Conan O’Brien has spoken out about the tragic deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, who were killed shortly after a dispute between Rob and his son Nick at O’Brien’s holiday gathering.
In an interview with The New Yorker published on Friday, O’Brien, 62, expressed his grief, saying, “It’s just so awful.”
O’Brien reflected on his relationship with the Reiners, sharing, “I got to know Rob and Michele very well over time. My wife and I spent a lot of time with them, and they were such wonderful people.”
He continued, “To say goodnight to someone and then learn the next day that they’re gone is a shock I struggled to process for quite some time. There’s really no other way to describe it.”
O’Brien also pondered Rob’s deep engagement with national issues, stating, “Rob was very passionate and outspoken about what was happening in the country. Losing such a powerful voice so suddenly is still something I find difficult to understand.”
Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 70, were discovered dead in their Los Angeles home in the Brentwood area on December 14.
Conan O’Brien, 62, broke his silence on Rob and Michele Reiner’s deaths after the filmmaker clashed with son Nick at the comedian’s holiday party hours before the murders
‘It’s just so awful,’ O’Brien said in an interview with The New Yorker, published on Friday; Reiner and his wife pictured in 2019
Later that night, their son Nick, 32, was arrested and held without bail. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the days that followed.
Afterwards, it was reported that all three Reiners attended O’Brien’s December 13 holiday party, where the filmmaker and his son were involved in a ‘very loud argument.’
In December, the Daily Mail reported exclusively that O’Brien stopped a friend from calling 911 during an explosive fight between Reiner and Nick at the comedian’s Christmas party, guests have revealed.
Nick is said to have been behaving erratically all evening, but one source familiar with the party has now told the Daily Mail the spat grew so intense that at least one guest suggested calling the cops to intervene.
‘They got in an argument, the father and son. It got so bad and loud someone wanted to call the police to report it,’ the insider claimed.
‘But Conan stepped in and said, “It’s my house, my party, I’m not calling the police.” He talked them out of calling the police.’
Another source corroborated the account, saying party guests had raised concerns about Nick’s mental state and suggested contacting the cops before O’Brien shut the idea down.
‘I think about how Rob felt about things that are happening in the country… and to have that voice go quiet in an instant is still hard for me to comprehend,’ O’Brien added; O’Brien and Reiner pictured in 2024
Reiner, 78, and his wife, 70, were found dead inside their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on December 14
Later that night, their son Nick, 32, was arrested and held without bail. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the days that followed; Nick pictured in 2025
‘When the s**t was hitting the fan, somebody said we need to call the police. The conversation was about getting this kid put into a mental-health hold,’ the second source told the Daily Mail.
‘Conan O’Brien stepped in and said, “No, I don’t want the police at my house”. It makes sense; who wants the cops showing up creating a scene?’ the insider added.
‘But the argument between Rob and Nick was pretty intense.’
A source close to the Los Angeles Police Department said there were no 911 calls from O’Brien’s house that night.
