Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were spending quality time with their children—sharing family dinners and relaxing with television—just weeks before their lives were tragically cut short in a violent stabbing.
Close friend and longtime collaborator Barry Markowitz, a cinematographer who had worked extensively with Rob, told Page Six that he had recently stayed at the couple’s Brentwood, California, home and described them as deeply connected and devoted to their family.
“I may have been one of the last people to see them,” he told Page Six on December 16 in an interview.
Markowitz told Page Six that Rob had insisted he stay at the family’s Brentwood home while he was in town for the Nov. 14 premiere of his latest film, The Perfect Gamble.
According to Markowitz, Rob and Michele warmly refused the idea of a hotel, telling him he belonged with family, not alone in a sterile room. The Tel Aviv–based cinematographer said the household felt welcoming and familiar, centered on comfort and togetherness.
During his stay, Markowitz spent time with Rob, Michele, and their children Nick, 32, and Romy, 28, as the family went about their daily routines as usual. Their eldest son, Jake, 34, was away at the time due to work commitments.
“Romy was in and out of the house and at dinner time she comes over and we all bulls–t together,” Markowitz said.
“We would scream at the TV, we watched a movie and a basketball game. Played with the dogs. Family time. One big love fest.”
Markowitz told Page Six that Nick, who has publicly battled addiction since his teenage years, appeared to be doing well during the visit. He said Nick seemed healthy, engaged, and fully present with his family.
According to Markowitz, the Reiners maintained a close, traditional family routine, regularly sharing dinners together and spending time as a unit. Nick stayed active, playing tennis and basketball, and was often around the house in the evenings.
Markowitz recalled that Nick helped with everyday tasks, including taking out the trash, washing dishes, watching TV with the family, and even offering drinks to guests. He described Nick’s behavior as calm, normal, and grounded.
He added that nothing about the household felt unusual or tense. The family was busy with work, staff came and went as part of daily operations, and the atmosphere remained routine and stable.
Overall, Markowitz described his five-night stay with the Reiners as enjoyable and filled with warmth, saying the home felt loving, active, and very much “business as usual.”
“I think what’s puzzling the most, the 360, is that there was so much love, that it doesn’t jive,” Markowitz made the remark while referencing Nick’s arrest on charges related to the killing of his parents.
“I’m not here to judge anyone. L. O. V. E. is the only thing I saw, and I don’t think it was fake. They had a real bond.”
“It’s just a sickness. That’s my verdict,” Markowitz said.
Markowitz, who served as cinematographer on the 2015 film Being Charlie—written by Nick and directed by Rob—said he never observed any tension between father and son during production. He described the atmosphere on set as positive and familial, with everyone getting along well. He also said Rob and Michele had no reason to believe their son would ever harm them, despite Nick’s past struggles with addiction and a prior incident in which he damaged their home during a drug-related episode.
Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner’s son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested in connection with his parents’ fatal stabbing deaths, Page Six confirms.
The 32-year-old was initially taken into custody at Parker Center Jail in downtown Los Angeles before being transferred to the Twin Towers Correctional Facility. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said Nick is being held without bail.
News of Rob (78) and Michele Reiner’s (68) deaths broke Sunday, at which time Nick was identified as a person of interest. Authorities say the couple was discovered by their daughter, Romy Reiner, inside their Brentwood, California, home.
