Posted on 12/17/2025 2:44:12 PM PST by nickcarraway
Bill Hader and other guests worried the erratic attendee, 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, had wandered in off the street.
It was meant to be an evening of good cheer.
A group of powerful Hollywood creatives and executives gathered on Saturday night for a holiday party at the home of Conan O’Brien. The estate is nestled in a section of the Pacific Palisades spared by the fires that decimated the affluent neighborhood almost a year prior.
O’Brien had to evacuate during that terrifying time. For him and the guests in attendance, this was a chance to shake off the bad mojo of 2025 and look toward a happier and more hopeful new year.
But as the night progressed, a different kind of dark energy filled the room.
An erratic male figure wandered around the party and interrupted conversations, demanding to know who attendees were and if they were “famous.” Many, like Jane Fonda and Bill Hader, in fact were.
Whispers begin to ripple. The imposing man — 6-foot-3, approximately 230 pounds — had not wandered in off the street, though many wondered if he had. The man was the son of Rob and Michele Reiner.
His name was Nick. He was troubled. A lifetime of drug issues. Compassion was quietly urged. Sympathies and concerns for his parents, one of whom was a Hollywood giant, were expressed.
Nick’s name was not on the invitation. But his parents asked O’Brien if he could tag along. His behavior, which had often been extreme and stressful, had grown degrees even more concerning in recent weeks. They were reluctant to leave him home alone, in the guesthouse of their Brentwood home, where he was currently living under their watchful supervision.
Hader calmly responded to Nick that he was engaged in a private conversation, according to someone with knowledge of the situation. Nick glared at him for what felt like an uncomfortable amount of time.
Some time later, shouts echoed. All conversations stopped and turned toward the racket. Two men, arguing. It was Rob and his son, having it out over Nick’s asocial and unsettling behavior.
Minutes later, the Reiners, mortified, apologized to O’Brien and left the party. It has not been determined if Nick left with them. The conversational din returned to the room, but the mood of the evening was altered.
At 4 a.m., Nick checked into the Pierside Santa Monica, where staff later discovered a shower “full of blood” and bedsheets hanging over the window.
Rob and Michele were discovered slain, victims of knife wounds, in their home at 3:30 p.m. Sunday by their daughter, Romy.
Time of death has yet to be determined. But according to law enforcement, they had already been dead for several hours, and could have been killed as early as Saturday night or early Sunday morning, once they returned from O’Brien’s party.
Nick, 32, was later taken into custody at a subway station in Exposition Park near USC, 15 miles from his parents’ home.
Prosecutors said on Tuesday they intend to charge him with two counts of first degree murder with special circumstances in the death of his parents.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office has not yet decided whether to pursue the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole in the criminal murder case.
Nick Reiner has hired criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson for legal representation.
Rob Reiner was a huge proponent of Defund the Police.
He wanted to ban guns, 90% of knives are already banned in Cali, then he wanted to Defund the Police.
These are the Hollywood Heroes.
The Kennedy lobotomy might make a comeback after this..
Jane Fonda….. evacuate immediately!
Apparently not watchful enough. I wonder if he murdered them in their sleep.
It’s worse than a Greek tragedy…. Which shows there is nothing new under the sun. All I can say is …. Prayers.
Special circumstances?! What…. That’s he’s an orphan?!
Oh, I’m sure that was their concern.
Again, NO concern for all of the party attendees .. that THEY imposed their son upon.
Just sick on top of sick.
The only thing I can say in their defense is that they (naively) thought the social interaction would do him good. Obviously in retrospect that was not the case. He checked in in Santa Monica at 4 am so he killed them earlier Saturday morning. I hope they didn’t suffer….
They could have afforded to put nick in a home for schizophrenic drug addicts. Probably $10,000 a month. The value of the Reiner mansion is 13.5 million. If appraised by la county...the worth might be about 7 million. LA county property taxes is a little more than 1% of value per year. So yearly taxes are about 70-85 thousand per year. Reiner could easily have afforded that. Reiner also owned a home across the street, and another one valued at 3.2 million. His property taxes were probably over 120 thousand per year.
He could have easily afforded residential care for his son.
Reiner was clearly out of his league regarding management of a difficult, tragic situation. Cost him and his wife their lives
I can’t disagree. They should have stayed home. I think the party was too much stimulation for this kid and was an uncontrolled situation which his parents home probably was for him and it triggered him big time.
Special circumstances doesn’t mean that. It relates to things like multiple murders.
90% of knives are banned? How do people cook?
I wonder how many other times Rob Reiner has done this to party hosts.
Have some respect. He just lost his parents.
In spite of myself…. LOL!
Ron Reiner had an estimated net worth of several hundred million dollars.
He could have afforded any treatment for his son avIailable on this earth.
This is a clear cut case of ‘not criminally responsible’... A favorite refrain from many liberals to crimes committed by mentally ill people.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander... So... What do we do with Nick?
Well... As long as he’s on his meds he’s likely a very nice guy. A few months in a mental institute followed up by some outpatient attention and he should be good to go. Let him loose to continue on with his homeless anonymity and hopefully in some area of Hollywood where he grew up. Apparently he likes celebrities and if you are one... For your own safety it’s probably best that if you come across a 6-foot-3, 230 pound individual and he ask you whether you are one or not... That you claim otherwise.
Probably could afford it, and it may have been a relief. But I doubt it is that simple. He talked his way out of over a dozen rehabs. Their record isn't terribly impressive. Son was old enough to have some say in his institutionalization, too.
It's all so clear in hindsight.
Please
They committed this kid/guy to rehab a reported 17 times from the age of 15
He walked or ran away from each, and went into the streets…in multiple states…suggesting they tried multiple facilities
Sadly as an adult at 18 its very difficult to get someone committed to a lockdown against their will. Apparently they had him staying in a guest house on their property…a house he had destroyed during a past rage
Its incomprehensible how helpless you can be to deal with this severe mental illness and addiction regardless of income, the time they had ( Dad even tried making a movie together with him in 2015) …or even the severity of the threat they felt. Which Michele shared with friends.
Not even the law is any help when you live with a deranged adult child, loving him too much to cast him out into the street, not safe even if you do.
Bump for later
All other blame and variables aside that is not a reasonable comment. Infinite amount of money and an infinite amount of rehab time will not fix some problems.
As someone who has first-hand experience with a mentally ill alcoholic close relative I will tell you that no matter how much money you have there is a limit to what you can do partly because of the legal system and partly because it’s simply out of your control in all the other aspects
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