“Rob Reiner was my friend, and so was Michele,” Scorsese began his essay. “From now on, I’ll have to use the past tense, and that fills me with such profound sadness.”
Scorsese’s emotional essay concluded with a poignant wish: “...that one day, I’ll be at a dinner or a party and find myself seated next to Rob, and I’ll hear his laugh and see his beatific face and laugh at his stories and relish his natural comic timing, and feel lucky all over again to have him as a friend.”
All anyone can or should say about this is that poor family. All of them. Drug abuse and mental illness is horrible. Dying this way is horrible. The statement by our “president” was horrible.
Yes, he's an absolute monster. Making this sound like it was some inevitable freak and that he's not a piece of shit because he also had addiction issues and mental health issues is truly a disservice to people who have those issues who don't slit their elderly parents' throats in their beds.
I have bipolar. I know many others who do too. I’ll go as far to admit on occasion I’ve had dark thoughts too as I’m sure many have. But to act on your worst thoughts and behave in such a disgusting way. Mental illness is something that needs to be discussed but many people with mental illness go on to be peaceful people
It’s great that you are able to manage your bipolar, even at your worst times.
It’s sad that you don’t understand that some people have more severe forms of bipolar, or have multiple different mental health conditions at the same time, that may mean they lose capacity and/or ability to make rational decisions and thoughts.
Do you see a person who commits suicide and think “damn, I was fine when I felt depressed, this guy should have just figured it out better”. I assume not - so why would psychosis be any different?
edit - also to be clear, in no way did I suggest that people with bipolar or mental health conditions cant go on to lead fulfilling lives without violence
Every person is different whether hiding behind a label or not. The guy drove away, booked a hotel room and put a sheet over the window to hide the blood. He wasn't missing a beat, he knew exactly what he was doing. Plenty of people are moody, dark, irritable, overthinking and intense without having a label to make them special. Putting a title on this guy raises a million topics from people who want to beat their own drum. Meanwhile, he was lucis, plain headed, and made collected choices in the hours after he'd done a bad thing.
You wanna call it psychosis? Go ahead. He made some pretty reasonable rational decisions that night with a clear mind. Even went to Washington square late ron. You know what people do in Washington square? They score drugs.
He had capacity, reason and logic that day. He sure didn't like being told "no".
There is absolutely no way you can assess his capacity from news reports on a man you’ve never met. It’s also alarming you would assume this since none of us know if there was any planning or foresight into his actions (which there may well have been - I am not denying this).
Even mentioning that he had capacity makes it clear you don’t understand or have any knowledge (beyond a layperson with general awareness) of mental health disorders. This is a good example of the Dunning-Kruger effect, but I guess I shouldn’t have expected anymore from Reddit.
I am obviously not denying his actions were horrendous. But your entire comment shows you are not grasping at all what I am explaining, and that you are choosing to create your own narrative around what he did - even though literally none of us know anything more than the basic facts of the case.
I think it’s fine to villainize a man who slices open his parents throats.
Why are we assuming that he was out of his mind when he did it?
When you look at his past behavior, for instance, how he would laugh about destroying his parents property on that podcast, it’s clear that he doesn’t empathize with people.
He had no respect for his family, he had no empathy for all the money and time and stress he’s caused them.
He didn’t have to be psychotic to kill them.
There are plenty of schizophrenics out there that don’t kill their parents, despite using hard drugs.
Why are we acting as though this was a mental health issue when it could clearly have been a personal issue?
There are terrible people out there that have no remorse and Nick sounds like one of them.
It is important to bring up Trump in this too even though the tragedy is its own thing. The fact that anyone can respond like that ESPECIALLY only months after criticizing people for simply not being sad enough about Charlie Kirk’s death is so insane. His behavior is beyond disgusting and while he is president of the country I live in I will never call him my president. And the people who voted for him should be ashamed. You are grown ass adults and this is what you see as leadership material. I feel horrible for any children you raise
It breaks mine as well because Rob and Michele seemed like great people and the whole thing has left me out of words and that usually doesn’t happen to me.
Martin Scorsese Calls Rob and Michele Reiner's Deaths 'an Obscenity' in Emotional Essay: 'It Breaks My Heart'
The award-winning filmmaker recalled “the tenderness of Rob’s performance” playing the father of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’
By Jack Smart Published on December 25, 2025 02:26PM EST
23
COMMENTS
Martin Scorsese; Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner
Martin Scorsese; Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner.
Credit : Arturo Holmes/Getty; Stefanie Keenan/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14; their son Nick has been charged with murder
In a guest essay for The New York Times, Martin Scorsese wrote about his "profound sadness" over losing his two friends, calling their deaths “an obscenity”
The director recalled befriending Rob in the 1970s and casting him in 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street
Martin Scorsese is mourning the loss of his friends Rob and Michele Reiner.
In a new guest essay for The New York Times, the Oscar-winning director, 83, wrote, “What happened to Rob and Michele is an obscenity, an abyss in lived reality.” After the couple were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14, their son Nick Reiner was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his parents.
“Rob Reiner was my friend, and so was Michele,” Scorsese began his essay. “From now on, I’ll have to use the past tense, and that fills me with such profound sadness.”
Noting that Rob, son of Carl and Estelle Reiner, "came from New York show business royalty," Scorsese recalled getting to know the When Harry Met Sally… director and his then-wife Penny Marshall in Los Angeles in the early 1970s at comedian George Memmoli's get-togethers.
Martin Scorsese and Rob Reiner in 2014.
Frazer Harrison/Getty
“Right away, I loved hanging out with Rob,” wrote the Killers of the Flower Moon director. “We had a natural affinity for each other. He was hilarious and sometimes bitingly funny, but he was never the kind of guy who would take over the room. He had a beautiful sense of uninhibited freedom, fully enjoying the life of the moment, and he had a great barreling laugh.”
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Scorsese named Rob’s 1990 horror movie Misery as his favorite, and called his 1984 directorial debut This Is Spinal Tap “in a class of its own.” In Scorsese's 2013 hit The Wolf of Wall Street, Rob played onscreen father to Leonardo DiCaprio, which included what the filmmaker called a “wonderful moment” involving Rob playing a “loving father, mystified by his son.”
Rob Reiner and Martin Scorsese in 2014.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
“I was moved by the delicacy and openness of his performance when we shot it, moved once again as we brought the scene together in the edit and moved as I watched the finished picture,” recalled Scorsese. “Now, it breaks my heart to even think of the tenderness of Rob’s performance in this and other scenes.”
Scorsese’s emotional essay concluded with a poignant wish: “...that one day, I’ll be at a dinner or a party and find myself seated next to Rob, and I’ll hear his laugh and see his beatific face and laugh at his stories and relish his natural comic timing, and feel lucky all over again to have him as a friend.”
RELATED STORIES
Wolf of Wall Street’s Jordan Belfort Shares Moving Video Rob Reiner Sent His Dying Father: 'Truly a Class Act'
Throwback Photos of Rob Reiner with Stars He Worked with, from Personal Pics Shared in Tribute to On-Set Snapshots
Rob and Michele, 78 and 70 at the time of their deaths, were parents to Nick, Jake and Romy. Rob was also dad to Tracy, with his late first wife Marshall. Nick, 32, made his first appearance in court on Dec. 17. He wore a blue anti-suicide smock and shackles, and his attorney, Alan Jackson, declined to enter a plea for his client. The Being Charlie screenwriter’s arraignment is scheduled to continue on Jan. 7.
Nick Reiner on Sept. 9; Rob and Michele Reiner in 2017.
BACKGRID; Eric Charbonneau/Getty
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A number of Rob’s other Hollywood friends and collaborators — including Jamie Lee Curtis and her husband Christopher Guest, Billy Crystal, Albert Brooks, Kathy Bates, Corey Feldman, Cary Elwes, John Cusack, Mandy Patinkin and more — have paid tribute to his life and career since his murder.
Anyone who starves themself, focuses on negative thoughts, refuses to have good sleep habits, and doesn't wash often is also mentally ill, IMHO. The umbrella is vast.
I refuse to wilt over this guy who slashed his poor freaking parents down, on purpose, in their beds, before driving away to book a hotel room. The guy was sane enough to do all that. Don't come with the mental illness anymore. ANd it doesn't take 15 times in rehab to get sober, it takes one time if you're willing.
He wasn't willing. He even spoke of it enough times in interviews. He just wanted to go back to a comfort life, each time. Don't come at me with the "he stuggled with drug addiction". Nope. wrong. He loved it, that's why he kept doing it.
This POOR family and all the long term friends. I feel so bad for Rob and Michelle's long term family friends and obviously their children. People can rip apart their parenting skills, soft love, emabling. But plenty of people have been helped with those methods. This was (won't say his name)'s purposeful decision to do awful things because, well probably too spoilt to hear "no". Horrible guy.
Only thing to do is constantly have Rob Reiner's and Michelle's constant memory in the room. Make parties, shoot short films, enjoy life and sing their praises.
All anyone can or should say about this is that poor family. All of them. Drug abuse and mental illness is horrible. Dying this way is horrible. The statement by our “president” was horrible.
Trump is a nasty piece of shit. Id spit on him if I met him.
I wouldn’t cross the street to piss on him if he was on fire
I would cross the street to take a dump though
I can't say what I'd do or Reddit would ban me.
Depending on your skill level and distance average, that might be possible.
Same here. I literally don’t have any words and I’ll leave it exactly at what you just said.
No we can criticize that scum nick too, lots of people have mental illness or abuse drugs and manage not to murder their parents horribly
Yes, he's an absolute monster. Making this sound like it was some inevitable freak and that he's not a piece of shit because he also had addiction issues and mental health issues is truly a disservice to people who have those issues who don't slit their elderly parents' throats in their beds.
Nick is a psychopath. I wish people would stop blaming this on being bipolar or whatever
Do you understand anything about mental illness, specifically bipolar, at all?
I have bipolar. I know many others who do too. I’ll go as far to admit on occasion I’ve had dark thoughts too as I’m sure many have. But to act on your worst thoughts and behave in such a disgusting way. Mental illness is something that needs to be discussed but many people with mental illness go on to be peaceful people
I think Reiner had a personality disorder. He was a sociopath and that’s what made it possible for him to kill his parents.
It’s great that you are able to manage your bipolar, even at your worst times.
It’s sad that you don’t understand that some people have more severe forms of bipolar, or have multiple different mental health conditions at the same time, that may mean they lose capacity and/or ability to make rational decisions and thoughts.
Do you see a person who commits suicide and think “damn, I was fine when I felt depressed, this guy should have just figured it out better”. I assume not - so why would psychosis be any different?
edit - also to be clear, in no way did I suggest that people with bipolar or mental health conditions cant go on to lead fulfilling lives without violence
Every person is different whether hiding behind a label or not. The guy drove away, booked a hotel room and put a sheet over the window to hide the blood. He wasn't missing a beat, he knew exactly what he was doing. Plenty of people are moody, dark, irritable, overthinking and intense without having a label to make them special. Putting a title on this guy raises a million topics from people who want to beat their own drum. Meanwhile, he was lucis, plain headed, and made collected choices in the hours after he'd done a bad thing.
You wanna call it psychosis? Go ahead. He made some pretty reasonable rational decisions that night with a clear mind. Even went to Washington square late ron. You know what people do in Washington square? They score drugs.
He had capacity, reason and logic that day. He sure didn't like being told "no".
There is absolutely no way you can assess his capacity from news reports on a man you’ve never met. It’s also alarming you would assume this since none of us know if there was any planning or foresight into his actions (which there may well have been - I am not denying this).
Even mentioning that he had capacity makes it clear you don’t understand or have any knowledge (beyond a layperson with general awareness) of mental health disorders. This is a good example of the Dunning-Kruger effect, but I guess I shouldn’t have expected anymore from Reddit.
I am obviously not denying his actions were horrendous. But your entire comment shows you are not grasping at all what I am explaining, and that you are choosing to create your own narrative around what he did - even though literally none of us know anything more than the basic facts of the case.
I do understand what you’re saying no two people are the same. I’m just not sure how else to respond to it. The whole situation is awful
Agreed - its all awful. But villainising him just makes mental health a more taboo topic, and does more damage.
But he is a villain?
Fair point.
He IS a villain.
I think it’s fine to villainize a man who slices open his parents throats.
Why are we assuming that he was out of his mind when he did it?
When you look at his past behavior, for instance, how he would laugh about destroying his parents property on that podcast, it’s clear that he doesn’t empathize with people.
He had no respect for his family, he had no empathy for all the money and time and stress he’s caused them.
He didn’t have to be psychotic to kill them.
There are plenty of schizophrenics out there that don’t kill their parents, despite using hard drugs.
Why are we acting as though this was a mental health issue when it could clearly have been a personal issue?
There are terrible people out there that have no remorse and Nick sounds like one of them.
This assumes that Nick Reiner was in a state of psychosis when he killed his mom and dad.
You’re assuming that he couldn’t help himself.
Some people are just evil and they do evil things because they want to.
It is important to bring up Trump in this too even though the tragedy is its own thing. The fact that anyone can respond like that ESPECIALLY only months after criticizing people for simply not being sad enough about Charlie Kirk’s death is so insane. His behavior is beyond disgusting and while he is president of the country I live in I will never call him my president. And the people who voted for him should be ashamed. You are grown ass adults and this is what you see as leadership material. I feel horrible for any children you raise
No, it’s NOT IMPORTANT TO BRING UP TRUMP RIGHT NOW!
What’s IMPORTANT is to focus on the victims and the son that murdered them and the case that will play out in court.
Save talking about Trump for a subject that’s actually about him.
Wow. That was beautiful.
So tragic. Profoundly. Awful for everyone. Everyone lost. Sorry.
It breaks mine as well because Rob and Michele seemed like great people and the whole thing has left me out of words and that usually doesn’t happen to me.
That was beautiful. This is such a terrible tragedy.
Marty has such a big heart and a great way with words. Beautiful statement
Cried throughout the whole (original NYT) article, deeply tragic and beautiful.
Crying now. It probably won’t be the last time.
Mental health and common humanity transcends how much money someone has.
Sweet words for his friends...Very moving.
Can someone post the article without a paywall?
Martin Scorsese Calls Rob and Michele Reiner's Deaths 'an Obscenity' in Emotional Essay: 'It Breaks My Heart' The award-winning filmmaker recalled “the tenderness of Rob’s performance” playing the father of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ By Jack Smart Published on December 25, 2025 02:26PM EST 23 COMMENTS Martin Scorsese; Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner Martin Scorsese; Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner. Credit : Arturo Holmes/Getty; Stefanie Keenan/Getty NEED TO KNOW Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14; their son Nick has been charged with murder In a guest essay for The New York Times, Martin Scorsese wrote about his "profound sadness" over losing his two friends, calling their deaths “an obscenity” The director recalled befriending Rob in the 1970s and casting him in 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street Martin Scorsese is mourning the loss of his friends Rob and Michele Reiner.
In a new guest essay for The New York Times, the Oscar-winning director, 83, wrote, “What happened to Rob and Michele is an obscenity, an abyss in lived reality.” After the couple were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14, their son Nick Reiner was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his parents.
“Rob Reiner was my friend, and so was Michele,” Scorsese began his essay. “From now on, I’ll have to use the past tense, and that fills me with such profound sadness.”
Noting that Rob, son of Carl and Estelle Reiner, "came from New York show business royalty," Scorsese recalled getting to know the When Harry Met Sally… director and his then-wife Penny Marshall in Los Angeles in the early 1970s at comedian George Memmoli's get-togethers.
Martin Scorsese and Rob Reiner in 2014. Frazer Harrison/Getty “Right away, I loved hanging out with Rob,” wrote the Killers of the Flower Moon director. “We had a natural affinity for each other. He was hilarious and sometimes bitingly funny, but he was never the kind of guy who would take over the room. He had a beautiful sense of uninhibited freedom, fully enjoying the life of the moment, and he had a great barreling laugh.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Scorsese named Rob’s 1990 horror movie Misery as his favorite, and called his 1984 directorial debut This Is Spinal Tap “in a class of its own.” In Scorsese's 2013 hit The Wolf of Wall Street, Rob played onscreen father to Leonardo DiCaprio, which included what the filmmaker called a “wonderful moment” involving Rob playing a “loving father, mystified by his son.”
Rob Reiner and Martin Scorsese in 2014. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty “I was moved by the delicacy and openness of his performance when we shot it, moved once again as we brought the scene together in the edit and moved as I watched the finished picture,” recalled Scorsese. “Now, it breaks my heart to even think of the tenderness of Rob’s performance in this and other scenes.”
Scorsese’s emotional essay concluded with a poignant wish: “...that one day, I’ll be at a dinner or a party and find myself seated next to Rob, and I’ll hear his laugh and see his beatific face and laugh at his stories and relish his natural comic timing, and feel lucky all over again to have him as a friend.”
RELATED STORIES Wolf of Wall Street’s Jordan Belfort Shares Moving Video Rob Reiner Sent His Dying Father: 'Truly a Class Act' Throwback Photos of Rob Reiner with Stars He Worked with, from Personal Pics Shared in Tribute to On-Set Snapshots Rob and Michele, 78 and 70 at the time of their deaths, were parents to Nick, Jake and Romy. Rob was also dad to Tracy, with his late first wife Marshall. Nick, 32, made his first appearance in court on Dec. 17. He wore a blue anti-suicide smock and shackles, and his attorney, Alan Jackson, declined to enter a plea for his client. The Being Charlie screenwriter’s arraignment is scheduled to continue on Jan. 7.
Nick Reiner on Sept. 9; Rob and Michele Reiner in 2017. BACKGRID; Eric Charbonneau/Getty Download Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. A number of Rob’s other Hollywood friends and collaborators — including Jamie Lee Curtis and her husband Christopher Guest, Billy Crystal, Albert Brooks, Kathy Bates, Corey Feldman, Cary Elwes, John Cusack, Mandy Patinkin and more — have paid tribute to his life and career since his murder.
Thank you.
But I meant the original New York Times article by Martin Scorcese.
My bad
Use a reader setting
Anyone who starves themself, focuses on negative thoughts, refuses to have good sleep habits, and doesn't wash often is also mentally ill, IMHO. The umbrella is vast.
I refuse to wilt over this guy who slashed his poor freaking parents down, on purpose, in their beds, before driving away to book a hotel room. The guy was sane enough to do all that. Don't come with the mental illness anymore. ANd it doesn't take 15 times in rehab to get sober, it takes one time if you're willing.
He wasn't willing. He even spoke of it enough times in interviews. He just wanted to go back to a comfort life, each time. Don't come at me with the "he stuggled with drug addiction". Nope. wrong. He loved it, that's why he kept doing it.
This POOR family and all the long term friends. I feel so bad for Rob and Michelle's long term family friends and obviously their children. People can rip apart their parenting skills, soft love, emabling. But plenty of people have been helped with those methods. This was (won't say his name)'s purposeful decision to do awful things because, well probably too spoilt to hear "no". Horrible guy.
Only thing to do is constantly have Rob Reiner's and Michelle's constant memory in the room. Make parties, shoot short films, enjoy life and sing their praises.