It’s almost impossible to get your head around the terror that must have unfolded behind closed doors for Rob Reiner and his wife Michele.
A couple in their late seventies and early seventies, well known, well loved, suddenly caught in a scenario no parent ever prepares for: their own son now arrested on suspicion of killing them both.
The sheer disbelief of it is staggering.
How do you square the child you raised, the baby you once held, with the idea that he could become someone capable of such violence?
Loving a Son Who Had Long Been in Trouble
Those close to the family say this didn’t come out of nowhere.
Nick Reiner had battled addiction for most of his life, and those struggles were often accompanied by frightening, unpredictable behaviour.
Still, love has a way of blinding even the most sensible people to danger — especially when that danger wears the face of your own child.
Friends describe Rob and Michele as endlessly patient, endlessly forgiving.
Nick had been living in their guesthouse for years, even after episodes where drug-fuelled rages left the place badly damaged.
Time and again, they chose compassion over self-preservation.
When Art Reflected a Father’s Guilt
In 2016, Rob Reiner directed Being Charlie, a film based on a screenplay written by Nick.
It followed a young man lost in addiction, drifting between rehabs and relapses.
Watching it now feels painfully prophetic.
At the time, Reiner spoke with raw honesty about his regrets as a parent.
Nick’s first experience of rehab came at just 15.
“We were desperate,” Reiner once said, explaining how professionals were trusted over his own son’s words.
“Because they had diplomas on the wall, we listened to them — when we should have been listening to Nick.”
Above all, he believed a parent’s job was simple and absolute: keep your child safe.
“I would do anything,” he said. Those words now land with unbearable weight.
The Brutal Truth About Addiction
Here’s the part people don’t like to hear.
You can love an addict with every fibre of your being and still be utterly powerless. Love doesn’t compete well with drugs.
Empathy doesn’t stand a chance against a craving.
I used to see addiction purely as illness — a cruel roll of the dice that struck at random.
Sometimes that’s true, especially where trauma is involved.
But too often, addiction is also a series of choices.
And the people who love addicts most are often the ones who unknowingly make those choices easier.
How Parents End Up Paying the Highest Price
Parents are especially vulnerable. We’re wired to protect, excuse and rescue our children.
In most circumstances, that instinct is a virtue. With addiction, it can be fatal.
I’ve seen families pour every ounce of time, money and emotional energy into one troubled child, while siblings who cause no concern quietly fade into the background.
It’s unfair, unsustainable and — tragically — ineffective.
The more you give, the more an addict will take.
Not because they’re evil, but because addiction consumes everything else. Eventually, there’s nothing left.
When Kindness Turns Dangerous
When support is withdrawn, things can become volatile very fast — particularly with drugs that trigger paranoia and psychosis.
Meth, reportedly Nick Reiner’s drug of choice, is notorious for this.
Sources close to the family have said his behaviour had been escalating, the violent outbursts worsening.
Rob and Michele, it’s said, wanted him to leave.
If that safety net was about to disappear, perhaps something in him simply broke.
If they were killed by the very compassion that sustained him for years, it’s hard to imagine a sadder ending.
Angelina Jolie and the Power of Showing the Scars
In a completely different register, Angelina Jolie has shared images of her mastectomy scars in Time France.
It stopped me in my tracks.
In a culture obsessed with perfection, showing physical vulnerability — especially as a woman — takes courage.
If it helps even one person feel less alone in their own body, then it matters. Truly, good for her.
Enough From the Loud and the Ludicrous
Public discourse has officially gone off the rails.
Donald Trump implying Rob Reiner’s death was politically motivated.
A Labour donor twisting the Bondi Beach massacre into an argument about Israeli politics.
An academic journal suggesting the real issue with female genital mutilation is Western disapproval, not mutilated children.
No. Just no. Please stop talking.
No, I Don’t Owe You a Reply
When did it become mandatory to respond to strangers online? The emails get more frantic the longer I ignore them.
“Still waiting for your response,” says someone I’ve never met, from somewhere I’ve never been, via LinkedIn.
I’m sorry to disappoint you. I don’t mean to be rude.
But I don’t owe you my time. I mostly just like dogs.
Is Christmas Some Kind of Emergency?
People keep asking if I’m “ready for Christmas”.
Ready how? Is it dangerous? Do I need specialist equipment? Goggles? A high-visibility jacket?
As far as I can tell, Christmas mainly involves sitting down, eating too much chocolate and watching television. I was born ready.
Smaller Portions for Women? Don’t Push Your Luck
Apparently, the Government’s obesity tsar thinks women should be served smaller portions to help keep them slim.
Why stop there? Perhaps we should only let women eat what their male relatives approve.
Maybe restrict us from leaving the house while we’re at it.
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