Conan O’Brien discusses Rob and Michele Reiner’s final party where director clashed with son Nick before murders

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Conan O’Brien recently shared a story about the last time he saw Rob and Michele Reiner, recalling a holiday party he hosted just hours before they were tragically killed last year.

On December 14th, police discovered Reiner, 78, and his 70-year-old wife stabbed to death at their home in Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood.

That night, their 32-year-old son, Nick, was arrested and jailed without the possibility of bail. He was later charged with two counts of first-degree murder, but he has entered a plea of not guilty.

Sources said all three Reiner family members were at O’Brien’s holiday party on December 13th, and that the filmmaker and his son had a heated and public disagreement there.

O’Brien, having previously described the killings as horrific, shared with THR how deeply saddened he was by the loss of his friends and how upsetting it was to be caught up in the news surrounding the tragedies.

‘Very simply, we had a party, we invited our really good friends and then, the next day, this terrible thing happened,’ says O’Brien.

Any challenges my wife and I have faced because of this situation pale in comparison to the immense grief the family is experiencing and the heartbreaking loss of Rob and Michele.

Being a public figure means your name will occasionally be mentioned in difficult situations, but it’s not something to worry about. It’s simply sad when someone passes away.

O’Brien will host the 2026 Academy Awards on March 15th, and many believe he will also honor a famous director during the show.

Last month, the host told the New Yorker of the murders: ‘It’s just so awful.

I became good friends with Rob and Michele, and my wife, Liza Powel O’Brien, and I started spending a lot of time with them, getting closer over time.

They were wonderful people, and it was incredibly shocking to say goodnight to them, only to learn the next day that they had passed away. I was in disbelief for a long time afterward – I really couldn’t process it.

O’Brien explained that it’s still difficult for her to accept that Rob is no longer able to share his thoughts and actively participate in issues he cared about, given how passionate and involved he always was.

O’Brien also praised Reiner’s incredible body of work.

‘I think it’s seven movies that Rob Reiner made, in quick succession, that are classics.’

Making one truly great movie is a remarkable achievement, and it’s incredibly difficult. But creating two establishes you as one of the best. To consistently deliver seven great films within a decade is just unbelievable.

I honestly think This Is Spinal Tap changed everything for my generation, and I say that as someone who was in college when it came out. It felt like a total breakthrough – a real ‘splitting-the-atom’ moment, if you know what I mean. It was just one of those things that felt truly special and groundbreaking when you first saw it.

The TV host admitted he doesn’t usually think much about death, but the recent passing of both the Reiners and actress Catherine O’Hara has deeply affected him.

It’s not something you normally consider – thankfully, most people don’t have to think about it until later in life. Then suddenly, you hear the news about someone, and it feels like a shock to the system, leaving you shaken up for days. That’s just how it is now, it seems.

According to guests, at a Christmas party in December, O’Brien prevented a friend from calling 911 while Reiner and Nick were having a heated argument, as reported exclusively by the Daily Mail.

Throughout the evening, Nick reportedly acted strangely. According to a partygoer who spoke to the Daily Mail, the argument became so heated that someone at the party considered calling the police.

According to a source, a father and son had a heated argument that became so intense, someone considered calling the police.

Conan intervened, stating he wouldn’t involve the police since it was his home and his event. He successfully convinced them to not make the call.

Someone with knowledge of the investigation at the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that no emergency calls were made from O’Brien’s home on the night in question.

TMZ was the first to report that Rob Reiner got into a heated argument with his son at a holiday party, and that Reiner and his wife subsequently left the event.

The Reiners had reportedly brought Nick to the star-studded event to ‘keep an eye on him.’

After struggling with addiction for years – including at least 18 trips to rehab and times when he was homeless – Nick had been staying in the guest house on the Reiners’ estate in Brentwood.

I’ve been following this case closely, and I’m hearing reports that he’d been struggling with increasingly severe schizophrenia. Apparently, doctors adjusted his medication just weeks before everything happened, and those around him said he became really unpredictable and even dangerous as a result. It’s just heartbreaking to learn more details like this.

Reports say Nick acted strangely at the star-studded party, reportedly staring at guests and repeatedly asking them if they were famous.

According to a source, Nick briefly interrupted Bill Hader, who then informed Reiner’s son that they were having a private conversation. This led to an angry reaction.

‘Nick just stood there and stared before storming off,’ the witness said.

Hours later, Reiner and his wife were found dead at their home.

I still can’t believe it. It was Sunday afternoon, around 3:30, and their sweet Romy, who lives just across the street, went to check on them. She… she found them. It’s just awful. Poor Romy. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for her.

Nick, who lived in his parents’ guest house, was arrested around 9pm Sunday night 15 miles away.

He had previously checked into The Pierside Santa Monica hotel. Staff later found a shocking scene: the shower was covered in blood, a trail led from the bed, and the bedsheets had been used to cover the windows.

Nick, who has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, is now being held without bail.

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2026-03-09 18:34