- - Rob and Michele Reiner's Close Circle Slam Suggestions They Didn't Prioritize Son Nick: 'Insult to Every Parent' (Exclusive)

Janelle GriffithDecember 20, 2025 at 7:34 AM

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Amanda Edwards/WireImage

Rob and Michele Reiner on March 30, 2019 -

"To say that Rob and Michele weren’t as loving as parents get or that they didn’t try everything they could to support Nick is an insult to every parent," a source close to the Reiner family tells PEOPLE

Nick has openly discussed his struggles with drug addiction and homelessness that began in his teens

He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, with prosecutors planning to pursue an increased sentence for a special circumstance of multiple murders

Sources close to Rob and Michele Reiner are slamming claims suggesting they didn't devote enough time to son Nick.

“To say that Rob and Michele weren’t as loving as parents get or that they didn’t try everything they could to support Nick is an insult to every parent, especially those with a child suffering from mental health issues," a source close to the family tells PEOPLE.

The source adds that Rob, a celebrated filmmaker and actor, and Michele, a producer and photographer, "did an admirable job balancing parenting and work, but their kids are all adults now and they had tried so hard for years."

Says a second insider: “At the end of the day, Nick didn’t take the help seriously. This was true for years and years. His issues were far, far out of his parents’ control.”

Still, Rob and Michele tried their best to protect their family — including Nick, underscores the insider.

“Nick lied a lot," the insider tells PEOPLE. "He was unreliable, but he was also convincing and intelligent. His family was empathetic to how much his struggles contributed to his behavior. They never lost hope in him, even when he was scaring them or making their lives harder.”

Nick Reiner in September 2025

Earlier this week, political commentator Megyn Kelly made controversial statements on her SiriusXM show, stating that Rob and Michele's deaths "may involve parents who were focused on the wrong thing, like careers instead of their kid."

Kelly's allegations stirred debate and drew criticism in her comments section. "I was disappointed on your commentary on their parenting style," wrote one. Added another: "Kindness is what we need these [sic] Megyn, not judgement."

Nick, 32, had been open about his struggles with drug addiction and homelessness in public interviews. He once estimated he had been in drug treatment 18 times during his teenage years. In a 2016 interview with PEOPLE, Nick said he was first sent to rehab around his 15th birthday and that he refused to go back multiple times after that.

"If I wanted to do it my way and not go to the programs they were suggesting, then I had to be homeless," he said, adding that he had been homeless at times in Maine, New Jersey and Texas.

John Nacion/Variety via Getty

Michele and Rob Reiner on Feb. 14, 2025

Nick and Rob ultimately made a film together, Being Charlie, which included elements of their story. The semi-autobiographical 2015 film about addiction explored Nick's struggles with drugs. Nick and Rob said making the movie had helped repair their strained relationship.

“They hoped 'Being Charlie' would help build Nick's confidence in the industry and in himself," says the family source.

In September, Rob was asked about the film in an interview on NPR's Fresh Air to promote Spinal Tap II and said he always made time for his children. He and Michele had three children together, Nick, Jake and Romy. (Rob was previously married to Penny Marshall and adopted her daughter, Tracy.)

"I was never, ever too busy," Rob told Fresh Air. "I mean, if anything, I was the other way, you know, I was more hands-on and trying to do whatever I thought I could do to help. I'm sure I made mistakes and, you know, I've talked about that with him since."

Rob echoed that sentiment during an interview with Access Hollywood in 2016, saying that he always put his family before his career: "He's my son, I love him. He's more important than anything that could happen to me."

Nick is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection to the killing of his parents, who were found dead inside their Los Angeles home. He was denied bail. The county medical examiner's office confirmed a day later that the couple had died on Sunday, Dec. 14, of "multiple sharp force injuries." Rob was 78 and Michele was 70.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”