Just hours before his tragic death, Rob Reiner reportedly made a chilling confession about his son Nick at Conan O’Brien’s holiday party.
According to a source at the late director’s memorial service, one unnamed celebrity left mourners in tears when they recalled Reiner’s haunting words.
“I’m petrified of [Nick]. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I’m afraid of my son. I think my own son can hurt me,” Reiner allegedly said during the December 13 party, as first reported by the Daily Mail.
The revelation comes in the wake of 78-year-old filmmaker and his 70-year-old wife, Michele Reiner’s brutal murder. The couple was found stabbed to death at their Brentwood home in Los Angeles on December 14.
Rob and Michele Reiner were found stabbed to death. Credit: Michael Stewart / Getty
A disturbing final encounter
Multiple sources confirmed the couple had a verbal altercation with their son at O’Brien’s Christmas party just hours before the horrific slayings.
“They had had an argument at Conan’s holiday party, and Rob had been telling people that they’re scared for Nick and scared that his mental state was deteriorating,” a longtime friend of the family told The New York Post.
Reports from the party described 32-year-old Nick's behavior as erratic and unsettling. One insider told The Wall Street Journal that he repeatedly asked attendees a bizarre series of questions, such as: “What’s your name? What’s your last name? Are you famous?”
One source reiterated to PEOPLE that “Nick was freaking everyone out, acting crazy, kept asking people if they were famous", while another claimed that he interrupted comedian Bill Hader’s private conversation before "storming off”, per NBC News.
Reiner’s final moments with friends were shared at a private memorial held at comedian Albert Brooks’ mansion in Los Angeles. Among those in attendance were Billy Crystal and his wife Janice, Larry David, Bill Hader, and O’Brien himself.
The couple and their son, Nick, were at Conan O'Brien's holiday party hours before the tragedy. Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed that both Rob and Michele died from “multiple sharp force injuries”. Their deaths were officially ruled a homicide.
Nick is accused of fatally stabbing his parents in the early morning hours of December 14.
He reportedly fled the scene but was arrested later that night. He’s been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is scheduled for arraignment on January 7, 2026.
Nick Reiner is charged with his parents, Rob and Michele murders. Credit: Michael Buckner / Getty
A father’s heartbreak and hope
Just three months before the tragedy, Reiner had publicly spoken about Nick with hope and love.
During a September interview on Fresh Air while promoting Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, Reiner reflected on their creative bond and Nick’s recovery from addiction.
He talked about their 2015 film Being Charlie, which was inspired by Nick’s real-life struggles with substance abuse and homelessness. Though the movie portrayed a strained father-son relationship, Reiner emphasized that it didn’t mirror his real-life parenting.
“I was never, ever too busy,” he said via NPR. “If anything, I was the other way. I was more hands-on and trying to do whatever I thought I could do to help.”
He acknowledged mistakes in parenting but said those had been openly discussed with Nick. “I’m sure I made mistakes,” Reiner admitted. “And I’ve talked about that with him since.”
When asked how Nick was doing, Reiner shared six words that now ring with tragic irony: “He’s in a really good place.”
The pair had recently reconnected creatively while working together again on Spinal Tap II. “After 15 years of not working together, we came back and started looking at this,” the filmmaker said. “It was like falling right back in with friends you hadn’t talked to in a long time.”