What we're covering
• Nick Reiner is “responsible” for the deaths of his parents, legendary Hollywood director Rob Reiner and producer Michele Singer Reiner, Los Angeles police said. He was booked on suspicion of murder and is being held without bail.
• The case will be turned over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office today, according to officials.
• Celebrities have been paying tribute to Reiner — whose prolific work included directing “When Harry Met Sally,” “The Princess Bride” and “A Few Good Men” — as President Donald Trump doubled down on criticism of him in remarks denounced by lawmakers and stars alike.
• A source told CNN that 32-year-old Nick Reiner was seen having an argument with his father at a holiday party Saturday at Conan O’Brien’s home. The couple’s daughter discovered them Sunday in their Brentwood home, according to a source.
What we know about Nick Reiner
Nick Reiner, 32, has been arrested and deemed “responsible” for the deaths of his parents, Los Angeles police said in a statement yesterday.
Prior to their deaths, Rob and Michele Reiner had attended a holiday party alongside their son at comedian Conan O’Brien’s home in Los Angeles.
Nick Reiner has been open about his struggles with addiction, talking in the past about numerous stints in rehab and his experience of homelessness. He’s also spoken about arguments he had with his parents while in the throes of addiction.
Learn more about what we know about the Reiners’ son here:
Actor James Woods on friendship with Rob Reiner: We "loved each other" despite political differences
The actor James Woods has said that he is “absolutely devastated” by the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, telling Fox News’ Jesse Watters that Rob Reiner “literally saved” his career.
Woods, who is vocally conservative, would often confound friends over his friendship with Rob Reiner, who was a lifelong liberal, he said. On Sunday, Woods posted that “political differences never stood in the way of our love and respect for each other.”
“People who didn’t know that Rob and I knew each other, they would see us laughing and kidding each other and they would go, ‘How is it that you and Rob Reiner are friends?’” Woods said to Fox News last night.
Though he did not agree with Reiner’s politics, Woods said that his friend was a “great patriot,” adding: “We had a different path to the same destination, which was a country we both love.”
“Because you disagree with people doesn’t mean that you have to hate people,” he said. Woods also condemned those saying “horrible things” about Reiner following his death, calling it “infuriating and distasteful.”
The Reiners' Brentwood home has a storied Hollywood history
The house in the tony Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles where the lives of Rob and Michele Reiner came to a tragic end this week had ties to Reiner even before he bought it.
Reiner purchased the home from Norman Lear in 1991 for $4.75 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. Lear was the producer of “All in the Family,” the show that made Reiner a star as Archie Bunker’s politically opposite son-in-law, Mike “Meathead” Stivic.
Reiner had visited it frequently as Lear’s guest years before the purchase.
“I would go over there, and I used to say, ‘Boy, if ever I get money, if ever I have some money to buy a house, this is the kind of house that I would like,’” Reiner told PBS in 2015.
The 10,000-square foot home is squeezed into less than an acre, the Times reported, with a pergola-covered porch surrounded by rose bushes.
“The person who first owned this house was Henry Fonda,” Rob Reiner told “CBS News Sunday Morning” in 2010. “Henry Fonda actually planted all of these roses.”
The Reiners were the fourth owners of the home. Between Fonda’s and Lear’s occupancy, it was owned by actor Paul Henreid, according to the Times. He was best known for playing anti-Nazi resistance fighter Victor Laszlo, part of the legendary love triangle with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in “Casablanca.”
District attorney may focus more on the "why" than "who," according to former federal prosecutor
Investigators looking into the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner may be looking more into “why” than “whodunnit,” former federal prosecutor Alyse Adamson told CNN’s Kate Bolduan today, referring to the couple’s son Nick Reiner, who police have alleged was responsible for their deaths.
Nick Reiner was arrested on Sunday night, with Los Angeles police saying yesterday that he is “responsible” for the deaths of his parents. When asked what this could mean, Adamson said it is possible that police believe there is “overwhelming evidence” that he is the perpetrator. Reiner was booked on suspicion of murder, police said, but the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has not yet filed criminal charges.
Investigators will be piecing evidence together to try and understand if an attack was planned before the Reiners’ deaths, Adamson said, adding that the manner of death “will also be very helpful in determining whether this was planned or (a) spontaneous attack.”
Watch the interview:
Jane Fonda says she saw the Reiners right before their deaths and they were "looking healthy and happy"
Another Hollywood legend is sharing their remembrances of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele.
Jane Fonda posted yesterday on her verified Instagram account that the couple “were wonderful, caring, smart, funny, generous people, always coming up with ideas for how to make the world better, kinder.”
“They had been helping me launch the Committee for the First Amendment,” the actress wrote in the caption of a photo showing the pair. “I saw them night before last looking healthy and happy. I am reeling with grief. Stunned.”
In October, Fonda talked to CNN about relaunching the committee that was founded eight decades ago to fight against McCarthyism.
"A staggering loss": More famous figures pay tribute to Rob Reiner
More tributes have come in for the actor-turned-director Rob Reiner, who was found dead in his home alongside his wife Michele Singer Reiner on Sunday.
Here’s what some famous figures have been saying of his death:
- “Rob Reiner’s impact on cinema is immeasurable,” The Academy wrote in a post on X. “Across decades, his work shaped how we laugh, how we love, and how we tell stories. … In his films, we continue to find laughter, love, and a reflection of ourselves.”
- “Life can be so unfair and this tragedy proves it,” musician Paul McCartney said on social media, calling the couple’s deaths “shocking.” McCartney said he “will always have fond memories of Rob and the idea that he and his wife will no longer be in the world with us is heartbreaking.”
- Author Stephen King, several of whose books were adapted into films involving Reiner, said that he was “horrified and saddened” by the couple’s deaths. “Wonderful friend, political ally, and brilliant filmmaker (including 2 of mine). Rest in peace, Rob. You always stood by me,” he said in a post on X.
- “In a world where fewer and fewer people concern themselves with the plight of others, the loss of Rob Reiner, who cared deeply about humanitarian causes, feels that much more devastating,” astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said in a post on X.
- Describing the deaths as a “staggering loss,” filmmaker Guillermo del Toro said that Rob Reiner “was a true and good human being and an extraordinary director.” In a post on X, del Toro said that Rob and Michele “were cornerstones of their community and committed to their art and the good of everyone around them.”
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and former governor of California, called Rob Reiner a “creative genius who left us some of the greatest movies of all time, and he was a wonderful friend,” offering his thoughts to the Reiner family in a post on X.
- Filmmaker Ron Howard called Rob Reiner a “superlative filmmaker, a supportive colleague and at all times a dedicated citizen” in a post on X. “Rob will be missed on so many levels. My heart goes out to his family and his many close friends,” Howard said.
- Fox News host Laura Ingraham said that Rob Reiner was a “legend,” writing on X that “his work as an actor and director entertained generations and will live on.” While Ingraham and Reiner “strongly disagreed on politics,” when she ran into him at a restaurant years ago, the pair “had a respectful conversation,” she said, offering her “deepest condolences to his family.”
Jerry Seinfeld remembers Rob Reiner for backing his sitcom
Rob Reiner is remembered as a cast member of one of TV’s most successful sitcoms, “All in the Family.” But he was a key force off-camera behind another.
Jerry Seinfeld said in an Instagram post late Monday that his own eponymous sitcom – which was produced by Reiner’s Castle Rock Entertainment – depended on Reiner’s influence to stay on the air in its struggling early days.
“Our show would have never happened without him. He saw something no one else could,” Seinfeld wrote. “When nobody at the network liked the early episodes, he saved us from cancellation.”
The comedian said Reiner’s marriage also served as a template for his own.
“Rob and Michele married right as our show was starting and they became an imprint for me of how it’s supposed to work, each one broadening the other,” said Seinfeld. “Their death, together, is impossibly sad.”
Michelle Obama says she and Barack were supposed to see Reiners the night they were killed
Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, had planned to see Rob and Michele Reiner on the evening they were killed, the former first lady said on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“We’ve known them for many, many years and we were supposed to be seeing them that night, last night, and we got the news,” Michelle Obama told Jimmy Kimmel during Monday night’s broadcast.
The Reiners, longtime friends of the Obamas, were found dead in their Brentwood home on Sunday. Their 32‑year‑old son, Nick, was arrested late that night and Los Angeles police said he is “responsible” for his parents’ deaths.
Her remarks come after President Donald Trump labeled Rob Reiner “a deranged person” who was “very bad for our country,” after his death, drawing swift condemnation from both Republicans and Democrats.
Barack Obama also expressed his condolences, writing in a post on X that the couple “will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired.”
On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Michelle Obama said she and Barack Obama were meant to see Rob and Michele Reiner the night they were killed and praised the couple as courageous and decent people.
With the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, Brentwood confronts another tragedy in its storied past
The Hollywood filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Brentwood home on Sunday. Their son, Nick Reiner, was arrested later that night on suspicion of murder.
Brentwood, a swanky enclave of about 42,000 residents, is known for its manicured streets and a sheen of celebrity, along with the occasional brush with notoriety. Tucked between the Santa Monica Mountains and Santa Monica, it has also served as the setting for some of the country’s most scrutinized deaths.
In June 1994, the bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson, the ex-wife of O.J. Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, were discovered outside her condominium, setting off one of the most closely watched criminal cases in American history. The former NFL player and actor was later charged with their murders. He was acquitted the following year but found liable in a civil trial.
Three decades earlier, in August 1962, Marilyn Monroe died at age 36 in the Brentwood home she had occupied for only a few months. She was found dead in a bedroom after overdosing on barbiturates.
Over the years, Brentwood has been home to generations of well‑known residents, including Bea Arthur, Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Mickey Cohen, Joan Crawford, Dr. Dre, Glenn Frey, LeBron James, Oliver Stone, Gwyneth Paltrow, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Betty White.
Reiners’ son is arrested in the deaths of the Hollywood icon and his wife. Here’s what to know
Nick Reiner, 32, is being held without bail after the bodies of his parents — the Hollywood actor and director Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 70 — were found inside the family’s Brentwood home in Los Angeles, a day after he was seen arguing with his father at a holiday gathering. Here’s what to know:
- Son held in killings: Los Angeles police said Nick Reiner is “responsible” for the deaths of his parents, whose bodies were discovered Sunday afternoon. He was arrested around 9:15 p.m., though authorities have not elaborated on how the couple died or what led them to focus on him.
- New clues: The couple’s daughter, Romy, found their bodies, according to a person familiar with the case. Nick Reiner was seen arguing with his father at Conan O’Brien’s house on Saturday night, a source said. Police said the double‑homicide case will be presented to the Los Angeles County district attorney on Tuesday, when prosecutors will decide what charges to pursue.
- Reiner’s legacy: Rob Reiner’s career spanned decades, from his eight‑year run on the landmark sitcom “All in the Family” to a directing career that produced films like “When Harry Met Sally…,” “The Princess Bride” and “This Is Spinal Tap,” which helped define modern American moviemaking. Tributes from Hollywood actors and political leaders described him as “one of the most significant figures in the history of film and television.” Rob Reiner also made his mark in political activism, championing same‑sex marriage and crusading against many of President Donald Trump’s policies.
- Michele Singer Reiner: An actor, producer and photographer, Singer Reiner collaborated closely with her husband on many of his prominent projects. She met him on the New York set of “When Harry Met Sally…,” a meeting he said inspired him to rewrite the film’s now‑famous ending. The couple married in 1989 and had three children: Jake, Nick and Romy.
- Trump claims: In Oval Office remarks, US President Donald Trump repeated his claim that Rob Reiner was “a deranged person” and “very bad for our country,” echoing an earlier post on social media. The comments drew swift condemnation, including from several Republican lawmakers.
Correction: A previous version of this post misstated Michele Singer Reiner’s age. She was 70.
Double-homicide case against Nick Reiner will be turned over to prosecutors on Tuesday
The double-homicide case against Nick Reiner in connection with the deaths of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, will be turned over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, LA police officials said.
The DA’s office will then consider filing charges against the suspect.
Nick Reiner was booked on suspicion of murder, but it is up to the DA’s office to charge him with specific counts.
The date of his first court appearance will depend on when the charges are filed.
Nick Reiner was seen having an argument with Rob Reiner at a party on Saturday night, source says
Nick Reiner was seen having an argument with his father, Rob Reiner, at a holiday party Saturday night at Conan O’Brien’s Los Angeles home, according to a source familiar with the incident.
His mother, Michele Singer Reiner, was also in attendance.
Trump doubles down on criticism of Rob Reiner as a "deranged person”
President Donald Trump doubled down on his criticism of Rob Reiner, asserting on Monday that the slain Hollywood director was “a deranged person.”
“I wasn’t a fan of his at all,” Trump said from the Oval Office, less than a day after Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in what is being investigated as a homicide.
“He became like a deranged person – ‘Trump derangement syndrome.’ So, I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all in any way, shape or form. I thought he was very bad for our country,” he said.
The president’s remarks followed his post on Truth Social earlier today in which he suggested Reiner’s death stemmed from “Trump derangement syndrome.”
A range of lawmakers and other political figures, including multiple Republicans, have denounced the incendiary comments.
The Reiners’ daughter discovered them in their home, source says
Romy Reiner, the daughter of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, was the person who discovered her parents after they were attacked at their Brentwood home Sunday, according to a source familiar with the incident.
CNN previously reported a family member of the Reiners went to the house and discovered two people dead, according to a law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the investigation.
“There are no words”: Stars mourn Rob Reiner's death
Hollywood is paying tribute to the actor-turned-director Rob Reiner, who was found slain with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, in their Brentwood home Sunday.
Here are stars’ reactions to his death:
- “My heart is broken,” Zooey Deschanel said in a tribute to the late director, who played her father on the show “New Girl.” She called Reiner the “warmest, funniest, most generous of spirits.” “I cherish the time we spent working together and the many films he made that have shaped who I am,” the actress wrote. “Rob and his lovely wife Michele were always so kind and it brought me so much joy any time I was lucky enough to see them.”
- “There are no words,” Sally Struthers, who co-starred in “All In The Family” with Reiner, said in a statement. “This is beyond devastating and my heart is with their family.”
- “I am deeply shocked and devastated,” Robin Wright, who starred in Reiner’s “Princess Bride,” said in a statement. “Rob was one of the most loving, compassionate, and kind people I have ever known. He was an extraordinary director and the impact he had on me has stayed with me throughout my career,” she said. “My heart goes out to his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
- “Some losses are beyond words,” Viola Davis said about Rob and Michelle in an Instagram post. “Rob… the canon of your work, the passion of your advocacy, the BIGness of your beautiful soul will be immortal.”
