Conan O’Brien describes being ‘in shock’ over Rob Reiner’s death hours after his holiday party

Conan O’Brien has spoken out for the first time about the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner.

Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of the famous filmmaker, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder after the couple were found dead in their home in Brentwood, Los Angeles in December.

O’Brien found himself embroiled in the story after it was revealed that Reiner and his wife had attended his holiday party the night they were killed. Nick was also present at the event where he reportedly got into an argument with his father.

“I knew Rob and Michele, and then increasingly got closer and closer to them, and I was seeing them a lot,” O’Brien told The New Yorker.

“My wife and I were seeing them a lot, and they were so – they were just such lovely people.”

Speaking about saying goodbye to the couple at his party, he added: “And to have that experience of saying goodnight to somebody and having them leave and then find out the next day that they’re gone…

“I think I was in shock for quite a while afterward. I mean, there’s no other word for it. It’s just very – it’s so awful. It’s just so awful.”

O’Brien went on to speak about the wider implications of the director’s death, stating: “And I think about how Rob felt about things that are happening in the country, how involved he was, how much he put himself out there – and to have that voice go quiet in an instant is still hard for me to comprehend.”

Reiner – the director of films including The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, and This is Spinal Tap – was a lifelong Democrat and a prominent activist who frequently spoke out against US President Donald Trump. In 2017, he called Trump “mentally unfit” for office.

Following Reiner’s killing, Trump’s message – in which he suggested that his death was linked to “Trump derangement syndrome”, a term he often uses to describe his critics – was widely criticised as insensitive and inappropriate.

O’Brien’s party became a point of focus in the reports surrounding the Reiners’ deaths after friends told various outlets including People and The Wall Street Journal, that Nick and his father had gotten into a heated argument, and that Nick, whose struggles with addiction were well-known, was behaving strangely at the party.

He was reportedly asking guests, including comedian Bill Hader, odd questions, including if they were famous. Hader has said that out of respect for the couple, he will not discuss the conversation he had with their son publicly.

O’Brien will host the Oscars ceremony next month on 18 March.