because as soon as you go from just vaguely talented beneficiary of Hollywood Nepotism to actually talented Hollywood player, it's real different. Yeah, yeah, a hand. Yeah, yeah, a leg up. But you did it yourself. You did, you didn't do it yourself. Obviously, I just said that, but you've done something with that. And you've exceeded expectations,

13:49which is cool. Rob Reiner is the embodiment of a Nepo baby who deserves all the fame and acclaim that he received. While Reiner undoubtedly had a leg up as far as breaking into the industry, he quickly established himself as a unique talent in his own right. Honestly, even if Reiner wasn't the son of famous parents, I still think he would have probably found success in Hollywood. Yeah, maybe there are, you could bet there are a f*** load of extremely talented actors and extremely talented producers and directors all out there who just haven't caught a break. The guy basically redefined comedy will also dabbling in drama and horror. In fact, it was in those two genres that Reiner received the most critical acclaim with his films earning several Oscar nominations in the process. Say what you will about Nepo babies, but this guy earned his stripes. Throughout the latter half of the 60s, Reiner scored several small roles on multiple television shows, including The Antigriff It's Show, The Beverly Hill Billies, and Goma Par, USMC. His writing career also began to take off as he was hard for a writer for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968, where he worked alongside such talent as Steve Martin.

14:54Though Reiner had found a good deal of success in the late 60s, his big break, the one that would make him a household name, came in 1971 when he was cast in the seminal Norman Lear sitcom All In The Family. Reiner played the level character of Michael Stivitz, who was the archetypal foil to the main character Archibunca. I've heard of this, I've heard of Archibunca for some reason, I've never seen All In The Family, but this is a famous, this must be very famous, because for some reason I know the name Archibunca. Archibunca was Stivitz, father-in-law and notorious grump. All in The Family was the 70s version of a television phenomenon and was one of the most watched shows of the decade, Goddamn. To this day, All In The Family is widely considered to be one of the best sitcoms of all time. It's responsible for many of the recognizable tropes still seen in American television, with the humorous dynamic between Michael and Archie's opposite personalities, being particularly apparent in today's comedic landscape. For his work on the show, Rob Reiner was nominated for five Emmys and five Golden Globes.

15:54He won two of these Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, one in 1974 and another in 1978. 1971 was also an important year for Reiner, as he married his first wife, Penny Marshall, a fellow actor and director. Upon doing so, Reiner adopted Marshall's six-year-old daughter Tracy from her first marriage and raised the youngster as his own. Just more good guy, Rob. Tracy, whose last name was changed to Reiner, a ponder of adoption, also considers Rob to be her father and publicly refers to him as dad. Unfortunately, the marriage between Reiner and Marshall would come to an end in 1981, with both citing the demands of their respective careers as the reason for their divorce. The actuality of affairs was that Rob Reiner was beating heavily. Now he wasn't his Rob Reiner, it's good guy Rob. Obviously not legend, mench. After the conclusion of all in the families, sorry, I know you can't murder that, he's quite distasteful. These are good dude, these are good dude. After the conclusion of all in the family in 1979, Reiner shifted his career focus from acting to writing and directing.

16:57In 1984, Reiner wrote and directed the comedic mockumentary film, This is Spinal Tap. Holy s**t, he wrote this is Spinal Tap. This guy's bought like a Slight-A-Nother name. I definitely know many, many of the movies that he wrote and directed. God damn. The film, which parodies the making of a documentary about the fake heavy metal band Spinal Tap, was a critical sensation but only found moderate success commercially. Am I wrong in thinking that this is Spinal Tap was like the first mainstream mockumentary? It was like literally the invention in a way of a new genre? Because I think mockumentary is like the most recent genre like mainstream genre to have been created. I could be totally wrong about this and pulling it out my ass, but I feel like Spinal Tap was one of the, if not the one that pioneered that format, could be well wrong about that. I'm sure the comments on YouTube will let me know. This is Spinal Tap would go on to develop a cult following and is widely considered to be one of the most influential installments in the now supremely mock-popular mockumentary genre. Oh I could even say turn it up to a level with his rod A. Following the release of this is Spinal Tap, Reiner would go on to a directing, writing and

18:03producing run throughout the 80s and 90s of sustaining success that is almost unrivaled in Hollywood. After directing the 1985 romantic comedy The Sure Thing, Reiner directed 1986's Stand By Me, the film adaptation of Stephen King that I mentioned in the intro. The movie, it was a critical and commercial darling and was even nominated for Best Motion Picture, Drama at the Golden Globes. For his efforts, Reiner was nominated for Best Director Golden Globes In 1987, Reiner followed Stand By Me with the quintessential Princess bride, which he produced and directed. And once again, Reiner led film was a commercial and critical hit. It was in this year that Reiner also created his independent production company Castle Rock Entertainment, which is named after the fictional town of Maine that provides the settings for several of Stephen King's works. The company logo is probably familiar to many viewers with the iconic lighthouse, flashing its beam across the screen. Oh, that's his, that's his one. Yeah, of course. After the Princess bride, Reiner directed and produced the 1989 romantic comedy when Harry

19:05met Sally, 1989, Goddamn was two years old when that came out. Still, there is such a banger of a movie written by the equally impressive Nora Efron. Efron was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay and the film was nominated for Five Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture Director for Reiner and Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy. Honestly, it'd be rather hard to overstate the impact when Harry met Sally had on romantic comedy. It has become the standard bearer for the genre and is still seen as the best rom-com of all time. You may be familiar with the iconic scene where beg Ryan's character mimics having a very loud orgasm in a crowded diner, much to Billy Crystal's Harry's embarrassment. While this is memorable enough in itself, the line that follows is what truly makes this one of the most quotable scenes in cinematic history. An elderly label and a nearby table quickly responds, I'll have what she's having. What makes this specific line even funnier is the fact that the woman who said it was played by Rob Reiner's actual mother Estelle, oh, that's fantastic. And with that simple line, Estelle Reiner cemented

20:09herself in film history. When Harry met Sally, it's not only a watershed moment in cinema and his career, but it also proved to be the pivotal occurrence of Rob Reiner's personal life, but I'll have more on that later. Okay, oh, is this where he met his wife already forgot? In 1990, Rob Reiner once again dabbled in drama, while simultaneously venturing into the ever-shifting world of horror, with the release of his film adaptation of Stephen King's misery. I won't give anyone any spoilers, but I will say that what insuse is an unsettling tale of captivity, physical and psychological pain and the danger of obsession turning into violence. It's a real hoot. I mean, it's a horror novel. I haven't actually seen the film, I should see the film, because the novel's great. Once again, Reiner's film was a smash it all around. Critics, moviegoers, Stephen King fans, and King himself praised Reiner for the direct approach he took with the grizzly tale. The intensity of the film is palpable, and makes many viewers feel quite claustrophobic. The only reprieve from said intensity is the subtle moments of dark humour that Reiner

21:09so masterfully implemented, striking that fine balance between irreverent comedic relief and gimmicky horror movie jokes that fall totally flat or seem inappropriate. In addition to the praise for Reiner's work, critics also pointed to Kathy Bates as the standout of the film. For her adept performance as the increasingly unhinged violent and sometimes charred like Annie Wilkes, Bates won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Roll at the 1991 Academy Awards. Upon hearing her name and first kissing her husband, Bates gave Reiner a peck on the cheek before heading up to accept her reward. In her speech, Bates specifically thanked Reiner in his production company for giving her a chance. In 1992, Reiner directed another film, The courtroom genre, a few good men written by Aaron Sorkin. I haven't seen a movie in a long ass time, I think I've basically seen everything written by Aaron Sorkin because I can shout out to the goat. But that is another, if I remember, I don't remember much about it, but I remember, oh, with Jack Nicholson right, no, yeah, this is another cracker of a movie.

22:10This movie features the iconic line delivered by Jack Nicholson, you can't handle the truth! And proof to be Reiner's most successful film at the box office. The number of awards a few good men was nominated for is long, so I'll give the highlights. The film was nominated for six golden globes, including Best Director, Motion Picture and Best Motion Picture Drama. It also received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. While Reiner's next directorial instalment, 1994's North was an absolute disaster with critics in the box office. He bounced back with the 1995 film The American President. I've never heard of North. I guess it's kind of been buried in the annals of bad films from good directors. Reiner who served as director and producer collaborated once again with Aaron Sorkin on this politically themed rom-com. Wow, I just said I'd seen everything Aaron Sorkin inherited, I've never even heard of the American president. Never mind. The American president was nominated for five golden globes, including a Best Director nod for Reiner. It also served as one of the most direct inspirations for Sorkin's later. And fantastic television series The West Wing, which was another critical

23:16darling. Rob Reiner was seriously involved in everything. Following the meteoric rise of his career, and his almost unbelievable run as a director and producer in the 80s and 90s, Rob Reiner's personal life was also about to take off. For this we'll need to backtrack a bit to 1988, where Rob Reiner was busy directing when Harry met Sally. But before that, we need to introduce a new character to our story. Just before we continue with today's episode, a big thank you to our sponsor for today, and that is Shopify Look starting a business can feel rather daunting, can't it? And it's almost, it's pretty easy to quit even before you've begun. But look, none of that will stop you with Shopify. You don't have to master 10 different systems because Shopify brings you the tools that you need in one easy to use platform. Its templates and AI tools can help you build a polished site quickly with no coding required. Shopify Checkout helps more customers complete their purchase while returning customers can check out in a single click, which is very, very nice, and is sure to make you sell more

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25:19Five vendors, five invoices, five delivery windows. But there's a better way to do this. Creighton Barrel Contract is a business to business program that covers three brands. Creighton Barrel, CB2, and Creighton Kids with one account, one order, one delivery. They've got durable plates and glasses, contract grade furniture, and lighting that looks custom that's built for the wear of busy space actually takes. And the best part is you're not doing it alone. A dedicated rep handles your project end to end, from volume orders to design curation. Plus members get 20% off, tax exempt checkout, and flexible payment with no minimums. Learn more at Creightonbarrel.com slash podcast. That's Creightonbarrel.com slash podcast. Michelle Singer On the 3rd of March 1955, Michelle Wendy Singer was born to Martin and Nicole Singer in New York City. The two would go on to have more daughters, Suzanne, and Martin. Michelle's parents would later divorce, with her mother remarrying and changing her last name to Silver Clayton.

26:23Both of Michelle's parents would Jewish, and her mother had actually survived the Holocaust as a teenager, before she emigrated to America and met her husband. Nicole was originally from France, where she'd been born into a Jewish family. In 1944, the 17-year-old Nicole and 10 other family members, including her parents and brother Gaston, were rounded up by the French police, with other Jewish residents in Nice. From there, the family was put on the infamous cattle cars, and taken to internment camp in Janssie just outside of Paris. After a few days Nicole and her family were again put on cattle cars and taken to Auschwitz. This journey took two weeks to complete. All the while, Nicole and her family were subjected to the squalid conditions of the cattle cars that the Nazis used to shut all victims to concentration camps. In an interview, she gave with the Guardian in 2002, Nicole described this transport by saying, there was no room to sit, no food, and no water. Once in a while, they would open the cars to throw out the dead people. End quote. While the specifics surrounding her time in Auschwitz have not been made public, Nicole did share that 11 other family members were taken to the camp,

27:24and she was the only survivor. According to an article for the New York Daily News, Nicole survived 16 months in Nazi concentration camps and managed to escape the death marches by fleeing into the surrounding woods. Nicole Silbergly would go on to record her testimony of survival for the USC Schoer Foundation in 1994 and was one of the first 300 Holocaust survivors to do so. In an Instagram post following the death of Michelle, the USC Schoer Foundation stated that in addition to surviving drancy in Auschwitz, Nicole also survived the Ravensbrook concentration camp. Like many Holocaust survivors understandably did, Nicole emigrated from Europe to America shortly after a liberation. Though she originally landed in Tolstoy, Oklahoma, Nicole relocated to New York City where she'd meet her husband and welcomed her three daughters. Michelle and her siblings were all raised in the Upper East Side of Manhattan where they attended a bilingual French school. The Upper East Side is the fancy part of Manhattan, right? That's like, whether rich people live. If I'm not mistaken, my New York geography is not excellent, but I feel like up or is that the Upper West Side? Now I feel it's upper East Side.

28:27In addition to learning French throughout school, Michelle learned Spanish of her own accord and became a fluent speaker, making her try lingual. In interviews, Michelle reported that her childhood was marked by the difficulties in her parents' marriage and the lasting impact that surviving the Holocaust had on her mother. But it was this tragic maternal legacy that would come to shape how Michelle and her siblings viewed their role in society. As Michelle's sister, Martin later explained, quote, we inherited a sense of injustice and trying to to conel arm a Jewish concept that means repairing the world. There's always somebody out there that you need to fight for, right? After high school, Michelle attended the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan where she pursued her passion for photography. The first Michelle worked as a photographer's assistant before transitioning into freelance photography. Singer found success in her freelance work and we said to have great talent in design and composition. She quickly gained a solid reputation as a talented artist to begin to book more and more commercial opportunities. In the early 80s, Michelle found work as a photographer for mystery discs and interactive laser disc video game series. Blaster in the bus

29:30shout out laser discs. I say that like I used to know laser discs. I didn't. They were before my time. But I am familiar with them because I made videos about laser discs. Anyway, and several magazine publications including Fortune, she also photographed many top New York executives like billionaire real estate tycoon Samuel J. LeFrack. The young Michelle reportedly had an air of wisdom and authority beyond her years and was unfazed by the powerful personalities that she was often hard to shoot. In 1987, Michelle Singer shot the cover photograph of Donald J. Trump for his book The Art of the Deal. No, I can't shot really. I know that photo. Everyone knows that photo. While it would be decades before Trump would foray into politics and become the ever so controversial figure that he is today, Michelle could not have known what was to come when she agreed to take the picture. I mean, I don't care. Does anyone care? She took a photo of a powerful business dude. That's what she did. It just speaks to the quality of her photographs. It doesn't matter who she's photographing. Like, it's not like we look at someone who photographed

30:31Hitler a bit like, oh that's bad. Of course not. Both Michelle and Rob Reiner were furban supporters of progressive politics, so it shouldn't be surprising to hear that they were big-time critics of Trump's time in office. During a 2017 interview on a political podcast, Rob Reiner joked about his wife's role in taking the cover picture for The Art of the Deal by saying she has a lot to her tone for. Yeah, exactly. He doesn't care. She doesn't care. No one cares. It's not a big deal. It's just a job. And a good-ass job at that. So it's more than safe to say that Michelle is definitely not a fan of Donald Trump at his politics. As part of her freelance work, Michelle was also hard on multiple film and television sets as a photographer. One day while Michelle sang her was visiting her friend on the set of When Harry Met Sally, she would finally meet Rob Reiner, and the two would begin a love story that is so heartwarming that it could easily be mistaken for one of his iconic romantic comedies. Rob and Michelle. A Love for the Agents. In 1988, the 41-year-old Reiner was directing his latest film when Harry Met Sally,

31:34and reportedly feeling dismayed over the state of his love life. Reiner confessed, you're making a Revent Sally and you're like, ah, ah, my, it's not like this. Reiner confided these worries to his friend and the movie's director of photography, Barry Sonnenfeld. It had been seven years since Robert divorced his first wife, and he was beginning to think that it never found another woman to settle down with. In fact, it was Reiner's relationship concerns that he first shared with When Harry Met Sally's screenwriter Nora Efron in 1984 that partially inspired the character of Harry. As Efron continued developing her script, she interviewed Reiner about his life as a single man to help serve his further inspiration for a main character. Whoa. Seize deep in this movie. In the original iteration of the script, When Harry Met Sally ended with the two eponymous characters running into each other several years after they'd broken up. Instead of rekindling their romance, the two had a friendly chat before contentedly going their separate ways. As Reiner and Efron stated, to them, this felt like the most realistic ending to a movie dedicated to exploring the

32:35complexities of how two people try to overcome their differences for the sake of their relationship. You know what's terrible? I was just talking about how Harry Met Sally's under brilliant movie. I can't remember how it ends. I haven't seen it like 20 years. And this was the planned ending, Reiner and Efron intended on filming at the time of his conversation with Sonnenfeld. In a 2022 episode of the podcast Double Date with Marlow Thomas and Phil Donahue, Robin Michelle shared the story of how they first met, starting with the conversation between Robin Barry. Reiner recounted how it told Sonnenfeld that he was thinking about asking actress Michelle Fyfer out on a date as she'd recently gotten divorced. Apparently Sonnenfeld replied to this by saying something to the effect of, no, no, no, you're not going to call her, I'm a friend in New York. Her name is Michelle Singer. You're going to marry her. It's awesome. Like Michelle Fyfer back in the day wasn't she like the sex symbol of sex symbols and Rob Reiner's like, yeah, thinking about asking her out. The world he lives indeed. Intrigue Reiner asked his friend to tell him more about this mystery woman who he was apparently

33:35going to wet. Instead of asking Michelle Fyfer out, Sonnenfeld shared more about Michelle. And as Rob Reiner himself said, once he heard that she was a smoker, he no longer had any interest in meeting her. Reiner's first wife had been a smoker and he had a lifelong hatred of smoking. Well apparently Sonnenfeld had also mentioned meeting Rob Reiner to Michelle to which she reported saying, okay, Sonnenfeld then had the unenviable task of informing his friends that Reiner was no longer interested due to her happy for cigarettes. Upon hearing this, Michelle reportedly said to herself, well, fuck it, it wasn't looking good for me. And with that, Michelle Singer seemed to shrug the rejection off and continue on with her life, while Sonnenfeld and Reiner proceeded with the filming of when Harry met Sally. Yeah, as any emotionally stable healthy person would you be like, okay, moving on, next thing. And you'll never think about it again. But obviously this is a really nice rom-com story, so it's going to come back around. Several months later, Reiner was filming on the streets of Manhattan when he noticed a very attractive woman standing on the

34:38sidewalk with Barry Sonnenfeld's fiance. Rob reported that he proceeded to ask Sonnenfeld who the woman was, and realized that this was the Michelle that Barry had tried to set him up with months earlier. Upon hearing that Barry and his fiance were planning on taking different lunch, Rob said that he essentially warmed his way into their plans so that he could be introduced to her. Shout out Rob, you go did, you go. After chatting over their meal, Rob asked out Michelle on a date, she agreed. And that was it really. From then on, the two continued seeing each other throughout the filming of when Harry met Sally and became an established couple. As Michelle put it in the podcast episode, I don't know, it just clicked, and we never looked back, I mean, seriously, I never had any doubts about it. But all accounts seemed that Rob and Michelle knew that this was it. They'd both finally met their match. And it maps the cutest part of this entire story, Rob Reiner was so moved by his newfound love that he and Nora Effron changed the ending of when Harry met Sally. And spoiler alert, if you've never seen the film because I'm about to give away the ending. Or about to remind Simon of the ending. Instead of the original realistic ending,

35:39where the two characters decide to part ways, Reiner and Effron chose to have Harry and Sally end up together in a heartwarming, yet irreverently funny, final scene. Now I'm a far more analytical and logical person, one could even say, I'm perhaps jaded or cynical, which I am. But I do enjoy when Harry met Sally. But once you add the fact that the character of Harry was largely based on Reiner and that he and Nora Effron decided to change the original, unremantic ending only after Rob Velinov with Michelle during filming, it just makes the whole thing even more disturbingly heartwarming. Doesn't it ever? I had no idea about that when I saw that movie. Just a mere seven months after their initial meeting, Rob and Michelle were married in a low-key ceremony in Hawaii. The two originally planned for a simple vacation, and one day while sitting on the beach, Rob had shared that the two looked at each other and essentially said, maybe we should get married here. The nuptials were so spur of the moment that the two realised they didn't have a witness to make their ceremony legal. It just happens that as Michelle and Rob are making their quick wedding plans, a fan came up to them to compliment Reiner on the Princess bride. With his

36:42interaction, the couple saw an opportunity, and boy did they take it, as this fan and a friend ended up being the witnesses to Reiner's impromptu wedding ceremony. And from that moment on, whoever that dude and his girlfriend are, have a lifetime worth of a lifetime great story to tell every Christmas or whatever, that is f- it awesome. Despite their quick courtship and spur of the moment wedding, the two would remain married for the rest of their lives, in a relationship that was by all accounts full of love and dedication. Once, Rob and Michelle returned from their surprise wedding, the two began to build a life together, the couple purchased a home and lost Angela's, and by all accounts, Michelle immediately embraced her role as stepmother to Rob's daughter Tracy. Rob and Michelle welcomed their first child on May 2, 1991, with the birth of their son, Jake. He would be followed by two more children, a second son named Nick, born on September 14, 1993, and a daughter, called Romi, who joined the family on December 27, 1997. Upon her marriage, Michelle joined Rob's production company, Castle Rock Entertainment, as a producer,

37:45where she worked alongside her husband on numerous productions. Rob and Michelle Reiner, were incredibly devoted parents that absolutely adored each of their children. Those who knew the couple best, have stated that Rob and Michelle were very involved in child rearing, which is actually pretty rare in the world of Hollywood. They encouraged their children to find their own passions and establish their own opinions about the world. Michelle sister, Martin, explained Michelle's natural instincts as a mother by sharing quote, she really showed me what it is to listen to a child, and to follow their lead, and to let them be. There was just an ease she had, an instinctual way of relating. End quote. Social activism After welcoming their children, Michelle and Rob took a strong interest in early childhood development. In 1997, the two established the I Am Your Child Foundation, which focused on the scientific research of early brain development, educating parents, and the importance of early childhood education. In addition to creating educational materials and television programs for

38:45parents and educators, the foundation also worked to highlight the importance of early childhood development through legislative action. In 1998, the I Am Your Child Foundation was a central proponent of the Children and Families Act, also known as the first five program. This measure established a 50 cent excised tax on cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products that would be used to help fund local and state programs dedicated to promoting the welfare, education, and health of children aged 0 to 5 in the state of California. This is cool. Like, I'm all, I'm so down for like taxing these things like cigarettes, tobacco, etc. alcohol, because it's like their luxury items. You don't really need them. And I drink, and I spoke to cars occasionally, but I'm like, yeah, no, that should be taxed more highly. And social petrol. Sorry, gas. I did tell you that Rob hated smoking. Rob served as a chairman of the first five California Commission from 1998 through 2006. In 2004, the Ryan has also established the

39:45parents' action for children. Another non-profit dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of early childhood development. Ryan resigned from his position as the first chairman of the first five commission after he came under criticism for campaigning for the ballot measure known as Proposition 82 in 2006. If enacted, Prop 82 would have established a free voluntary half day public preschool system that would be available to all four-year-old who resided in California. Yeah, fuck that. Fuck that bullshit. No wonder he resigned. Coming up some crazy idea like that. Piece of shit. Obviously, sarcastic. This seems like a good idea. In order to attain the funds needed for the free program, the state government would then implement a new state tax and individuals who met a certain income threshold. Well, okay, there's why people don't like it, because, you know, to get one thing, you have to give up something else. Which the Ryan has easily met. It was Rob himself who proposed Proposition 82, meaning that he was fully aware that he was one of the California residents who would be required to pay the new tax if the measure was enacted. Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.

40:46Yeah, which is fine. But there are probably people who are just beyond the limit who are like, ah, dude, but if you're like, making millions and millions and millions, you don't really care. I mean, I guess you do people definitely do care, but some people don't. There's recently there was a new Labor government in the UK, sorry, not a new Labor government and new Prime Minister. And I think there was something about whether they were going to increase taxes, there was going to be like a wealth tax or something. And they're all these very wealthy celebrities coming forward. And cynically, you could say, did a little bit of a rough arming. And so I think it was one newspaper or whatever, this brilliant rebuttal. And it was like, because they're all say they want to pay more tax. And the rebuttal was, you can pay more tax. Just right-o-check to HMRC. They will cash that shit. You could voluntarily pay more tax. And, uh, yeah, it probably, probably don't. Critics argued that Rob's promotion of Prop 82 was a direct conflict of interest since the measure specifically funded the preschools. There were a hallmark of the first five commission

41:47where he served as first chairman. Oh, okay. So he's resigning as a conflict of interest. That's fine. Riner maintained that he actually had recused himself from the commission's preschool-related work 15 months prior to Prop 82's proposal in order to avoid any potential impropriety. Despite this, Riner heated the public's concerns and stepped down from his role on the first five commission. Prop 82 was ultimately rejected by California voters with 61% voting against it, which is like a uniquely American thing where people vote for staff. It's like, I like most of the voters in California, people voted for that, and not going to fall into the tax bracket that this is taxing. But still, there'll be like, no, no, I don't want the rich people pay more taxes. Which like, I don't understand. The Riner's were also committed to environmental activism. They helped promote numerous green initiatives for for ecological conservation, and were dedicated supporters of the Natural Resources Defense Council. In 2002, Rob partnered with several prominent figures in the entertainment industry and other environmental activists to establish the rally to save our mants and ranch. But perhaps the charitable work the

42:50reiner's were best known for was their advocacy for LGBTQ plus rights and marriage equality. Later on in the mid-2010s, Michelle and Rob Reiner dedicated their generous focus to the cause of criminal justice reform specifically in regard to wrongful conviction. Michelle in particular became heavily involved in the Innocence project, where she would meet with multiple inmates and defendants. So, as I hope I've illustrated for you here, Rob and Michelle Reiner's duty to civic responsibility was pretty clear. Not only were the Riner's willing to use their considerable wealth to financially support the causes they cared most about, but they were also ready to get down in the nitty gritty as frontline activists. Remember, how Michelle's sister, Martin, explained that her family felt a great sense of tick and alarm, or the duty to repair the world? Well, I think we can all agree that Rob and Michelle took that idea to heart. A word on mental illness and violence. Now, before I go any further, I'd like to stick a second to speak about mental health. As I'm sure everyone is aware, mental illness is common. Most people even know someone who's in treatment or assaulted themselves. That being said, there is still a great deal of stigma

43:53surrounding mental illness, and before I continue with the story of Nick Reiner, and his reported substance abuse and mental health issues, I would just like to point out a few things. Violence and people with mental illness is quite rare, even in those who have more serious diagnoses. The overwhelming majority of those diagnoses with mental illness, even in severe cases, never cause harm to other people. When harm does happen, it's likely that it's a case where the person has harmed themselves, not someone else. The rate of people with mental illness who commit violent crime is low. In fact, those who suffer from a mental health disorder are far more likely to be the victim of violent crime than to be the perpetrator. Several studies put this number as over 10 times more likely to be victimised than the general population, have not received such diagnoses. It should also be noted that substance abuse can be a contributing factor to the instances where a person with mental illness does become violent. Researchers shown that while alcohol and drugs do significantly increase the risk of violence in those with such conditions, they also greatly increase the same risk in the general population. The risk of a person with mental health problems becoming violent can increase if they also become addicted to drugs and

44:55or alcohol. But even if these people do develop substance use disorder, the chance of them turning violent is still quite slim. So with all of this in mind, we can confidently say that what Nick Riner is accused of doing is exceedingly rare. Please don't come away with the impression that those with mental illness and or substance abuse issues are inherently violent or dangerous. If the allegations against him are proven, it would mean that Nick Riner is an extreme outlier in more ways than one. I know there will be plenty of commenters who are rolling their eyes at me standing on a soapbox to defend those with mental illness, but I really don't care. No one's... No one's thinking that. This is just a quick explet- sorry, I don't know who wrote this, but it's like no one's thinking that. This is a fair and solid disclaimer before getting into an episode that leads very heavily on mental illness, right? Like, the person who's like, oh you don't get mental people. No one's thinking that. A troubled son. Perhaps the most devastating part of the tragic murder of Robert Michelle Reiner is that it's

45:59alleged to have been at the hands of one of the people they loved most in their world, their middle child Nick. While more information about Nick Reiner and his mental health has since emerged in the wake of this crime, the Reiner family has always been pretty open about Nick's struggles, including Nick himself. As I mentioned previously, Nick was born on September 14th 1993, the middle child. While specific details concerning their children's early lives are understandably private, it has been confirmed that Nick's problems dated back to his childhood. Nick was reportedly a difficult child that dealt with severe emotional outbursts, anger, and intense tantrums. There are claims that his meltdowns would get so bad that he sometimes needed to be physically restrained. By all accounts, Michelle and Rob were aware of their sons' problems from an early age and took extensive measures to help him. Unfortunately, Nick's issues only worsened with age, and he turned to substance abuse as a teen. In interviews from 2015 and 2016, Nick reported that it had been experimenting with drugs around the age of 14 or 15. Like many other teenagers, Nick was first introduced to drugs by smoking weed,

47:00but his substance abuse only escalated. So we need to disclaim it there, and slight most people who spoke weak don't get to smack. Right? And it appears to have done so rather quickly. A party's in high school, he began dabbling in the world of prescription drugs and became addicted to them and several other three level substances. Nick Riner first entered rehab at the age of 15 when his parents discovered his substance abuse use after he became ill from the drugs had taken at a party. Nick was sent to visions, an adolescent mental health and substance abuse treatment center in Malibu. According to those who are outvisions during his stay, Nick was known for his sense of humor and was relatively well liked by the staff and fellow patients. His family reportedly visited him every single weekend, with his parents being unwilling to give up on their son. Unfortunately, Nick reportedly encountered the world of even harder drugs while at visions. I feel like we should add in an allegedly there. Allegedly. As many of his fellow patients were addicted to much more lethal substances like heroin. It says like, yeah, what do you think? I said a few prescription drugs, I say,

48:03dude, you should try heroin. It's fucking awesome, bro. After completing his treatment, Nick returned to school and it seems that the Riner's did all they could to support his sobriety. The Riner children all attended the Wildwood School, a private progressive K-12 school located in Wesslaus, Angeles. The Wildwood School is regularly attended by children of celebrities and is widely regarded as an elite institution. Those who knew the Riner kids have said that while his two siblings were known for being kind, smart and well liked, Nick had a much more reserved reputation. Former friends of his have stated that Nick was neither a loner nor super popular. Some have also shared that before his drug problems began, Nick was goofy and relatively well liked by those who did actually know him. Unfortunately, Nick sobriety would not last following his first intent treatment, and as is unfortunately common with addiction, he shortly relapsed. I made a fascinating video about heroin and Vietnam. A couple of months ago, we could go, a month ago, a couple of months ago, some of that, it doesn't matter. About how so many people, so so many soldiers, things like a third or something, did heroin and Vietnam. And then they came back

49:07and they were like, no, I just don't need heroin anymore. And it was like about that change of environment. And I was like, yeah, no, I'm just back with my family and all that shit. And it's like, yeah, it's just different now. Just don't do heroin. And just how there were all these studies and stuff showing how the change of environment is what really makes a difference. So yeah, you go to rehab and you do fine because you're in a completely different environment where they're actively discouraging drug use and all of that. But then you go back to your life and you're like, well, here I am again. Might as well do some drugs. Nick was sent to multiple rehabs and for this reason he was pulled out of high school and instead educated by a private tutor. Throughout the rest of his teen years, Nick continually cycled in and out of various mental health facilities, rehab centers, treatment programs, and even a wilderness camp in Utah. Those close to the family have reported that Nick viewed himself as the black sheep and dealt with feelings of inadequacy. He allegedly struggled to grow up in the shadow of his father's fame despite these same sources emphasizing that neither Rob nor Michelle ever treated any of their children in a negative way that may have led to such feelings. No, but those feelings

50:09can still occur because of who you are. Like, you're really successful. That's going to be there's going to be a shadow. If anything, those who knew the family have maintained that the Reinhers were unwilling to give up on their son and treated his issues with love and warmth. A former teacher of Nick's has described his issues and the efforts of Michelle and Rob by simply stating, as hard as they tried to manage it, get help, address it. It's just beyond any of us to be able to diffuse. They, Michelle and Rob, were incredibly passionate all in parents doing their best. They tried everything. Some things are simply beyond or any parent can control. Yeah, this is really sad because they seem to be exceptional parents with great jobs and all the resources that could possibly be needed to sort this out and it just sometimes, sometimes it just doesn't work, which is like, I don't know, I don't like that feeling of something potentially being outside of my control. And you think, oh, I can fix things. That's what I do. So I'm good at fixing things,

51:15but yeah, I don't know. Some things I guess are just not super fixable. Those parents never fully gave up on their son. They allegedly grew more frustrated with Nick as his drug habit continued to worsen despite their best efforts. Yeah, understandably so. As Nick entered adulthood, he began to experiment with harder and harder drugs and eventually became addicted to several of them. It's been reported that throughout his teen years and early adulthood, Nick Reiner struggled with various substances, including alcohol, cocaine, prescription stimulants, opiates, and sedatives. Eventually, Nick even reportedly struggled with methamphetamine, crack, and heroin use. From Nick's downward spiral further into addiction, his parents continued to try to help them by funding countless trips to rehab and other forms of treatment. The impression Nick made on those who worked at the centres or were patients themselves varied. Many again noted that he had a good sense of humour and a goofy disposition. But others have also stated that Nick did not seem all that committed to getting sober and didn't take his situation seriously. One friend has even reported that on multiple occasions, Nick returned from treatment with new drugs to try. In later interviews,

52:18once it sobered up, Nick explained that there were several times where he chose to be homeless, rather than into the treatment programme that his parents had secured for him. Yeah, because he doesn't want to go to treatment, he wants to do drugs. Drugs are really addictive and they destroy lives. Fortunately, it does appear there were times when Nick was able to achieve and maintain his sobriety for prolonged periods. Nick estimated that by the time it reached his 20s, he had been in and out of 17 or 18 rehab programmes. Nick's first reported period of sobriety came in 2015 when he was 22. During this time, he and a friend wrote a script that was loosely based on their experiences with drug addiction. Their original idea was for a 30 minute television comedy series, but when Nick shared the script with his father, Rob reportedly told his son that it was not up to par. Which I mean, he's a 20-something year old with his first script and this is Rob Rideo talking to. Of course, this is a dub to par. Nick claimed that his father actually told him that it sucked. After reworking their idea, Nick and his friend were able to turn their TV pilot into a feature feature length film script. The two went back to Rob with their improved script and the

53:21famed director and producer felt that their new version was far more promising. Honestly, this is good parenting. It's like, look, in your 20s, I'm not going to tell you it's great if it's not great. And then you come back to me and you got something better, you can genuinely see by advice about my feedback as like this is actually good. And then you know it's actually good because Rob Riner told you. Rob agreed to come onto the project and direct the film with his company Karlsorock Entertainment helping to produce the picture. The film was entitled Being Charlie and followed the story of the 18-year-old eponymous character Charlie as he cycles in and out of rehab. In the movie, Charlie comes from a privileged background similar to Nick's with parents who tried to help their son. Charlie's parents openly struggle with their son's addiction, with his father, who's a former actor running for governor, being particularly concerned about Charlie's problems and how they would reflect on him in the press. Throughout the film, the character faces many of the same issues as Nick, including homelessness, multiple relapses, and friends who struggle with addiction. Being Charlie does end on a positive note with Charlie repairing his relationship with his father and planning on pursuing a career in stand-up comedy. Unfortunately, being Charlie would not end

54:23up as another one of Rob Riner's beloved classics. The film before poorly at the box office and while critics did note the well-meaning intentions behind it, being Charlie received widely negative reviews. So even Rob Riner's got a, you know, it's like, that's pretty good, it's pretty good. But maybe I'll just say that because I'm his dad? But it seems that the Riner's were not too concerned with the film's poor reception as the production of Being Charlie had done a good bit of healing for both Nick and Rob. How do you raise your producer movie? That's a rich people sh- right there. Those who worked on Being Charlie, including executive producer Douglas Schaefer, have said that Rob agreed to make Nick's film as a way to bond with his son, though his parents had continually supported Nick throughout his addiction, their relationship with him had grown understandably frayed. If you've ever had a loved one experience addiction or gone through yourself, I'm sure you can understand the toll that it can take on a family. It has also been said that Rob understood that this script was a way for Nick to process his struggles and deal with the trauma that can happen as a byproduct of addiction. Schaefer would later share that Rob had told him during a private screening that working on Being Charlie had been one of the best experiences of his

55:28life. His son had remained sober during filming and Rob was able to actually work with Nick as a filmmaker. Schaefer has maintained that Rob was so proud of his son and that he had done it all for his kid. Rob and Nick went on a press tour before the release of their film where they also shared these sentiments. In interviews the two opens up about how Making Being Charlie helped strengthen their bond even when they had disagreements about production. Rob Riner, I'm Rob Riner, I know what I'm doing son. It appears that Nick was able to maintain sobriety for several years following the release of Being Charlie. From 2016 to 2018 Nick regularly made appearances on the podcast Dopey which explored the dark side of drug addiction in the world of comedy. In 2017 he began working on a documentary about his famous grandfather Carl Riner but unfortunately in a later podcast interview he shared that this was also the year where he reconnected with an old dealer and relapsed. Yeah because there's where you know you come back and there everything is. Nick explains that he then relapsed and began using uppers and cocaine which led to a rather intense bender.

56:28Nick shared that he had wrecked his parents guesthouse, had punched a television and a lamp and was put on a plane with a new interventionalist to receive treatment in Boston. He even claimed to have a cocaine heart attack on the flight and woke up in a hospital bed. In one of his interviews for Dopey Riner claimed that the only drug he was on at the time was weed in order to prevent himself from smoking anything harder. From 2016 on Nick lived with his parents at their sprawling LA mansion in the guesthouse. At some point in 2019 Nick's behaviour suddenly became more erratic and his family realised that it relapsed once again. Close friends have shared that Nick's behaviour during this time was volatile as he would scream yell and even throw things. Though Rob and Michelle were very concerned for their son they were reportedly reluctant to place Nick on an involuntary psychiatric hold or get the authorities involved. Yeah of course understandably because this is your son. Like there's nothing like this that my son could do where I'll be like you know I don't know. Although in this case maybe it's for the better that he

57:29goes into a psychiatric hold. Adonis, look these are in hard decisions. Placing someone on an involuntary psychiatric hold can be a very traumatic experience particularly for the patient but also for the people involved in the decision. And in American law enforcement the police are not required to have a designated crisis team dedicated to handling mental health related emergencies. The amount of people with mental illness who've been killed by authorities responding to a crisis is staggering. While self-defense is understandable there are numerous examples of police shooting and killing those in the midst of a mental health crisis even if they're unarmed. And this number only increases when it comes to people of colour. If you were a concerned parent even if your child is relatively unlikely to be the victim of police violence would you want to take and risk their life? Yeah I think the answer that's no. During a 2025 interview on the NPR podcast Fresh Air Rob Reiner proudly shared that his son had been sober for about six years meaning the nick got clean at some point in 2019. Monic may have been able to stay clean. His mental health struggles reportedly worsened during this time and in 2020 he was placed under

58:33a court ordered year long mental health conservatorship. To be placed under a conservatorship is a pretty big deal and usually requires a great deal of severity in one's mental health disorders. Yeah I feel like I know about this from the Britney Spears thing. When an individual is placed under the conservatorship Nick was an LPS conservatorship it means that the judge has found that an individual has a grave disability that leaves them unable to provide themselves with the most basic human needs like shelter or food. Conservatorship have come under renewed scrutiny in recent years as it can be used as a means of control against people who don't need it. Many of you have probably heard about conservatorship due to Britney Spears yes indeed but this is not the same type of conservatorship that she was notoriously put under. Okay while conservatorship can most definitely be used as a form of abuse and exploitation there are some cases where they are warranted. I assume the majority are being used because they're warranted rather than just being mostly abuse and exploitation so I'd say there are some cases where there's abuse and exploitation but mostly there were it is perhaps and that's way off base about that. Legal experts have stated

59:38that meeting the standard to be placed under conservatorship is quite rare in California and it is usually only implemented in a relatively minute amount of cases where the person in question is severely unwell and this seemed to be what was happening with Nick Reiner. While he had been able to stay sober his mental health continued to worsen to the point where it met the legal threshold for him to be placed under an LPS conservatorship. Through his conservatorship Nick could be placed on involuntary psychiatric hold and decisions pertaining to his treatment would be the responsibility of his conservator who is typically a close family member or legal representative. This is really incensed they're basically making you a child they're basically taking you back to being under 18 where it's like your legal decision to make by parents. Though a definitive diagnosis has yet to be disclosed to the public many sources close to the family have reported that it was around this time that Nick was diagnosed with either the schizophrenia or schizzer effective disorder. Now if you want to wear schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that's characterized by disruptions in thought processes perception emotions and social interaction. Basically people with schizophrenia to varying degrees have a different experience of human reality hallmark symptoms of

1:00:42the disorder include auditory visual and tactile hallucinations delusions disorganized speech erratic or catatonic behavior and the inability to function in a healthy manner. Those who have schizophrenia may lose touch with reality become paranoid or strongly believe in things that are simply not true. Schizzerfreenia does not cause a split personality and the vast majority of those who have it are never a danger to others. I think I knew it's not the split personality that's the multiple personality disorder we've had a different name and is also quite controversial in the psychiatric literature right. Anyway whilst schizophrenia is more prominent in the public consciousness, schizzer effective disorder is much less known. Yeah I mean I don't feel like I needed schizzerfreenia described to me but schizzerfact is a disorder I don't really know what that is. It's another chronic mental health condition where the psychotic symptoms of schizzerfreenia take place and alongside major mood episodes. Basically in addition to the schizzerfrenic symptoms one experiences they also have co-occurring mood disorder. There are two types of schizzerfact disorder the bipolar type and the depressive type. Those who have the depressive variety of

1:01:47major depressive episodes in addition to their schizzerfreenia while those with bipolar type also experience episodes of mania or hypomania. As you know hypomania is like really the opposite of mania rather than like hypomania. While these disorders are closely related and often overlapped, schizzerfreenia and schizzerfact is a considered to be two separate diagnoses. Though they share common symptoms, schizzerfact is defined by having symptoms of psychosis that occur alongside significant mood conditions like depression or mania. Those who have schizzerfreenia can experience a co-occurring mood disorder but the relationship between the two does not meet the threshold for a schizzerfact disorder diagnosis. Schizzerfreenia and schizzerfact disorder are typically not diagnosed at the same time and a medical professional would generally diagnose one or the other based on the patient's symptoms. As you can probably imagine both of these illnesses can be quite serious in debilitating for those who have them. While therapy can help address some of the issues these disorders entail, anti-psychotic medication is typically a main component of treatment

1:02:51The specifics of rhinos reported mental health conditions have remained mostly private up until his parents death and even now, no official documentation definitively stating that nick as schizzerfreenia or schizzerfact disorder have been shared with the public. Even still, it's been widely reported that nick does have one of these two conditions. These same sources also claimed that nick was receiving help and had been prescribed psychiatric medications to address his issues. In 2021, it appears that nick's mental health had improved to the point where his conservorship was deemed no longer necessary, as the judge decided not to renew it. Though this does not mean that nick's mental health disorders have been cured, schizzerfreenia and schizzerfact disorder have no known cure. It does indicate that he no longer met the needed legal standard to be kept under an LPS conservatorship. So, the anti-psychotic drugs working, that would be fantastic. Despite the end of his conservatorship, it has been reported that nick still struggled with mental health issues and the constant battle to stay sober. Schizzerfreenia, schizzerfact disorder and addiction are all nasty beasts in their own right.

1:03:53Having schizzerfreenia or schizzerfact disorder is hard enough, but having one of those conditions alongside substance use disorder, well, that's going to be incredibly difficult. Properly managing these things is something that typically takes daily effort and can even require lifelong treatment. So yes, I'm sure that nick rider probably struggled in the management of his purported illnesses and addictions. No, no, of course he struggled. He clearly struggled. He was a struggling man. He's a struggling man. I don't know that yet. He murdered some people allegedly. Let's find out. And while I'm sympathetic to the struggles that such issues entail, I'm in no way excusing the actions Nick would later be accused of. There's only one excuse to this in my mind, which is you literally didn't know what you were doing. It's like, I thought aliens had inhabited the bodies of my parents and they were going to harvest my spleen and I had to kill them to free the aliens from their bodies so that they could be reborn.

1:04:54That is fine. It's like, okay, you're insane. But if it's just like, but if you know what you're doing, it's still murder, in my opinion, allegedly. There are millions of people who live each and every day with the same kinds of serious mental illness that Nick is reported to have. Having a serious mental illness does not automatically mean that the person is shit out of luck. Sure, these disorders can be severe, but that does not mean there isn't any hope that patients can manage them. Psychiatry and psychotherapy have come a long way and more often than not, those you have such potentially debilitating conditions go on to live happily and fulfilling lives. But unfortunately for Nick Reiner, that would not be the case. For one reason or another, whatever treatment Nick had received or progress that had been made would not last. His struggles would be far from over and the Reiner family would be hit with a tragedy of harrowing magnitude. A family tragedy. Following the removal of his conservatorship in 2021, Nick Reiner reportedly continued to live with his parents in the guesthouse on the grounds

1:05:58of their Brentwood estate. Not much is known about his life in the years leading up to December 2025, but it has been disclosed that Nick continued to battle with his various mental health issues. In September 2025, in an interview with NPR's Fresh Air, Rob Reiner reflected on his younger strong struggles in a realistic and in hindsight, sadly optimistic way. Rob reported that Nick had been clean for over six years and was in a really good place. In recounting their 2015 film Being Charlie, Rob compared his relationship with Nick to the character in the story, but maintained that unlike Charlie's father, he was never ever too busy for Nick. As he explained, I mean, if anything it was the other way, I was more hands on and trying to do whatever I thought that I could do to help. I'm sure I made mistakes, and I've talked about that with him since. End quote. So could Rob be a bit biased in his recounting of his parenting style? I mean sure, I'm not a parent. I mean, I am, and I think, sure, you're going to look on things with like rose colored glasses every day, you know, you don't have to be a parent to do that. But I'm pretty sure most parents do this to some extent. But again, according to those close to them, Rob and Michelle were

1:07:02incredibly dedicated to helping their son. These sources agreed that the Reiner's did whatever was necessary to support Nick, regardless of the expense, time invested, relapses, or the countless stays and treatment. Most telling of all is the fact that both parents seemed more than willing to admit where they had made mistakes, which is something not everyone is capable of doing. It is interesting though that this guy there at the sun writes a movie where he's like, yeah, this is me. And then he's saying that his dad didn't spend enough time with him. May I, whether it's true or not, it would maybe indicate that he does feel that it's true. Or it could just be fiction, but it seems very close to home, doesn't it? Though I'm sure they have difficulties of their own, we all do, it seems that none of Nick siblings face the same challenges as their brother. By December 2025, all of the three other Reiner kids that branched out into careers and lives of their own. The oldest start, Tracy, from Rob's first marriage, is more than 30 years old in their siblings. After graduating from college in 1982, she pursued a career in entertainment as an actor. Tracy, who has five children of her own, now works outside of Hollywood in the funding and marketing

1:08:05of medical software. Jake Reiner, who's two years older than Nick, graduated from Syracuse University, and has had a 10-year career as a local news reporter. He has since left broadcasting to pursue acting and writing much like his dad and grandfather before him. Jake also co-hosts a baseball podcast focused on his favorite team, the LA Dodgers. The youngest Reiner, Romy, who's five years younger than Nick, also followed in appearance footsteps as an actress, producer, writer and photographer. Romy has had several roles in multiple indie productions, as well as pitching multiple scripts to the big studios. In photography, she has collaborated with organizations like the Last Prisoner Projects and World Wildlife Fund, surely making her singer relatives proud through her continued dedication to the principle of Tecon Alarm. By December 2025, the entire Reiner family was living throughout Los Angeles and, despite moving out of the house and building their own lives, Tracy, Jake and Romy maintained their close familial bonds. Based on the statements they released following Robert Michelle's deaths, it seems like all three kept in regular contact with their parents and saw them often. In fact, Romy was close to them not

1:09:06only emotionally but physically, as she lived just a couple of streets across from the couple. And it seems that the days leading up to December 14th, 2025 were rather normal for the family. On December 12th, Rob, Michelle and Romy attended an LA production of lyrics from Lockup, a show that featured performances of Nanon Williams' writing from behind bars. The Reiner's attended this show alongside Nanon's family and friends, also in attendance that evening with a Reiner's close friends and when Harry Met Sally actor Billy Crystal and his wife. After spending the evening with the Williams bunch, the Reiner's returned home to their Brentwood mansion. The next day, December 13th, Rob and Michelle attended their friend Conan O'Brien's annual Christmas party, accompanying the couple was their 32-year-old son Nick. Sources close to the family, later told Rolling Stone that Robert actually asked beforehand if he could bring his son to the party in order to keep an eye on him. According to those in attendance, Nick Reiner quickly drew the attention of his fellow guests for all the wrong reasons. Nick had showed up to the formal function in a hoodie, jeans and baseball cap. His casual appearance, which has been described as scruffy, made him stand out amongst the crowd of smartly dressed

1:10:10partygoers, but it wasn't just Nick's clothing choice that drew attention as he reportedly began to engage in some rather odd behaviour. One person remembered Nick standing alone outside the fire pit, where he was smoking a cigarette and not speaking to anyone. Other attendees have made similar statements where they noted out first Nick was not engaging with anyone. While this behaviour on its own doesn't necessarily warrant further examination, Nick's peculiar disposition only became increasingly erratic as the night went on. Another person reported that in addition to avoiding socialisation, Nick stood with a blank stare on his face, like no emotion, and he didn't look well. Friends of the Reiner's have since come out and stated that the weeks leading up to their murders, Robert Michelle had grown increasingly exasperated with Nick's alleged mental health issues. Despite Rob's claims in the September interview with NPR, he and Michelle were reportedly at their wit's ends with Nick, at felt that they had exhausted every option they could think of. There was also disclosed in later reports that in the months leading up to the murders, Nick's psychiatric medications had changed to some extent, and he seemed to

1:11:11struggle with these modifications. Medications and their subsequent changes affect different people in different ways. Since we do not know what medications Nick was prescribed or on, or if he was even taking meds at all, we cannot know the role if any this had in his alleged actions. A some point during the party, Nick's behaviour switched from being standoffish to being full on erratic. Nick began to go up to multiple well-known celebrities and would interrupt their conversations. He would either stare at them blankly or ask them in appropriate questions, like if they were famous. This increasingly odd behaviour reportedly left many feeling rather uncomfortable, and eventually, Rob seemed to have caught on to his son's antics, Rob reportedly scolded Nick for his rude behaviour, and this then escalated into an argument between father and son. While some sources have claimed that his argument grew quite heated,

1:12:16others have disputed the intensity of the disagreement. According to these accounts, Rob and Nick did have a heated argument, but calling it a full-blown fight would be an exaggeration. Michelle and Rob Reiner left the party at some point after this, but reports differ as to whether or not their departure was the result of the squabble with Nick. Sources differ as to whether or not all three Reiner's left together, as some witnesses have claimed that Nick remained at the party after his parents had gone. If I was Conan, I'd be like Rob, you can't leave your son here, he's not wearing the dress code. And he's also, he's also being super weird, Rob. Ostensibly at some point that night, Rob and Michelle returned home. And though we don't exactly know when, it's believed that Nick also returned to the property that evening. Prosecutors alleged that in the early morning hours of December 14, 2025, Nick Reiner fatally stabbed both of his parents inside their Brentwood home. After performing the autopsy's, the LA County Medical Examiner publicly listed both Rob and Michelle's cause of death as multiple sharp force injuries inflicted with a knife. The manner of death would be ruled as homicide, and it's believed that both

1:13:20the Reiner succumbed to their injuries within a few minutes. As of the writing of this script, Nick Reiner is not admitted to the murderous parents, so the exact details of what transpired in the early morning hours of December 14th are still unclear. It's not known exactly what Nick did, immediately following the alleged murders, but by the time Rob and Michelle's bodies were discovered later that afternoon, Nick was nowhere to be found. So if you've ever furnished a restaurant, hotel, or an office, you know the drill. Five vendors, five invoices, five delivery windows. But there's a better way to do this. Creighton Barrel Contract is a business-to-business program that covers three brands. Creighton Barrel, CB2, and Creighton Kids with one account, one order, one delivery. They've got durable plates and glasses, contract grade furniture, and lighting that looks custom that's built for the wear of busy space actually takes. And the best part is you're not doing it alone. A dedicated rep handles your project end to end, from volume orders to design curation, plus members get 20% off, tax exempt checkout, and flexible payment with no minimums.

1:14:20Learn more at CreightonBarrel.com slash podcast. That's CreightonBarrel.com slash podcast. So if you've ever furnished a restaurant, hotel, or an office, you know the drill. Five vendors, five invoices, five delivery windows. But there's a better way to do this. Creighton Barrel Contract is a business-to-business program that covers three brands. Creighton Barrel, CB2, and Creighton Kids with one account, one order, one delivery. They've got durable plates and glasses, contract grade furniture, and lighting that looks custom that's built for the wear of busy space actually takes. And the best part is you're not doing it alone. A dedicated rep handles your project end to end, from volume orders to design curation, plus members get 20% off, tax exempt checkout, and flexible payment with no minimums. Learn more at CreightonBarrel.com slash podcast. That's CreightonBarrel.com slash podcast. So if you've ever furnished a restaurant, hotel, or an office, you know the drill. Five vendors, five invoices, five delivery windows. But there's

1:15:21a better way to do this. Creighton Barrel Contract is a business-to-business program that covers three brands. Creighton Barrel, CB2, and Creighton Kids with one account, one order, one delivery. They've got durable plates and glasses, contract grade furniture, and lighting that looks custom that's built for the wear of busy space actually takes. And the best part is you're not doing it alone. A dedicated rep handles your project end to end, from volume orders to design curation, plus members get 20% off, tax exempt checkout, and flexible payment with no minimums. Learn more at CreightonBarrel.com slash podcast. That's CreightonBarrel.com slash podcast. The tragedy unfolds. The crime scene, located at the Rhino Estate, was discovered after the couple failed to respond to a planned visit from the massage therapist. On the afternoon of Sunday, December 14, the massage therapist arrived at the Rhino Hyman, buzzed at the gate to be let in. After several minutes and repeated efforts to contact the couple, the massage therapist decided

1:16:23to call Romy, Michelle and Rob's youngest child, who lived directly across the street. Romy entered the Rhino home sometime at around 3.30pm. Oh my god. Can you imagine being the person to discover this? Night being the child. It's been reported that Romy went into the house, looking for her parents, since they'd missed their appointment. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old, who maintained a very close relationship with both parents, would come upon a grizzly sight that most only have nightmares about. As Romy went up the stairs and entered the master bedroom, she reportedly saw a father lying dead, covered at apparent stab wounds. Though Romy has yet to publicly speak about discovering her parents, an associate for the family has stated that upon seeing our obviously dead father, Romy instinctively fled from the house. It's been reported that Romy was screaming as she ran outside, which prompted her roommate, called 911, at 3.38pm, Pacific Standard Time. Wait, did our roommate come with her? Was it the massage therapist was there? No. Or, maybe the roommate went with her. You didn't give me the details. I had Julia wrote this. I

1:17:24took a break to get a drink. Did we talk about the... Eh, it doesn't matter. It does not matter. The associate, who later spoke on behalf of the family, reported that once the authorities have been called, Romy realized that her mother could still be in the house. Romy ran back inside, and an attempt to locate her mother, totally unaware, that Michelle had also been killed. The authorities arrived on the scene at 3.40pm and entered the home, as Romy and her roommate waited outside. While it has been speculated that Romy was the person to turn her brother in, updated reports have denied this. All Romy was alleged to have said about her brother, was that he also lived on the property, and made no suggestion to indicate that Nick was the person responsible for the murders. Ha, no. However, during their initial search of the house, police discovered the bodies of both Bob and Michelle Reiner in the master bedroom. Apparently, Romy did not see her mother's body when she entered the room, as she'd quickly fled, after seeing her dead father. Once the house had been cleared by police, paramedics were allowed inside, where Rob and Michelle Reiner were pronounced dead at 3.45 and 3.46 pm respectively. Unfortunately, it was clear to first responders that they were way too late,

1:18:28and nothing could be done to save the couple. The paramedics approached Romy, who already knew her father was dead, and informed her that her mother had also been killed. Jake Reiner has shared that he first learned of his parents' death shortly after Romy had discovered their father's body. If the situation wasn't terrible enough, Jake later wrote that at the time he received the call he was in downtown LA at a celebration of life for no his best friends who had died in October, several minutes later, as Jake was leaving to get to the scene, Romy called him once more to inform him that their mother's body had also been found. During the 45 minute lift ride to his parents' house, Jake shared that he was in a trance, as he realised the world as he knew it was now gone. The only thing he could focus on was getting to his sister at the childhood home. At some point around this time, the distressed Romy also called Billion Janus Crystal to alert them of the scene unfolding at their parents' home. As I mentioned earlier, not only was Billy Crystal one of the stars of when Harry met Sally, but he and his wife are very close friends of Rob and Michelle. The crystals arrived on the scene to comfort the devastated Reiner children, and assist the rest of the surviving family during

1:19:31this time that immense grief. Due to the grizzly nature of the scene and the visibly apparent stab wounds present on both Rob and Michelle, investigators quickly designated their initial death investigation as a homicide investigation. It remains unclear as to whether or not any actual evidence was found at the scene to indicate Nick Reiner may have been the person responsible. And while we do not know if any hard evidence was found at the scene that pointed in Nick's direction, the LAPD also had other reasoning to consider him as a potential suspect in the murders. One of the more obvious causes for suspicion was the fact that Nick was not found during a search of the property. Nick had lived with his parents for years and was not located in either the main home or the guest house where he resided. While Romeo and Jake's whereabouts were abundantly clear, Nick could not be located. The police would have become aware of Nick's long history of reported mental health struggles, erratic behaviour and substance abuse. Exactly how much stock they put in this information, as yet to be publicly stated, now but when you tie it together with big arguments, before the erratic behaviour in general, him being the only person who lives with them. As I explained earlier,

1:20:36in the weeks leading up to the murders, friends of the Reiner's have shared that the couple were growing increasingly worried about their son's mental state. While police did not solely suspect Nick due to his alleged mental health problems, they did learn about these issues during their investigation as they tried to identify anyone who could have some type of reason to harm Robert Michelle. Therefore, Nick's recent alleged change in behaviour and his parents reported concern for their son became quite relevant to the situation at hand. The authorities also soon became aware of the dispute between Rob and Nick at Conan O'Brien's holiday party the night before. With all of these factors present, the reasoning behind the LAPD's suspicions about Nick is rather understandable. In addition to not knowing if any hard evidence connected Nick to the crime scene was discovered, we also don't know if anyone close to the situation had raised concerns about Nick's potential involvement. Once investigators began to focus on Nick, their primary focus shifted to locating him. It seems as though despite the major events transpiring at his home, nobody was able to get in touch with Nick. The first major break in the search occurred just a few hours after the crime was discovered. Detectives began looking at his financial and electronic data where they

1:21:39were able to determine that around 4 a.m. that same morning, Nick had checked in to the pier-side Santa Monica hotel. Okay, the police could just get into your van and he also quickly and take a look. I guess so. Quick warrant? Officials were then dispatched to the hotel, which is located roughly 5 miles from the Reiners' home. By the time police got to the hotel and were given access to Nick Group, Nick's room was no longer there. Beginning at some point around 7 p.m. that same evening, the LAPD began tracking Nick Reiner's movements through digital geolocation. Basically, the police used Nick's cell phone data, app, footprints, the activity of other electronic devices and surveillance camera footage to find his location. Is he trying to hide? He's like checked into that motel, sorry, the hotel, Santa Monica Hotel. So he's checked in. Do you think he just then goes the room and then immediately leaves to leave a breadcrumb for the police to follow in the wrong direction because he's gone somewhere else, but then he's taken his mobile phone with him, which is basically a spy device that you carry in your pocket so that doesn't seem like the case, but then again, he doesn't seem very mentally well. So who knows. Through this digital trail, officials were able to

1:22:42see that Nick had been moving quickly throughout Los Angeles. Nick's digital footprint finally led officials to Exposition Park near the campus of the University of Southern California or USC. At 915, on December 14, 2025, police arrested Nick Reiner at a gas station near Exposition Park on suspicion of murdering his parents and he was taken into custody without incident. Reef Reports pertaining to the deaths of Roba Michelle Reiner began shortly after their bodies were found that Sunday afternoon. Perhaps you yourself may remember seeing them, I certainly do. While the LAPD had confirmed that they had found two unidentified deceased people at Reiner's home, they did not officially identify Roba Michelle as the victims by name. By 730pm, senior law enforcement sources reportedly disclosed to ABC News that both of the victims discovered at the home had been stabbed to death. At about 9pm that night, a spokesperson for the Reiner family released a statement confirming their deaths and said simply, it is with profound sorrow

1:23:44that we announced the tragic passing of Michelle and Roba Reiner. We're heartbroken by the sudden loss and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time. To say that the subsequent response to this confirmation was enormous is to put it mildly, or once the family had confirmed Roba Michelle died, seemingly every person from Hollywood released a statement in remembrance of the blood of the club. Touching tributes from those who'd worked with all new the Reiner's poured in. Some of these names include Christopher Guest, Jamie Lee Curtis, Morgan Freeman, Ron Howard, Stephen King, Wippy Goldberg, Jane Fonda and nearly every late night host. I could go on. Former President Barack Obama released a statement expressing he and former first lady Michelle Obama's sorrow. The famous comedian Mel Brook, who was 99 years old at the time and was best friends with Rob's father Carl Reiner would even comment on the situation. Seriously, think of almost any famous person from the entertainment industry dating all the way back to Carl Reiner's time in the 50s and they probably paid tribute to the Reiner's. Inseemingly every one of those statements, celebrities commented on Rob Reiner's immense creative talent

1:24:46and how lovely it was to work with him in one of his films or alongside him as an actor. In addition to praising his artistic gifts, pretty much everyone also made a note of his profound warmth, kindness, humour and especially the love he had for his wife and children. Michelle was similarly praised for her photography and many also made note of what a dedicated activist she was. When Michelle learned of an issue she cared about, she pursued its resolution wholeheartedly. Activists who worked alongside the Reiner's in the fight for marriage equality, exonerating the wrongfully convicted and the other countless causes they supported shared about the couple's commitment to bettering the world. Many praised them for not only financially supporting such causes, but also being frontline supporters. On Monday, December 15th, the Los Angeles Police Department publicly announced that the night before they'd arrested Nick Reiner on suspicion of murdering his parents in their Brentwood home. At first Nick's bail was set at $4 million but officials later rescinded this stating that Nick Reiner would be held without bail. As he should, it's a double murder, Jesus. On the next day of December 16th Nick was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Rob and Michelle Reiner, with the special circumstance allegation of multiple

1:25:51murders. An additional special allegation was also made that Nick had allegedly personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife during the crime. Yeah, no shit, with stabbing, you know? In a December 15th statement to NBC News, Rob Reiner's old estranged Tracy expressed her immense grief over the deaths of her father and stepmother as Tracy put it quote, I came from the greatest family ever. I don't know what to say. I'm in shock. Jake and Romeo Reiner released an official joint statement on the death of their parents on December 17th, 2025. They made no mention of their brother. In it the two siblings shared quote, words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michelle Reiner is something that no one should ever experience. They weren't just our parents. They were our best friends. We now ask for respect and privacy and respect to be tempered with compassion and humanity and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave. And with that, I think Jake and

1:26:55Romeo summed up the grief over the deaths of Rob and Michelle best. The Eagle Proceedings Nick Reiner made his first court appearance on December 17th, 2025, where he stood alongside his newly hard defense attorney Alan Jackson. In this short proceeding, Nick did not enter a formal plea. Instead, Jackson requested a continuance of Nick's upcoming arrangement, meaning that he asked for the court date to be postponed as they needed more time to prepare for the complex case. In doing so, Nick agreed to wave his right to a speedy arrangement. The presiding judge approved this request and the arrangement was postponed until January 7th, 2026. It was during Nick's January 7th arrangement that Jackson withdrew from the case unexpectedly. The only reasoning that Jackson gave for his withdrawal was circumstances beyond our control, more importantly, circumstances beyond Nick's control. Jackson declined to comment any further due to legal and ethical restrictions. Upon his withdrawal, the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office was then assigned to Nick's case, with Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Green coming on

1:27:58as his new defense attorney. His arrangement was then again postponed this time until February 23rd. It was at his February arrangement that Nick would plead not guilty that charges against him, since Nick has been denied bail, he would wait in custody, at the twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, where he has been held since first being arrested. Los Angeles County Grand Jury returned an indictment of Nick Reiner a few months later on July 20th. It be revealed the next two siblings were Amy and Jake testify before the Grand Jury. The indictment would be unsealed on 12 August and contained the full list of charges against Nick Reiner, two counts first Green Murder with the Special Circumstance Eleigation of Multiple Mothers and separate Special Eleigation that used a deadly weapon in the attack and knife. It was through this unsealing that another Special Circumstance was first revealed as Nick Reiner was also charged with murder by means of lying in wait. As I didn't even know that was a specific charge. Basically, the Grand Jury found grounds to indict Nick on the allegation that he had concealed himself or otherwise waited for an opportunity to attack his parents. If this Special Circumstance is proven, it could be seen as an indicator of

1:29:03premeditation rather than a purely spur of the moment attack. Oh, I see so it's basically meditation versus premeditation fine. Through this indictment, the prosecution was able to bypass the need for a preliminary hearing where they would have presented at least some of their evidence against Nick publicly. As of the writing of this script, Nick Reiner remains at the Twin Tars Correctional Facility as he awaits a pre-trial hearing on 15 September 20th, 2026. Here's once again pleaded not guilty to the charges that were unsealed. Orgus XII. Through a probate filing from this June, we learned that Nick had initially been able to retain Alan Jackson after his siblings, Jake and Remy reportedly agreed to use their parents estate to fund Nick's private defence. For reasons that remain unclear, this funding ultimately did not go through, so Jackson withdrew from the case. Okay, fair enough. I assumed that his money he had money or whatever from his parents was paid for this, so he really didn't have anything that he controlled himself, because now he's been signed a public defender, which is who you get if you can't afford your own defence. In June of 2026, Nick requested that he be given access

1:30:06to the trust fund his parents had set up for him upon his birth in 1993. Reportedly, this trust is worth at least $1.5 million. Nick was set to receive half of this money upon his 30th birthday and the remaining amount upon his 35th. In his request, Nick stated that he was denied access to the first half of this fund on his 30th birthday back in 2023. The exact reason as to why the trustee chose to deny Nick's access to this money has become a part of the ongoing probate matter. Probably because they were like, no, we thought you'd be ready by 30, but you're not ready to have three quarters of a million dollars, because it's going to go on drugs, Nick. Allegedly. On the 17th of August, a court hearing took place to address these financial issues. Nick was represented by attorney Anita Wu, who was hard to address a client's probate and also attended the hearing and stood by Wu to demonstrate his willingness to return to Nick's legal team upon the resolution of this financial dispute. The person currently maintaining Nick's trust fund is Jody Montgomery, a licensed professional fiduciary who is acting as a successor trustee.

1:31:09Montgomery is opposed, Nick's request access to money citing California's slayer statute, which prevents someone who fellanously and intentionally kill someone from benefiting financially from that person's death. Ooh, interesting, but it isn't a trust. So, while they are benefiting from that person's, there's definitely a gap there, isn't there? Wu and her team argued that the slayer statute should not be applied solely on a mere accusation of murder, which, yeah, I mean fair enough. As a present Nick Reiner has only been accused of murdering his parents and in America one is presumed innocent until guilty, proving guilty. Whether or not California's slayer statute can prevent the trustee from distributing these funds from the trust while the recipient criminal trial remains ongoing has become a central question in this ongoing probate dispute. Also, she's the, she's the administer of the trust, right? So, she kind of gets to decide. That's how trusts work, right? Wu's team is also arguing that the

1:32:10money in Nick's trust is not in inheritance from Michelle and Rob's death, as the fund was first created by them upon their son's birth back in 1993. That's the argument that I was thinking of, that he's not benefiting from their inheritance directly from their death as that gap because this is a trust which stands separate. In their view, this money was already rightfully his, and according to Nick's probate team, at least half of the money from his trust had already allegedly become unconditionally payable on his 30th birthday, which was two years before the murders. The judge did not resolve this dispute during the August hearing, and as of the writing of the scripts, the matter of Nick's trust fund has been postponed into October 23rd. Wrap up Now, while I was aware of Rob Reiner's career before I began researching this case, I was totally unprepared to read about the glowing tributes he and Michelle received in life and death. Don't get me wrong. I knew they were going to be really nice and generous, but I had no idea just how good they were, personally, and philanthropically. Remember how I said

1:33:12I'm naturally cynical and a jaded person? So while I wasn't expecting to uncover some great reputation shattering information about the Reiner's, I did think I would come across at least one credible report of criticism against the couple that was in some way warranted. Tuh, is human, as they say. Imagine why surprise when I found nothing. The only people who seemed to have something negative to say about the Reiner's are those who diametrically opposed the family's progressive political beliefs, and even amongst this group, people were far more complimentary of Rob and Michelle than they were disparaging. Yeah, and of course, because you could be like, wow, they support causes that I personally don't believe in. But that, I mean, we all have different opinions on stuff. But then when two good people get killed it's like, fuck, it doesn't matter. Sure, Rob Reiner was a nepo baby, but he seemed to be well aware of his privilege and actively worked to better the lives of those who were less fortunate. I guess the only thing you could say that is somewhat of a critique against the couple is perhaps they should have been stricter with their son during his reported struggles. Whoa, I would not say that. What's the strictness going to

1:34:17make a difference? How can you, how can you know that that's going to be the thing that makes the difference? I don't agree with just such a straight-up statement like that. But even then, I feel like most people would take a similarly empathetic approach to their child having severe mental health problems and substance abuse. Yes, exactly. By all accounts, Rob and Michelle were dedicated parents, and yes, the Reiner's had immense wealth and fame, but I have found nothing to suggest that their children were overtly spoiled. Pretty much everything I have read about the Reiner's parenting style and the reputations of Tracy, Jake and Romy are overwhelmingly positive. All of the other Reiner children have been described as kind, personable, caring and smart, and that isn't to say that Nick Reiner is not all of those things, but when you read accounts of Nick from those who knew him, people seemed to have a different response, even long before he was accused of murdering his parents. And I think that's part of what makes this matter so incredibly sad. The Reiner's were good people who were loving and supportive parents. Though Rob was born into wealth and fame, both here in Michelle had found tremendous success of their own in their respective

1:35:20fields, and they were more than willing to give back to the causes they cared about. Despite the privilege, Nick Reiner was born into and his seemingly devoted parents, I guess something just went wrong. I found no reason to conclude that Nick was ever abused or neglected by his parents, which could have been seen as an explanation, as to why his life took such a darker turn than those of his siblings. Nick Reiner was born into an incredibly fortunate scenario, yet he still dealt with mental health issues and severe substance abuse. Now, could it be dead wrong about the Reiner's? Could it actually have been that they weren't loving parents or that Nick had been spoiled endlessly? Sure, but all the evidence I found points in the opposite direction. I think this is truly a testament to how it doesn't matter how rich or famous your family is, melt an illness, and addiction. Do not discriminate. No, well said. Though his trial has yet to begin, Nick Reiner has made no official claim that he was legally insane or otherwise incapable of understanding his actions during the crimes that he's accused of committing. All we've heard of him is his plea of not guilty. So, are we cannot discount?

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