Nick Reiner’s chilling 10-word admission about being “crazy” has resurfaced following the brutal deaths of his parents.
The entertainment industry remains shaken after the horrific murders of filmmaker Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 68, who were stabbed to death inside their Los Angeles home on December 14.
The couple’s 32-year-old son, Nick, has been arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing his parents, and a resurfaced interview from years earlier has taken on a haunting new significance.
The Disturbing Interview That’s Left Viewers Uneasy
In a 2016 interview promoting Being Charlie, the semi-autobiographical film Nick co-wrote and his father directed, the then-22-year-old offered a 10-word remark that now chills audiences.
When asked by an Access Hollywood host if he and Rob ever fought like the father and son characters in the film, Nick hesitated before replying: “We didn’t ever argue quite like that, I mean we did, I guess to a degree, but it was never…” before trailing off.
The interviewer responded: “He was fiery. You don’t seem very fiery to me,” referencing the lead character, Charlie, played by Nick Robinson.
Nick then smirked and said, “I get crazy. You don’t want to set me off.”
His father laughed, replying, “We can both get pretty hot, and there were times that it did get hot.”
But nearly a decade later, that brief exchange has resurfaced in an entirely darker context - after Nick’s arrest for the alleged murders of both his parents.
A Strained Relationship Behind the Scenes
Nick was the middle child of Rob and Michele, between his older brother, Jake, and younger sister, Romy.
Despite growing up in a Hollywood family, he openly admitted that he “didn’t bond a lot” with his father during childhood.
Nick began using drugs as a teenager and entered rehab for the first time at age 15. By 19, he had completed 18 separate programs and was homeless in several states.
He later channeled his struggles into Being Charlie, which explored a fractured father-son relationship mirroring his own with Rob.
In an interview with the LA Times, Rob admitted that he and Michele sometimes made the wrong choices while trying to help Nick recover.
“When Nick would tell us that it wasn’t working for him, we wouldn’t listen. We were desperate, and because the people had diplomas on their wall, we listened to them when we should have been listening to our son,” he said.
Michele echoed that sentiment, confessing: “They would tell us he’s a liar, that he was trying to manipulate us. And we believed them.”
Chilling Body Language From Another Interview
In recent days, body language expert @Dr. G Explains analyzed footage from another 2016 interview, pointing out that Nick’s nonverbal cues revealed deep unease as his father spoke about understanding him better.
“[Reiner] really does feel what he’s saying,” the expert noted. “He means what he’s saying. He believes that he understands him better, that he’s a better father now. Whereas Nick Reiner, as he was saying that, started looking up, started looking around, totally disconnected from it.”
Dr. G described how Nick subtly adjusted his microphone, as though he wanted to speak but couldn’t.
“He’s gripping his chair. He’s blinking slowly. We close our eyes when we think about things we don’t like. So it’s bringing something up for him that he doesn’t like,” the analyst said. “This does not seem to be a pleasant experience for him at all.”
Tragic Discovery and Arrest
Rob and Michele were found dead inside their $13.5 million Brentwood mansion after their daughter, Romy, arrived at the property when a massage therapist couldn’t reach the couple.
She reportedly discovered her father’s body and called 911. Paramedics later confirmed that both parents were dead.
Authorities arrested Nick later that night. Newly released surveillance footage shows him calmly walking through a gas station in Los Angeles before being detained near Exposition Park.
Video captured the moment he raised his hands and surrendered to officers without resistance.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has since charged Nick with two counts of first-degree murder, along with a special allegation that he personally used a knife. If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Nick’s attorney, Alan Jackson, said his client has not yet appeared in court because he remains under mandatory medical evaluation.