Nick Reiner had a falling out with a friend over his poor relationship with his famous father, Rob Reiner.
During a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, David Manheim, host of the addiction and recovery podcast called “Dopey,” recalled how he formed a close bond with Nick after having the director’s 32-year-old son on his show multiple times since 2016.
Manheim — a former heroin addict who is ten years sober — said that when Nick was first on “Dopey,” Nick offered to call his dad during the conversation, but Manheim told him that was unnecessary.
But after Manheim’s co-host Chris O’Connor died from a fentanyl overdose in 2018, Manheim asked Nick if Rob could be a guest to help the podcast.
Nick, according to Manheim, was seemingly offended by the request and stopped speaking to Manheim, who claimed he sent around 150 texts to Nick over the next seven years that were never answered.
“I wish I hadn’t asked him to have Rob Reiner come on the show, or at least not when I did, because it pushed him away,” Manheim told THR.
Nick, who has been in and out of drug rehab since age 15, was arrested and charged with murdering Rob, 78, and his mom Michele, 68, who were both found with their throats slit inside their Brentwood, Los Angeles home on Sunday.
“He was young and smart and handsome and new in recovery, and I was very excited to have him on our show because I was such a fan of Rob Reiner,” Manheim told THR about the first time he had Nick on his podcast nearly a decade ago.
“I could relate to his stories,” Manheim added.
The podcast host claimed that Nick appeared to be struggling with recovery during the times they spoke.
“I don’t remember that he was particularly interested in 12-step work,” Manheim said. “I know he had been to treatment. I know he was involved in writing. I know he loved to play pick-up basketball in New York City. I think he was interested in spirituality.”
Manheim added of Rob’s troubled son, “He demonstrated a young love of life, to be honest with you, and hopefulness. He wanted to be a part of what me and Chris were doing. He wanted to have fun in recovery, and he wanted to be a successful entertainment writer.”
Nick, from Manheim’s perspective, also struggled to live up to his dad, who directed classics like “When Harry Met Sally” and “The Princess Bride,” his mom, who was a successful photographer, and his late grandfather, TV comedy legend Carl Reiner.
“In the little picture, when he was actually making things — when he wrote ‘Being Charlie,’ or he had an idea — I think he was just another person with an idea,” Manheim told THR. “[But] I think big-picture, when you’re up against Rob Reiner and Carl Reiner, and you’re a struggling drug addict, the pressure is immense because how accomplished is anybody at age 24?”
During one of Nick’s appearances on the “Dopey” podcast in 2018, he recalled the time that he “destroyed” his parents’ house during a drug-fueled rage.
“I got totally spun out on uppers — I think it was coke and something else — and I was up for days on end. I started punching out some things in my guest house,” Nick said, adding that he was pissed that his parents told him he “had to go.”
Nick and Rob had a complicated relationship over the years. In 2015, they teamed up professionally on the movie “Being Charlie,” which was inspired by Nick’s experience with addiction.
During press for the film, Rob expressed regret at how he handled his son’s addiction battle.
“When Nick would tell us that it wasn’t working for him, we wouldn’t listen. We were desperate and because the people had diplomas on their wall, we listened to them when we should have been listening to our son,” the director told the LA Times at the time.
An insider exclusively told Page Six Monday that Nick “really resented his dad” and “hated himself for not being as talented, prolific or beloved as his dad or grandad.”
The night before Rob and Michele’s deaths, Nick allegedly had a massive blow-up with his parents at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party.
Sources told The Post that the trio reportedly ended up in a “very loud argument’’ — possibly because Nick was back on drugs and refusing yet another go at treatment.
“Rob had been telling people that they’re scared for Nick and scared that his mental state was deteriorating,’’ a lifelong family friend who lives near the Reiner home told The Post.
Rob and Nick had another public fight months earlier at a restaurant in Santa Monica Canyon, a worker confirmed to The Post.
The father and son also had tension when they were making “Being Charlie,” according to stunt performer Erik Audé, who recently told Page Six that the pair had a fight on set where they were “just going off on each other.”
“I just assumed, whether this is correct or not, this kid must be pushing all his buttons,” Audé said. “Rob can’t do anything right.”
Nick is currently in custody for allegedly killing his parents, with no bail set for his release.
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