The shocking events surrounding the murders of beloved director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were explored on the latest episode of TMZ Investigates.
Airing on Fox Friday, January 9, Harvey Levin and his team looked into new theories and lingering mysteries about the stabbing deaths of the Reiners, which were allegedly perpetrated by their own son Nick Reiner in December 2025.
The TMZ team shared new details about the case and Nick’s mental health from their sources, as well as speaking to Rob’s longtime friend Bill Maher and The Bling Ring’s Alex Haines, who shared her insight after experiencing heroin addiction at 19 and becoming a convicted felon.
Nick was not involved in the documentary and has not publicly acknowledged a mental health diagnosis. However, he has spoken about his struggles more broadly in the past, including on an August 2018 episode of the “Dopey” podcast, where he detailed trashing his parents’ guest house in the midst of his addiction.
“It’s not much of a story,” Nick shared at the time.“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 different things in my guest house.”
When asked if there was any thought process to destroying the guest house, Nick responded, “You’re crazy. No logic.”
As of publication, Nick remains in custody on two charges of first degree murder for the fatal stabbing of his parents at their Brentwood, California, home on December 14, 2025, just mere hours after they’d all attended Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party.
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of TMZ Investigates: The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened.
Rob and Michelle’s Murder Weapon Hasn’t Been Found Yet
The documentary reported that the murder weapon used to kill Rob and Michelle has not yet been found by authorities, which could impact the case against Nick. (Nick has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.)
“Our sources say a critical piece of evidence in this case has not been found. The murder weapon,” TMZ’s Harvey Levin claimed in the documentary. “It is really important for the D.A., because if Nick had gone out and purchased a knife shortly before the murders, it would show premeditation. If he took a knife out of the kitchen, for example, that might show more spontaneity. But that knife is really important. We know the police have been looking for it. But we are told so far they haven’t found it.”
Nick Was Allegedly Diagnosed With Schizoaffective Disorder in 2020
According to TMZ’s sources, Nick was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and “before everyone knew Nick was suffering from schizoaffective disorder, he was using meth and that makes schizoaffective disorder even worse. And he had a violent outburst,” Levin claimed in the documentary.
The TMZ team alleged that the outburst involved “tearing up” his parents’ house.
Schizoaffective disorder is a combination of schizophrenia and mood disorder symptoms, that includes a “rollercoaster of emotions” like mania, hallucinations or delusions.
“So our sources have told us in the five-plus years since Nick was diagnosed… he has not been using illegal drugs,” including meth, heroin and cocaine, TMZ supervising producer Olivia Heinle said. “But the drugs that landed him in rehab were prescription pills.”
The TMZ team also spoke about how Nick’s mental illness related to the murder charges.
Levin said of how the case was shaping up when Nick was arrested, “The plan was [for him] to plead not guilty by reason of insanity and it all centers around Nick’s profound mental illness.”
Referring to sources close to the family, TMZ’s executive producer Charles Latibeaudiere added, “He knows he killed his parents but he doesn’t understand why he’s in jail. He’s delusional. He thinks this is all a conspiracy against him.”
According to Latibeaudiere, Rob and Michele were awake when the attack happened, per TMZ’s source.
Nick’s Experience in His Rehab Stints
In the documentary, TMZ detailed Nick’s alleged experience in rehab (which he previously admitted to entering 18 times). The documentary claimed that Nick would do 30-day stints to “get you clean and they let you out” but the stays weren’t long enough to address underlying mental health issues.
“His first rehab stint was when his parents found him doing both Percocet and Xanax with a friend,” Heinle said.
Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction specialist who is not Nick’s doctor, told the outlet, “Thirty days for me seems almost meaningless for someone with Nick‘s history. What you would want to do is put him somewhere structured and custodial for a very long period of time, maybe permanently. And parents have a real difficult time coming to terms with that.”
Latibeaudiere claimed that while in rehab, Nick encountered other addicts that only resulted in him learning other drug securing methods.
“When he was there for the first rehab stint, he met another addict who was telling him how much easier it is to score heroin than prescription drugs,” Latibeaudiere reported.
Micholas Mathews, Stillwater Behavioral Health CEO, explained in the documentary how drugs can impact someone’s mental illness.
“The scariest thing about it is when you’re altering your brain chemistry with illicit substances, i.e. you’re abusing methamphetamine, you’re abusing opiates… it can exacerbate your symptoms and make them exponentially worse,” said Mathews.
Doctors Allegedly Changed Nick Reiner’s Medication After He Gained Weight
Levin claimed in the documentary that sources told the outlet that although Nick’s previous medication appeared to be working, doctors changed what they were prescribing a month before the murders.
“He was doing fine on the meds he had been taking. They were working. Doctors changed the meds, and it messed Nick up. It messed him up profoundly,” Levin said.
“We’re told this new cocktail of meds sent Nick off the rails. We’re told he got increasingly erratic and dangerous,” Latibeaudiere alleged.
“There were mood changes ranging from extreme depression to manic behavior.”
Latibeaudiere reported: “We’re told Rob and Michele Reiner were well aware that they changed Nick’s meds. They were alarmed at what they were seeing. There were changes in his behavior. They just didn’t know what to do.”
Levin also shared the alleged reason doctors changed the medication Nick was taking.
He claimed, “We have been trying to find out why doctors changed Nick’s meds a month before the murders. No one would tell us. All they would say is, you’re going to be shocked when you find out. But we’re not going to say. We have just found out. A source with direct knowledge of this case tells us the reason doctors changed Nick’s meds was weight gain. He was unhappy with his weight.”
Latibeaudiere noted that weight gain is a common side effect of some anti-psychotic drugs.
Levin claimed, “Doctors accommodate Nick by changing his meds, which then results in a cascade of mental problems that end with the murders of Rob and Michele Reiner.
The Bling Ring’s Alexis Haines Claims the Mental Health System ‘Failed’ the Reiners
Drawing on her experience with being a 19-year-old heroin addict and convicted felon, former reality star Alexis Haines (née Neiers), now 34, claimed the mental health system “failed” the Reiner family.
“People who are in active psychosis don’t belong in a residential treatment center at first. They belong in a hospital. Without a shadow of a doubt, the mental health system in America has failed the Reiner family,” she said. “There’s no question that Nick should have been hospitalized during this period of time. He should have been contained and in a safe environment where he couldn’t leave until his medications were adjusted until there was a noticeable difference in his affect and behavior.”
Levin echoed the sentiment that the mental health system in the country came up short, claiming, “Medical professionals betrayed the Reiners in a fatal way.”
Rob’s Friend Bill Maher Slams Donald Trump’s Reaction to Murders
Bill Maher, who was a longtime friend of Rob Reiner, said there is nothing to justify President Donald Trump criticizing the director so soon after his grisly murder.
“Of course not,” Maher, 69, responded when asked if there was anything he could say to excuse Trump’s comments. “But I can say that about 1,000 things Donald Trump has done. It was kind of nice to see Republicans, not all of them, but quite a few standing up and saying, ‘Let’s not do that. Really? You have to do that?’”
“I lost a friend and just besides that a great filmmaker,” he said. “Rob definitely gave ‘nepo baby’ a good name. I loved his father. The Dick Van Dyke Show was the greatest sitcom ever. Rob was an A-list director on a level Carl Reiner never got to. Carl Reiner never had a string of movies like When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men, Princess Bride. He had a run that was A-list and varied.”
What Do We Know About the Murders of Rob and Michele Reiner?
Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead in their Brentwood, California, home on December 14, 2025.
The New York Times reported that Rob and Michele’s daughter, Romy, discovered her father’s body. She was reportedly called to her parents’ residence when they didn’t answer a massage therapist who’d arrived for a scheduled appointment. Romy’s roommate reportedly called 911 sometime later.
Per The Times, Romy did not actually see her mother Michele’s body when she entered the home and learned of her death from paramedics at the scene later in the day.
Meanwhile, her brother Nick Reiner was apprehended near Exposition Park in Los Angeles on December 14. Video footage from multiple media outlets showed Nick surrendering and being taken into custody after being swarmed by police cars on the street.
In the hours after news broke, Us Weekly exclusively reported that Nick attended Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party with his parents on December 13, 2025. Us learned that party guests witnessed Nick acting “creepily” throughout the evening.
“Nick was going up to people at Conan O’Brien’s party asking if they were famous,” a source told Us at the time.
Per TMZ, Nick reportedly had a “very loud argument” with his father Rob that was overheard by other guests. Rob and Michele left soon after the alleged confrontation.
Once his parents were gone, Nick approached multiple guests and interrupted their conversations, according to The Wall Street Journal. He allegedly asked the same three questions: “What’s your name? What’s your last name? Are you famous?”
Bill Hader was one of the party guests whom Nick approached, NBC News reported. When Hader said he was having a private conversation, Nick allegedly stood still and stared at Hader for a short time before “storming off.”
Us reached out to representatives for O’Brien and Hader for comment.
What Has Nick Reiner Been Charged With?
Nick Reiner was charged with two counts of first-degree murder on December 16, 2025, and denied bail. If convicted, Nick could face life in prison without parole or a possible death sentence. (There is currently a moratorium on capital punishment in California but death sentences can still be handed down.)
Nick was initially held on suicide watch at Los Angeles’ Twin Towers Correctional Facility in the days following his arrest. He first appeared in court wearing a suicide prevention vest on December 17, 2025. (These garments are used to prevent hospitalized or incarcerated people from taking their own lives if they are found to be a danger to themselves.)
Multiple media outlets confirmed in January 2025 that Nick had been removed from suicide watch at the L.A. jail.
At his arraignment on January 7, 2026, Nick’s attorney Alan Jackson revealed that the defense already issued “10 current subpoenas” for potential witnesses in the double murder trial.
Jackson surprised courtroom observers at that same arraignment by resigning from the case, citing disagreements with Nick. Los Angeles County public defender Kimberly Greene officially took over as Nick’s legal representative and successfully lobbied Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Theresa McGonigle to continue the arraignment until February 23, 2026.
What Is Nick Reiner’s Plea?
Nick has yet to formally enter a plea. He may do so at the next scheduled court hearing on February 23, 2026.
What Have Nick Reiner’s Siblings Said About the Murders of Rob and Michele Reiner?
Nick Reiner’s siblings, Romy and Jake Reiner, broke their silence over the shocking murders of their parents Rob and Michele Reiner on December 17.
“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 Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience,” they told TMZ at the time. “They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends.”
They went on, “We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life.”
Following the news in January 2026 that Nick’s attorney Alan Jackson resigned from his case, the Reiner family said in a statement that they had “the utmost trust in the legal process.”
“[We] will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings,” the Reiners told The New York Times on January 7.
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