- - Rob Reiner’s Son Nick Went to Rehab at Least 18 Times amid His Struggles with Drug Addiction and Homelessness: Report

Becca LongmireDecember 17, 2025 at 1:18 AM

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BACKGRID; Eric Charbonneau/Getty

Nick Reiner in September (left); Rob and Michele Singer Reiner in 2017 (right) -

Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, Dec. 14

Their son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, was arrested in connection with the death of his parents and charged with murder on Monday

Nick, who has been open about his struggles with drug addiction and homelessness, went to rehab "some 18 times" before he even turned 22, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter

Rob Reiner's son Nick went to rehab at least 18 times in the early years of his lengthy struggle with drug addiction, a new report claims.

On Sunday, Dec. 14, Rob, 78, and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, 68, were found dead in their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, with multiple sources telling PEOPLE that the couple was killed by Nick, 32. On Monday, Dec. 15, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) confirmed that the couple's son was taken into custody and charged with murder.

Nick was located by police and arrested on suspicion of murder at 9:15 p.m. local time on Dec. 14 near the campus of the University of Southern California, PEOPLE previously reported. The arrest came more than five hours after Rob and Michele's bodies were found at around 3:40 p.m. PST.

In a The Hollywood Reporter article published on Dec. 15, journalist Steven Zeitchik recalled hearing about Nick's struggles years ago while dining with the Reiners at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Zeitchik interviewed Rob and Nick about their 2016 movie Being Charlie — a semi-autobiographical film which Nick co-wrote based on his issues with drug addiction — for the Los Angeles Times.

Zeitchik wrote that Nick had turned 22 years old on the day of the dinner, and had "just taken the stage with his father at the premiere a few blocks away," before they headed to the restaurant.

Michael Buckner/Getty

Michele Singer Reiner, Rob Reiner and Nick Reiner at a 'Teen Vogue' event in August 2013

"Nick was sober now, they said, after some 18 trips to rehab since his early teenage years, some of which he spent on the streets," Zeitchik said. "And this movie was going to provide the happy ending to all that sadness."

“Can you believe this boy?” Rob said as they sat down to eat, Zeitchik recalled, claiming the director had been beaming.

Zeitchik also recounted Rob saying he was "so proud" of Nick, adding, "He’s been through everything; it’s so hard, you’re in this position of no control. And how he’s sober, here on his 22nd birthday, and he wrote this movie."

Nick Reiner

During the dinner, Nick reportedly mentioned that rehab had been ineffective for him, saying, “I just couldn’t get by in these programs. I had resistance every time they tried to reach me," according to Zeitchik.

In Rob and Nick's 2015 interview with Zeitchik for the Los Angeles Times, Rob said of his son going to rehab, “The program works for some people, but it can’t work for everybody. 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."

In a 2016 interview with PEOPLE, Nick spoke about his lengthy battle with substance abuse, which began in his early teens and eventually led to him living on the streets.

He said he went in and out of rehab beginning around age 15, but as his addiction escalated, he drifted farther from home and spent significant stretches homeless in multiple states.

Nick told PEOPLE at the time that he'd previously refused to go to rehab, saying, “If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs they were suggesting, then I had to be homeless.”

He recalled how the chaotic period of addiction, which included nights and sometimes weeks of him sleeping outside, later became the basis for Being Charlie.

The film tells the story of 18-year-old addict Charlie Mills and his tensions with his parents — particularly his father, movie star and Congress hopeful David — over their harsh treatment of him while dealing with his addiction.

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While promoting the 2015 release, Rob told Zeitchik of how personal the project was for him and his son, according to Monday's THR article: “It was very, very hard going through it the first time, with these painful and difficult highs and lows."

Rob, who directed the film, reportedly added, "And then making the movie dredged it all up again.”

In a September 2025 NPR interview with Rob, the director said Nick "hasn't been doing drugs for over six years," and told the outlet, "He's in a really good place."

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”