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Billy Crystal Tears Up While Detailing Final Conversation With Rob Reiner
Jake Reiner’s life was forever changed on Dec. 14.
And for the first time, the eldest son of Michele Reiner and Rob Reiner is sharing a deeply personal look at the moment he learned his parents had been murdered from sister Romy Reiner, as well as how he’s navigated the months since, in a personal essay titled “Mom and Dad.”
“On the afternoon of December 14, I was in Union Station at a celebration of life for one of my best friends, Christian Anderson, who died in October,” Jake wrote in the essay shared to Substack. “It was at that moment I received a call from my sister Romy telling me our father was dead. Minutes later, she called back telling me our mother was also dead.”
The 34-year-old described the subsequent car ride to his parents’ home as “unendurable.”
“My world, as I knew it, had collapsed,” he said. “I was in a trance. The only thing I could focus on was that I needed to get to my childhood home. I needed to get to my sister. I needed to figure out what the hell just happened.”
What happened was this: After attending Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on the evening of Dec. 13 with son Nick Reiner, 32, the famed film director and his wife were murdered in their home. Hours after Rob and Michele’s bodies were found, Nick—and Jake and Romy’s middle brother—was arrested for their murders. He’s pleaded not guilty.
For Jake, the act of violence “robbed” him of so many parts of his future, noting his parents would no longer be there at his wedding, they would never meet his future children nor the fruits of his professional labor. He wrote, “It simultaneously breaks my heart and enrages me.”
Instagram/Michele Reiner
Nothing can prepare you for what it feels like to lose both parents instantly at the same time,” he wrote. “It’s too devastating to comprehend. I still wake up every morning having to convince myself that, no, it’s not a dream. This truly is my living nightmare.”
And indeed, Jake added that one element of the situation he keeps returning to his how “frightened they must have been.”
“They were the last people in the world to deserve what happened to them,” he continued. “They deserved to be loved, they deserved to be respected, and above all they deserved to be appreciated for how much they gave to all three of us and to the world.”
Further into the essay, Jake reflected on his relationship with his parents. With Michele, he highlighted their shared love of musicals, her bringing the extended family together for every Thanksgiving and that she was never more than a phone call away.
As for his father, Jake wrote of their mutual love for baseball, and how they made sure to attend countless Dodgers games together over the years—a trait inherited from his grandfather Carl Reiner. And when Jake confessed he wanted to leave his career as a broadcaster to pursue acting, Rob’s support was boundless.
Instagram/Michele Reiner
“It’s not lost on me that I was able to have these incredible experiences, that most people don’t get to have, because of who my parents were,” he said. “But I would trade every Dodger game, every Broadway show, every vacation, if I could just spend just one more hour talking to them and to say goodbye.”
And on top of noting Romy, 28, would share her own thoughts in time, Jake asked for “love and compassion” as he and his younger sister navigate this unimaginable tragedy.
“We lost more than half of our family that night in the most violent way imaginable,” he said. “Sure, any loss of a parent is devastating, but nothing compares to losing both of them at the same time and, on top of that, having your brother be at the center of it.”
He continued, “I understand that people have questions about what happened. Some of those answers will come in time. But some parts of this belong only to our family, and keeping them private is the only way to protect what little remains of something that was taken from us.”
As Jake and Romy continue to live each day as best they can, their brother remains in police custody. Read on for more information on the tragic case.
Adela Loconte/WireImage
Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner's Son Nick Reiner Details Struggle With Drugs
Years before Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner’s tragic deaths, their son Nick Reiner shared that he struggled with addiction, even collaborating with his father on the 2015 film Being Charlie about substance abuse.
Nick explained that he had been to rehab 18 times before turning 30.
“I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas,” he told People in 2016. “I spent nights on the street. I spent weeks on the street. It was not fun.”
Two years later, Nick recalled an instance when he “wrecked” his home while high on drugs.
“I went 10 rounds in my guest house,” he shared on the Dopey podcast in 2018. “I got totally spun out on uppers—I think it was coke and something else—and I was up for days on end. I started punching out some things in my guest house.”
Michele Reiner/Instagram
Nick Reiner Placed in Mental Health Conservatorship
Nick was placed in a mental health conservatorship from 2020 to 2021, two people with knowledge of the legal arrangement later told The New York Times. A clerk with the Los Angeles Superior Court confirmed to the outlet that it ended in 2021.
His appointed conservator Steven Baer—a licensed fiduciary—told the NYT that mental illness “is an epidemic that is widely misunderstood and this is a horrible tragedy," but declined to comment further.
Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic
Rob Reiner and Nick Reiner Fight at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas Party on Night Before Couple Is Found Dead
The When Harry Met Sally director and his 32-year-old son got into a heated argument at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Dec. 13, 2025, multiple sources at the event told People. Family friends also confirmed to the L.A. Times that Rob and Nick fought at the holiday celebration, saying that guests noticed Nick acting strangely.
Two sources with knowledge of the situation told NBC News that Nick was being disruptive at the party and interrupting conversations.
Michael Tullberg/Getty Images; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for DIFF
Jane Fonda Says Michele & Rob Reiner Were "Happy" Night Before Deaths
Jane Fonda saw Rob and Michele the night before their tragic deaths.
"I saw them night before last looking healthy and happy," the actress wrote on Instagram Dec. 15. "I am reeling with grief. Stunned."
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Rob Reiner and Wife Michele Singer Reiner Are Found Dead in Their Brentwood, Calif., Home
The day after the Christmas party, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call of a death investigation at a home in Brentwood, Calif., at about 3:40 p.m. on Dec. 14.
“Once inside the residence, officers discovered two victims,” the LAPD said in a press release, “who were subsequently identified as Robert and Michele Reiner.”
The Robbery Homicide Division, Homicide Special Section (RHD/HSS) started an investigation into the circumstances of their deaths.
Deputy Police Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that many family members would be interviewed, per NBC News. In addition to Nick, the couple are parents to daughter Romy Reiner and son Jake Reiner, and Rob also adopted late ex-wife Penny Marshall's daughter Tracy Reiner.
Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage
The Reiners’ Manner of Death Revealed as Homicide
It was determined that Rob and Michele did not die of natural causes, with a source close to the Reiner family telling NBC News that the couple appeared to have died from stab wounds.
“As a result of the initial investigation,” the LAPD said in a press release, “it was determined that the Reiners were the victims of homicide.”
Nick Reiner Seen in Gas Station Footage Before Arrest
While police investigated the case, Nick was filmed buying a Gatorade at an ARCO gas station in downtown Los Angeles near USC around 9 p.m. Dec. 14. He was wearing a green jacket, jeans and a ballcap while carrying a red backpack, as seen in footage obtained by MS NOW.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Nick Reiner Is Arrested on Suspicion of Murder
Minutes later, the screenwriter was taken into custody near USC.
The LAPD said their investigation determined that Rob and Michele's son was "responsible for their deaths.”
“Nick Reiner was located and arrested at approximately 9:15 p.m.,” police said in a press release, adding as of Dec. 15, “He was booked for murder and remains in custody with no bail.”
NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images
The Obamas Had Plans to Meet With the Reiners
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live Dec. 15, Michelle Obama revealed that she and husband Barack Obama were supposed to see Rob and Michele on the day they were found dead.
Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images/TED SOQUI/EPA/Shutterstock
Nick Reiner Hires Alan Jackson—Lawyer for Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey—as His Attorney
Two days after Nick was arrested in connection to the murder of his parents, criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson—who previously represented Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Karen Read—confirmed to E! News Dec. 16 that he had been hire as Nick's attorney in the case.
Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Wynn Las Vegas
Nick Reiner's Courthouse Absence Explained
As officials gathered at a Los Angeles courthouse Dec. 16 to announce formal charges against Nick, his attorney told reporters that the screenwriter "has not been medically cleared" to appear in front of a judge.
“Every inmate has to be medically cleared before they can be transported to court," he explained to reporters, per MS NOW. “Hopefully, he’ll be cleared tomorrow and we can get him here.”
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Nick Reiner Charged With Murder
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced on Dec. 16 that his office plans to formally charge Nick with "two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders."
The D.A. also confirmed Nick will also face a "special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, that being a knife" on his parents.
He added, "These charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty."
Nick was formally charged Dec. 16.
Instagram/Michele Reiner
Approximate Time of Death Revealed
Though Rob and Michele's bodies were discovered around 3 p.m. on Dec. 14, they were likely killed around 12 hours prior, according to authorities.
The district attorney said in a Dec. 16 press release that the murders took place "in approximately the early morning hours of December 14."
Michele Reiner/Instagram
Authorities Share Murder Weapon Details
Nick is accused of "fatally stabbing" his parents, per the D.A. press release on Dec. 16. He allegedly "personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife" in the murders.
Caroline BREHMAN / AFP via Getty Images
Nick Reiner Appears in Court
On Dec. 17, Nick appeared in court for the first time, arriving to the Los Angeles Supreme Court in a blue anti-suicide smock and shackles. He did not enter a plea to his charges during the appearance, instead agreeing to a date of Jan. 7 for the arraignment.
Michele Reiner/Instagram
Official Cause of Death Revealed
The medical examiner determined Dec. 17 Rob and Michele each died by "multiple sharp force injuries," meaning several cuts or stabs from a sharp object.
Apu Gomes/Getty Images
Nick Reiner's Attorney Alan Jackson Withdraws
At Nick's scheduled arraignment Jan. 7, 2026, his attorney Alan Jackson announced he has withdrawn from the case and Nick will get a public defender, according to an MS NOW reporter in the courtroom.
In response, the Reiner family told E! News in a statement that they "have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings."
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