Conan O'Brien speaks on 'awful' deaths of friends Rob, Michele Reiner

Conan O'Brien expressed his shock and grief over the deaths of friends Rob and Michele Reiner, who were murdered after attending his party. Their son, Nick, who has schizophrenia, was arrested and charged with the double homicide.

Conan O'Brien has finally spoken up about the deaths of friends Rob and Michele Reiner, who reportedly attended his annual Christmas party in Los Angeles the night before their murder on December 14, 2025. "It's just so awful," he said in a recent interview, according to Page Six. "And I think about how Rob felt about things that are happening in the country, how involved he was, how much he put himself out there--and to have that voice go quiet in an instant is still hard for me to comprehend."

He also reflected on his relationship with the iconic 'Princess Bride' director and his wife. "I knew Rob and Michele, and then increasingly got closer and closer to them, and I was seeing them a lot," he shared, according to Page Six. "My wife and I were seeing them a lot, and they were so--they were just such lovely people. And to have that experience of saying good night to somebody and having them leave and then find out the next day that they're gone. . . . I think I was in shock for quite a while afterward."

Details of Murder and Arrest

Rob and Michele's daughter, Romy, discovered the couple stabbed to death in their home on December 14. Rob was 78, and Michele was 70. It was discovered at the time that their deaths resulted from an argument with their son Nick at O'Brien's holiday party the night before. Nick, 32, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders, according to Page Six. The aspiring director faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. He was being treated for schizophrenia, but the medication caused him to become "out of his head." Nick has a long history of drug abuse.

Legal Proceedings and Counsel's Withdrawal

Nick was supposed to be arraigned last month. However, his counsel, renowned criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson, dropped the case minutes before the court hearing on January 7. The arraignment has been rescheduled for Monday.

Attorney Remains Tight-Lipped on Dropping Case

Jackson later discussed his reasons for dropping the case, as per the outlet. "That's a confidential communication between a lot of folks that I'm not willing to disclose," he told Billy Bush during a January appearance on the "Hot Mic" podcast.

When Bush asked if it had to do with money, Jackson responded, "You can't say that something happened with the retainer because I've never said that," according to Page Six. "Obviously, something happened with my ability, and my team's ability, to continue the representation, but I don't want you, your audience or anybody else to start speculating as to what that might be," he added. "I have not said a word about it."

Jackson continued, "Once I'm done, I'm done. I've withdrawn," according to Page Six. (ANI)

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