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The Daily

The Tragic Death and Enduring Legacy of Rob Reiner

Rob Reiner, the classic film director, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed on Sunday at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged the couple’s son, Nick, with first-degree murder. Julia Jacobs, an arts and culture reporter for The New York Times, explains what we have learned about the deaths, and Wesley Morris, a critic at The Times, discusses why many of Rob Reiner’s films are so beloved.
Duration
46m
Broadcast on
17 Dec 2025
Audio Format
other

Rob Reiner, the classic film director, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed on Sunday at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged the couple’s son, Nick, with first-degree murder.

Julia Jacobs, an arts and culture reporter for The New York Times, explains what we have learned about the deaths, and Wesley Morris, a critic at The Times, discusses why many of Rob Reiner’s films are so beloved.

Guest:

  • Julia Jacobs, who reports on culture and the arts for The New York Times.
  • Wesley Morris, a critic at The New York Times who writes about art and popular culture.

Background reading: 

Photo: Universal/Getty Images

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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This podcast is supported by TikTok. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for. That happens every day on TikTok. A science experiment can spark a whole new interest. A recipe you stumble upon can become a meal you make for the people you love. And a restaurant you've never heard of might become your new favorite spot. That's the thing about TikTok. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads. Your next discovery is waiting on TikTok. From the New York Times, I'm Michael Bobaro. This is The Daily. On Tuesday, prosecutors investigating the death of Rob and Michelle Reiner said they planned to charge the couple's son, Nick, with first-degree murder. Today, Julia Jacobs, on what we're learning about the death of a Hollywood legend, and Wesley Morris, on why so many of Reiner's films are among the most beloved movies ever made. It's Wednesday, December 17th. Julia, I appreciate you coming in today. Thanks for having me. I just want to say at the outset, perhaps this is obvious, but the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle, is a very gruesome and tragic situation. And we do not want to linger on it for a long time in this conversation. In fact, I hope we don't have to linger on it much at all. But I do think we should briefly talk about what we know at this point about what actually happened. You're right, it's an absolute tragedy, and there are a lot of questions right now. But what we do know is that on Sunday, the authorities were called to Rob Reiner's home in Brentwood, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. And the first information that came out was that there were two deceased individuals inside. And they listed the ages, but not initially the identities, but the ages matched up roughly with those of Rob Reiner, the Hollywood director and his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner, who is a photographer and a producer. And later that night, on Sunday night, their son, Nick, was arrested. And eventually, police said they were investigating his role in their deaths. Right, which was a shocking piece of information. Yes, and then on Tuesday, prosecutors announced

Transcription truncated.

Rob Reiner, the classic film director, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed on Sunday at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged the couple’s son, Nick, with first-degree murder. Julia Jacobs, an arts and culture reporter for The New York Times, explains what we have learned about the deaths, and Wesley Morris, a critic at The Times, discusses why many of Rob Reiner’s films are so beloved.