Nick Reiner’s name is now forever tied to an unthinkable tragedy, but in the days following that infamous news, more pieces of his complicated life are coming into focus — including a painful falling out with a longtime friend over his famous father, Rob Reiner.
In a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, David Manheim — the host of the addiction and recovery podcast Dopey — opened up about his years-long relationship with Nick, which quietly ended after one seemingly simple request related to Rob that Nick evidently could not forgive.
Manheim (pictured above) said he first connected with Nick in 2016, when Rob’s son appeared on the podcast multiple times. The two bonded over addiction, recovery, creativity, and the messy work of trying to stay alive and sober in a rough world.
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Manheim, who has been sober for a decade after battling heroin addiction, recalled that during Nick’s earliest appearance on the podcast, the now-32-year-old accused killer even offered to call his dad during the conversation. Manheim declined, saying it wasn’t necessary. At the time, it seemed like a non-issue.
But everything changed in 2018, after tragedy struck Dopey itself. Co-host Chris O’Connor died from a fentanyl overdose that year, devastating Manheim and the show’s community. In the aftermath, Manheim reached out to Nick with a request that would turn out to end their friendship: would Rob Reiner consider coming on the podcast to help support it?
The response — or, uh, a total lack of one — still haunts Manheim. He said:
“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 says Nick appeared offended by the request and stopped communicating altogether. Over the next seven years, David claims he sent roughly 150 unanswered texts, never hearing back from someone he once considered close.
Looking back, Manheim described the Nick he first met nearly a decade ago with tenderness and regret:
“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. I could relate to his stories.”
Those stories, Manheim said, often carried signs of struggle. Nick had been in and out of rehab since age 15, and while he was clearly searching for meaning, his path never seemed stable. David reflected:
“I don’t remember that he was particularly interested in 12-step work. 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.”
Despite everything, there was also hope at that time, Manheim recalled:
“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.”
That dream, Manheim suggested, was complicated by the enormous shadow Nick lived under.
Rob Reiner is obviously a legendary director. Nick’s mother, Michele, was a successful photographer. His grandfather was the iconic Carl Reiner. For someone already battling addiction, comparison can be crushing. David said:
“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. [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?”
Now, with Nick charged in the horrific killings of his parents and sitting in custody with no bail, these reflections feel less like gossip and more like echoes.
So, so unnerving…
[Image via Michele Singer Reiner/Instagram/Dopey Podcast/YouTube]
