Jake Reiner is speaking out following the deaths of his parents Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer in December 2025.
“Nothing can prepare you for the feeling of losing both of your parents at the same time and in an instant. It’s too shocking to comprehend. I still wake up every morning and tell myself, no, this is not a dream. This is truly a living nightmare for me,” the late couple’s eldest son, a former local news reporter for KCAL, wrote in an emotional message posted on Substack titled “Mom and Dad.”
“I can’t even walk in my parents’ shoes, but I always remember how scared they must have been. They were the last people in the world who deserved what happened to them. They deserved to be loved, they deserved to be respected, and most of all, they deserved to be appreciated, considering how much they gave to all three of us and the world.”
Legendary director and actor Reiner and his wife were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on December 14th. The couple’s other son, Nick, was arrested after his parents’ bodies were discovered. He has since pleaded not guilty in court. In his post, Jake said the loss of his parents was devastating, but “having my brother at the center of it all” was especially unimaginable.
“Every day since then has been horrible,” he wrote. “Every meeting we attend, every person we speak to, every tear we shed, every move we make is connected to the murder of our parents. In the midst of trying to process the most traumatic moment of our lives, the world demands meetings, paperwork, decisions, and explanations. As if documentation is required before mourning.”
The post paid tribute to her parents, calling them “the center of my life” and “a guiding light, the foundation of who I am as a person, and the most giving people I’ve ever known.” “A lot of people can’t afford to have the best parents, the best mother, the best father, but I did,” he wrote of talking to his mother for hours on the phone. He calls his mother “the driving force, the backbone, the central figure of our entire family.” Her “great perspective” and sense of humor. He recalls baseball trips with his father. His honesty and passion. How he supported him no matter what.
“When I transitioned from broadcasting to acting, I was nervous because I didn’t know how he would react,” he wrote. “I think I should have known because all he wanted was for me to be happy and love what I do. I wish he and I could have worked on the project together from start to finish. I miss him so much.”
“What do you say to someone who is living through this reality? Actually, there is nothing to say. I only ask for love and compassion, the same principles that my parents lived by,” he concluded.
Jake wrote that his sister Romy would tell her story “in her own way, in her own time.” According to Variety, the brothers had previously released a statement to People magazine following their parents’ deaths.
In a statement to People magazine, Jake and Romy said, “Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day.” “The horrifying and devastating loss of our parents, Rob Reiner and Michelle Reiner, is something no one should ever have to experience. They were more than just our parents, they were our best friends.”
They added: “We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness and support from all walks of life, as well as family and friends. We ask for respect and privacy at this time, that speculation is tempered with compassion and humanity, and that our parents are remembered for the wonderful lives they lived and the love they gave.”
(Top photo: Rob Reiner with daughter Romy Reiner and son Jake Reiner)
