'He Felt Like The Black Sheep Of The Perfect Hollywood Family': Staffer Reveals What it Was Like Working with Nick Reiner During His Post-Rehab Internship on Hit Comedy
Nick Reiner bagged an internship working at animated comedy 'Family Guy' after his father Rob Reiner pleaded with exec producer to give troubled son a job.
Dec. 18 2025, Updated 7:19 a.m. ET
Nick Reiner felt like the "black sheep of the perfect Hollywood family" while taking an internship working on a hit comedy, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Eleven years before he was charged with the double murder of his own parents, his Hollywood director father Rob Reiner managed to bag him a job working on animated series Family Guy following one of his many rehab stints, after making "desperate pleas" to the show's exec producer.
'Introverted Energy'
Nick was liked by his colleagues who found his 'dark humor' funny.
At the time, Nick was sober and according to the staffer, the drug addict was quiet but had an "introverted energy" and colleagues found him funny in a "dark-humored" sort of way.
They also found him interesting, particularly as was transparent about his hardships.
Nick, 32, has been to rehab 18 times and struggled with addiction since his teens, sparking several stints living on the streets.
A source claimed Nick was aware of his reputation within his family, telling The Daily Mail: "It felt like he was the black sheep of his very perfect Hollywood family, so from a very young age, he started using drugs.
"He had so many resources available to him. The idea that he couldn't get any money is crazy. The idea that he would be willing to be homeless instead of going home to his beautiful mansion was crazy to me."
New Job Post-Rehab
The drug addict was trying to get his life back on track following latest rehab stint.
The drug use also led to debauchery, such as stealing $200 from his father to lose his virginity to a prostitute, and destructive fits of rage.
However, as the former Family Guy staffer recalled, in 2014, Nick was trying to turn his life around and "figure out what it was like to be sober."
The source added: "He was in a really cool spot in that he was trying to come out of it and really figure out who he was."
His new colleagues encouraged him to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.
The staffer said: "To me, it felt like, here's this dude who didn't have any direction. All of a sudden, he's like, why don't I dabble in comedy? I think what was happening was that he was sort of using that as a therapeutic outlet for his sobriety."
Father's Influence Helped Bag Work
Nick got the job due to his Hollywood director father's connnections.
Nick was able to easily book sets at big comedic venues, given his "pedigree" according to the unnamed staffer.
"He wouldn't have been able to get these spots that he got (at comedy venues), unless he had his dad's influence and he wouldn't have his job at Family Guy if he didn't have his dad's influence.
"That's what I keep coming back to is that Rob was trying to see his son succeed."
Reiner was so involved in his son's recovery, he would drop Nick off and pick him up from his internship every single day.
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Reiner and wife Michele Singer were found dead in their L.A. home on Sunday.
The source added: "It was very admirable that Rob was so connected with Nick's recovery and trying to help him.
"The way that I piece it together was that Rob and his mom (Michele Singer) were trying to get him out of this terrible hole that he was in.'
When Harry Met Sally director Reiner, 78, and wife Singer, 68, were both found dead after their throats were slit inside their L.A. mansion on Sunday, December 14.
Nick was officially charged with two counts of first-degree murder "with a special circumstance of multiple murders and use of a deadly weapon" for allegedly killing his parents.
The drug addict faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if found guilty, while the death penalty is not out of the question if he's convicted
