Eight months after the killing of Hollywood filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, their son, Jake Reiner, has opened up in his first broadcast interview. Speaking with local Los Angeles station KABC, Jake Reiner detailed the surreal shock of the December tragedy and the ongoing legal case involving his brother, Nick Reiner.
The Los Angeles tragedy that claimed the lives of Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, continues to reverberate through the entertainment community and their surviving family. The couple were found stabbed to death inside their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on December 14. Hours later, police arrested their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, who was subsequently indicted on two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and lying in wait.
For the couple’s 35-year-old son, Jake, the months since that night have become an exercise in enduring a surreal reality. In a sit-down interview that aired across networks including Good Morning America and ABC News, Jake described the compounding grief of losing his parents and effectively losing his brother to the criminal justice system.
“Nobody really understands what it’s like to go through something like that until you’re living it. It’s been eight months. It feels like eight years at the same time. And it also feels like eight minutes because every moment that I wake up, I’m reminded of my reality.”
Jake Reiner, via KABC and Good Morning America
The Phone Call at Union Station and a Daughter’s Discovery
On the day of the killings, Jake Reiner was at Los Angeles’ Union Station attending a celebration of life event for a friend. His sister, Romy Reiner, 28, lived across the street from their parents and made the grim discovery of their father’s body after alerting 911.
Romy placed an urgent phone call to Jake, setting off a wave of immediate shock. Romy told me our dad was dead, and then she said, ‘I can’t find mom,’
Jake recalled, detailing how he immediately left the train station to rush to the Brentwood home.
Having previously worked as a local news reporter for a decade, Jake noted the surreal horror of encountering a homicide investigation where his own childhood home served as the crime scene.
Weighing Anger, Addiction History, and Family Trust Battles
In the wake of the arrests and subsequent indictments, Jake and Romy have maintained a united front, recently attending a Los Angeles Dodgers game together where they threw out the ceremonial first pitch, honoring their father’s long-standing tradition of holding season tickets and attending three to four games a week.
Yet the personal toll remains staggering. Jake confirmed that he has not spoken to his brother since the arrest, nor has he attended any of Nick’s court hearings, though he reportedly testified before the grand jury that led to the indictment. When asked if his brother’s alleged involvement came as a surprise, Jake declined to answer.
Reflecting on Nick, who has pleaded not guilty and remains held without bail, Jake addressed his brother’s well-documented struggles with mental health and substance addiction. The family’s dynamic had previously intersected with Hollywood when Rob Reiner directed the 2015 film Being Charlie
, which Nick co-wrote based on his own experiences with recovery.
My parents had unconditional love for all three of us. I can tell you they never stopped wanting to help him. They never stopped helping him,
Jake said. And I think that that project was a way for my dad to try and connect with him.
That complicated history now extends into legal and financial disputes. Nick Reiner has filed a petition seeking access to more than $1.5 million in a childhood trust fund to finance his criminal defense. Jake declined to comment publicly on his brother’s efforts to access the funds.
Next Court Date Set for September as Legacy Work Continues
As Jake processes the ongoing grief, which he says frequently manifests into rage over the helplessness of the situation, his focus has shifted toward preserving his parents’ memory. He plans to attend the upcoming Children’s Institute Cape & Gown Gala in November, stepping in to support an organization that Rob and Michele Reiner championed for years.
The legal proceedings surrounding the case are slated to move forward next month. Nick Reiner’s pre-trial hearing is officially scheduled for September 15 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where prosecutors will continue preparations for trial.
