Michelle Obama has revealed that she and former President Barack Obama were due to meet with acclaimed director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele on the very night the couple were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home.
A Chilling Revelation on Live TV
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night, the former First Lady shared the heartbreaking coincidence. "We've known them for many, many years and we were supposed to be seeing them that night - last night - and we got the news," she told the host. The Reiners, aged 78 and 70, were discovered by their daughter inside their $13.5 million Brentwood mansion on Sunday afternoon.
Mrs Obama used the platform to deliver a powerful rebuke to former President Donald Trump, who had crudely blamed Reiner's death on so-called 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'. "Let me just say this, unlike some people, Rob and Michele Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people you ever want to know," she stated, to loud applause from the audience. "They're not deranged or crazed."
She praised the couple's character, saying, "What they have always been are passionate people in a time when there's not a lot of courage going on... They cared about their family, and they cared about this country, and they cared about fairness and equity - and that is the truth."
A Son Arrested After a Troubled History
Police have now stated that the Reiners' son, Nick Reiner, 32, is 'responsible' for their deaths. Dramatic photos emerged on Monday showing his arrest at a Los Angeles subway station in Exposition Park, some 15 miles from the crime scene. He was taken into custody by the LAPD's robbery homicide division with assistance from US Marshals and is now facing federal murder charges, being held without bail.
The tragedy followed a deeply troubling sequence of events. Hours before the murders, Nick had attended a holiday party at Conan O'Brien's house with his parents, where witnesses say he got into a "very loud argument" with them, alarming other A-list guests. A source told PEOPLE that "Nick was freaking everyone out, acting crazy."
The family had reportedly been struggling with Nick's severe mental illness and drug addiction for months, with his parents telling friends "we've tried everything." After the party, Nick checked into The Pierside Santa Monica hotel around 4am, where staff later found a shower "full of blood" and a window covered by bedsheets.
A Family's Long Struggle with Addiction
Nick's struggles were public and long-standing. By age 22, he claimed to have been to rehab 17 times and had experienced periods of homelessness after refusing help. "I was homeless in Maine. I was homeless in New Jersey. I was homeless in Texas," he told People in a past interview. "I come from a nice family. I'm not supposed to be out there on the streets."
In a poignant twist, Nick and his father had collaborated on the 2015 semi-autobiographical film Being Charlie, which depicted a strained relationship between a famous father and his addict son. Rob Reiner had expressed regret over how he handled his son's addiction, telling the LA Times, "When Nick would tell us that it wasn't working for him, we wouldn't listen... We should have been listening to our son."
The Reiners' daughter, Romy, who discovered the bodies, reportedly told police a family member should be a suspect because they were "dangerous." She then called her father's close friend, actor Billy Crystal, who was seen distraught outside the family home.
The shocking events have sent waves of grief through Hollywood, where Rob Reiner was revered for directing classics like Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, and When Harry Met Sally. A family statement expressed "profound sorrow" and asked for privacy during this "unbelievably difficult time." Nick Reiner is due to be arraigned at the Superior Court of Los Angeles County on Tuesday morning.
