'He Was a Ticking Time Bomb': Rob Reiner's Son Nick Went on Aggressive, Drug-Fueled Outbursts Months Before Murdering His Parents

In the months leading up to the deaths of Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner, their son Nick Reiner was allegedly spiraling, with repeated drug-fueled episodes that left his family increasingly fearful of what might happen next.

A source who spoke to a news outlet on Monday, December 15, claimed that Nick had been living in his parents’ guesthouse due to his unpredictable behavior.

“He was a ticking time bomb. His drug use was getting worse and his parents wanted him out,” the source said, explaining that Nick, who's been arrested for allegedly murdering his parents, “would fight with his parents because they would give him the ultimatum, take medication and stop using or move out.”

“Nick had been living in their guesthouse, the same one he destroyed more than once, but it had been like a revolving door all his adult life,” the source added. “He would do meth and not sleep for days and then have outbursts, breaking things, punching walls.”

According to the insider, the ongoing chaos left Rob feeling helpless. The source alleged the filmmaker believed he “had no control” over his son’s behavior and pointed to one incident in which Nick allegedly “punched the bathroom wall.”

The source claimed Nick’s explosive behavior didn’t stop with his parents. At one point, the 32-year-old allegedly threatened his sister Romy Reiner after she confronted him.

“His parents threatened to call authorities multiple times, but in the end didn’t,” the insider alleged.

According to the source, Nick showed little regret for the damage he caused during his rages and allegedly found the destruction amusing.

“Nick would reportedly find the aftermath of his rages funny and ‘brag [about] how he could get away with anything,’” the source said.

“He laughed about destroying his parents’ guesthouse more than once,” the insider continued. “He was so nonchalant about it.”

The insider also claimed Nick, who had been in and out of rehab facilities for years, would allegedly take “money from his parents for drugs and prostitutes.”

“He would talk about this stuff in meetings, but then stopped going because he said it was too cultish,” the insider added.

As OK! previously reported, the couple’s daughter Romy allegedly discovered her parents’ bodies at their Los Angeles mansion and called for medical assistance around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Romy reportedly told officers that Nick could be a person of interest and described him as “dangerous.” Nick was not at the residence when she arrived.

According to a report dated Monday, December 15, Nick is currently being held at Parker Center Jail in downtown Los Angeles, where his bail has been set at $4 million.

Nick had previously spoken about his violent behavior during a 2018 appearance on the “Dopey” podcast, where he laughed while recounting an incident in which he “destroyed” his parents’ home during a drug-fueled outburst.

“I got totally spun out on uppers... I think it was coke and something else...and I was up for days on end, and I started punching out some things in my guest house,” Nick told the host. “I started with the TV and then I went over to the lamp...”

“Everything in the guest house got wrecked,” he recalled. “Yeah, I literally punched the TV.”

Nick, who has struggled with addiction for years, added that there was “no logic” behind the outburst, saying he was simply “pissed” after his parents told him he “had to go.”