Megyn Kelly weighed in on Rob Reiner and his wife Michele’s deaths on her podcast Monday, attributing the tragedy in part to the filmmaker’s fraught relationship with his addict son. She pointed to Reiner’s inability to “express himself” in a way that helped 32-year-old Nick, who’s now in custody booked on murder without bail.
Kelly clarified, however, that she is “not blaming Rob Reiner” for his own death, but “just taking a look at the relationship here.”
On Monday’s episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show,” the host criticized the late director for having no problem expressing himself politically while clearly struggling to find the right words with his son. She wondered if some of that led to Sunday’s deaths.
“You never know what goes on behind closed doors and how people are,” Kelly said. “And clearly, you have a son there, frustrated at not being able to effectively communicate with his own father for whatever reason. That his father couldn’t express himself in the way the kid needed – I’m not blaming Rob Reiner, and we’re just taking a look at the relationship here, given what’s happened.”
She added: “So while you might think he’s an expressive guy, and actually kind of gifted at expressing himself, given the movies, he certainly didn’t seem to have a tough time expressing himself politically. It’s different with your kid, and certainly different with a kid who is, in a way, special needs.”
Watch the full segment below:
Despite that criticism, Kelly did empathize with the Reiners’ struggle with their son. She explained she also went through a period struggling to be there for a family member battling addiction and the tug of war it can have on a person.
“I’ve said it’s my sister who’s since passed, but my brother and I were much more like ‘Mom, we have to do hard love,’” Kelly said. “‘We have to let her hit rock bottom.’ And it’s much different for the parent … My mom did not want to allow that to happen to my sister. We had no money, like the Reiners do, but I can relate to these struggles. The person you love is in there. They’re not dead. They’re alive.”
Nick Reiner was arrested for the murder of both his parents. An individual close to the family told TheWrap that Rob and Michele Reiner were found with knife wounds, while People and TMZ reported early Monday that their throats were slashed.
Despite offering a $4 million-figure bail, the LAPD has since updated that detail to note that Nick is currently in custody without bail. The case will next be presented to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration on Tuesday.
