The oldest child of Rob and Michele Reiner has published an essay about his parents, who were killed in December.

Rob Reiner’s son Jake details moment he learned of parents’ deaths: ‘My world, as I knew it, had collapsed’

The oldest child of Rob and Michele Reiner has published an essay about his parents, who were killed in December.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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April 24, 2026 11:47 a.m. ET

Rob, Michele, and Jake Reiner in 2017. Credit:

Charley Gallay/Getty

- Rob and Michele Reiner's son Jake has opened up about his parents' deaths.

- Jake published an essay detailing the moment he learned of the tragedy, writing, "My world, as I knew it, had collapsed."

- Jake's younger brother, Nick, has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the killings of their parents.

Rob and Michelle Reiner's son Jake Reiner is opening up about the devastating moment he learned that his parents had been killed.

Jake was at Los Angeles' Union Station on Dec. 14 for a celebration of life for one of his best friends when he got the horrifying news.

"It was at that moment I received a call from my sister Romy telling me our father was dead," he wrote in an essay posted to his Substack on Friday. "Minutes later, she called back telling me our mother was also dead."

Jake described the 45-minute Lyft ride across town to get to his parents' home, where they were found dead, as "unendurable."

"My world, as I knew it, had collapsed," he recalled in his essay. "I was in a trance. The only thing I could focus on was that I needed to get to my childhood home. I needed to get to my sister. I needed to figure out what the hell just happened."

The Reiners were discovered dead in their house in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Dec. 14. Romy discovered Rob's body and alerted authorities, who then found Michele's body. Their younger son, Nick Reiner, was later arrested and charged with murder in connection with their slayings.

"Nothing can prepare you for what it feels like to lose both parents instantly at the same time," Jake wrote. "It's too devastating to comprehend. I still wake up every morning having to convince myself that, no, it's not a dream. This truly is my living nightmare."

Jake, Nick, Romy, Michele, and Rob Reiner in 2024.

Denise Truscello/Getty

He continued, "I can't even begin to put myself in my parents' shoes, but one thing I keep coming back to is how frightened they must have been. They were the last people in the world to deserve what happened to them. They deserved to be loved, they deserved to be respected, and above all they deserved to be appreciated for how much they gave to all three of us and to the world."

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"This is my story," said Jake, an actor and a writer, noting that his sister will share hers "in her own way and in her time."

Their brother, Nick, has been in custody since his arrest in December. The 32-year-old has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the killings of his parents, with the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders. He is also facing a special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, a knife. He pleaded not guilty to the murder charges in February.

"They should be enjoying the rest of their lives peacefully while growing older together," Jake said of his parents in his essay. "Instead, that was ripped away from them, from me, from Romy, and there was nothing we could do about it. I was robbed of so many things that day. My parents won't be at my wedding, they won't get to hold their future grandchild, and they won't get to see me have the successful career I'm still seeking. It simultaneously breaks my heart and enrages me."

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