Nick Reiner, 32 year old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner & Michele Singer, was arrested for their murders this weekend. In past interviews, Nick told Dave of Dopey Podcast about his long history of severe addiction and mental health issues – and the countless times he dropped out of recovery programs, flew into fits of rage, and destroyed his parents’ guest house that kept him from being homeless.
His addiction to heroin was allegedly a factor in the crime. Family friends told the Los Angeles Times that Nick argued with his father at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party the night before their deaths, with rumors that his parents intended to cut him off financially until he returned to rehab.
In a 2015 LA Times interview, Rob Reiner disagreed with the rehab treatment plan for his son.
“The program works for some people but it can’t work for everybody,” said Rob. “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.”
“We were so influenced by these people,” Michele added. “They would tell us he’s a liar, that he was trying to manipulate us. And we believed them.”
In that interview, Nick Reiner said he was no longer taking heroin. But this was a lie, he was manipulating his parents, and he returned to his addiction soon after.
Amy Alkon is an independent investigative science writer and author of “Going Menopostal: What You and Your Doctor Need to Know About the Real Science of Menopause and Perimenopause”. Follow at https://x.com/amyalkon
David Manheim (AKA Dopey Dave) is the host of the Dopey Podcast, a show focused on addiction and recovery. A former heroin addict, Manheim has grown the podcast into a large and active community navigating addiction and recovery. Find more at https://x.com/DopeyPodcast
Kira Davis is the host of the Just Kira Davis podcast and a conservative commentator. She writes and publishes commentary on culture and politics and appears across digital media platforms. Follow at https://x.com/kiradavis
Jay Payleitner is the author of Happy Semiquincentennial, America! and 52 Things Kids Need from Dad. Follow at https://x.com/JayPayleitner
