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‘TMZ’ examined the shocking murders of director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, in the latest episode of ‘TMZ Investigates.’
Jan. 16 2026, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
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What Triggered Nick Reiner to Murder His Parents
Source: MEGA
Nick Reiner was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia.
A new documentary pieced together chilling details behind the murders of director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, including the alleged involvement of their troubled son Nick Reiner.
In the latest episode of TMZ Investigates titled The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened, which aired on January 9, the news outlet shared how Nick’s weight gain and changes to his schizophrenia medications may have driven him to commit the killings of Rob and Michele at their Los Angeles home on December 14, 2025.
According to sources, Nick was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder in 2020. He had also been diagnosed with schizophrenia just weeks before his parents’ deaths.
The medications he was taking for his mental illness allegedly made him “erratic and dangerous,” said the insiders.
The documentary also disclosed how Nick consulted his doctor about his weight gain, which is a common side effect from the medications. The physician changed the pills, but his behavior reportedly became more alarming in the month before the murders.
“[Doctors] did not attempt to place Nick on a temporary psych hold to stabilize him,” said a source.
A second insider said Nick is “not competent to stand trial” due to his condition.
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Nick Reiner Has Not Used Illegal Drugs Since His Health Diagnosis
Source: MEGA
Nick Reiner was allegedly using meth before he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.
Although Rob and Michele’s drug addict son had trips to rehab, Nick had not reportedly been using illegal drugs “before everyone knew” he was suffering from schizoaffective disorder.
“So our sources have told us in the five-plus years since Nick was diagnosed… he has not been using illegal drugs,” said TMZ supervising producer Olivia Heinle. “But the drugs that landed him in rehab were prescription pills.”
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Rob Reiner and Michele Were Awake When They Were Murdered
Source: MEGA
Nick Reiner was arrested in connection with his parents’ murders.
In The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened, TMZ’s executive producer Charles Latibeaudiere cited a source who claimed Rob and Michele were awake when they were murdered inside their Los Angeles home.
Commenting on Nick’s mental state, Charles 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.”
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Nick Reiner’s Rehab History Explored
Source: MEGA
Nick Reiner admitted he had at least 18 trips to rehab.
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Nick’s rehab stints began when Rob and Michele found him “doing both Percocet and Xanax with a friend,” per Olivia.
Charles added the Being Charlie co-writer met another drug addict while in rehab, learning it was “much easier to score heroin than prescription drugs.”
“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,” Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction specialist who has not treated Nick, told TMZ.
Micholas Matthews, CEO of Stillwater Behavioral Health, added, “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.”
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The Murder Weapon Has Not Yet Been Found
Source: MEGA
Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead on December 14, 2025.
TMZ founder Harvey Levin confirmed in the TMZ Investigates episode that a “critical piece of evidence” in the case has not been found.
“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,” he added. “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.”
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Bill Maher Slammed Donald Trump’s Reaction to Rob and Michele’s Murders
Source: MEGA
Rob Reiner was a longtime critic of Donald Trump.
Elsewhere in The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened, Rob’s friend Bill Maher slammed Donald Trump’s reaction to the killings.
“[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?'” he said.
Bill also mourned the loss, adding he lost “a friend and, just besides that, a great filmmaker.”
“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,” he continued.
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The Mental Health System ‘Failed’ the Reiner Family
Source: MEGA
Alexis Haines was previously a heroin addict.
Former reality TV star Alexis Haines also appeared in the documentary, during which she claimed the mental health system “failed” the Reiner family and that the medical professionals betrayed them “in a fatal way.”
“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.”