President issues statement blaming Reiner’s death on ‘Trump derangement syndrome’
By CP Staff
Nick Reiner, the son of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rob Reiner, was arrested Sunday after Reiner and his wife were found dead in their Los Angeles-area home.
Reiner, 32, was booked into a Los Angeles County jail Monday morning, just one day after his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, suffered fatal stab wounds at their Brentwood, California, home, according to The Associated Press.
According to online jail records, Reiner was booked on a felony charge and is being held on $4 million bail.
While authorities have not officially confirmed the identities of the two people found dead, a family spokesperson released a statement Sunday to Variety confirming the couple’s death, adding the family is “heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Robbery Homicide detectives were investigating an “apparent homicide” at Reiner’s home, Capt. Mike Bland with the Los Angeles Police Department told the AP.
Born in the Bronx, New York, in 1947, Reiner was the son of comedy icon Carl Reiner and actress-singer Estelle Reiner. He rose to fame as Mike “Meathead” Stivic on the groundbreaking sitcom “All in the Family” (1971–1979), earning two Emmy Awards before his transition to directing.
Reiner helmed some of the biggest films of the 1980s, including his directorial debut, the groundbreaking mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap” (1984), the coming-of-age classic “Stand by Me” (1986), the fantasy adventure-turned-cult classic “The Princess Bride” (1987), the blockbuster romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally…” (1989), the psychological thriller “Misery” (1990) — which earned Kathy Bates an Oscar — and the star-studded courtroom drama “A Few Good Men” (1992), nominated for Best Picture.
In addition to his later credits, Reiner also co-founded Castle Rock Entertainment, the production company behind hits like “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Seinfeld.”
Reiner, who was previously married to Penny Marshall, with whom he adopted actress Tracy Reiner, met Michele, a photographer and producer, on the set of “When Harry Met Sally…” They married in 1989 and had three children: Jake, Nick and Romy.
Known as a firebrand liberal, Reiner condemned the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in September. During a segment of “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Reiner called the shooting an “absolute horror” and praised the teachings of Jesus.
“I felt like what his wife [Erika] said at the service at the memorial they had was exactly right,” Reiner said. “I’m Jewish, but I believe in the teachings of Jesus, and I believe in ‘do unto others,’ and I believe in forgiveness. And what she said, to me, was beautiful. She forgave his assassin. And I think that is admirable.”
In response to reports of Reiner’s death, President Donald Trump, who has sparred publicly with Reiner since his first presidential campaign in 2016, issued a statement Monday on his social media platform Truth Social in which he called Reiner’s death a “very sad thing” that was the result of “the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME…”
The president also criticized what he called Reiner’s “raging obsession” with Trump, adding, “May Rob and Michele rest in peace!”
In 2024, Reiner produced the documentary “God and Country,” which explored the relationship between — and the influence of — the political movement known as Christian nationalism with positions held by a large swath of conservative Christians.
The documentary — which linked traditional Christian views on abortion, marriage and other topics with Christian nationalism — depicted right-leaning groups like The Heritage Foundation, TPUSA and Hillsdale College as “Christian nationalist organizations.”
