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Photo by Nick Reiner the former yoga teacher said that Nick often disturbed his mother Michele Singer Reiner’classes with “severe problems or breakdowns” in childhood.
Talking to People Friday, December 19, pastor Alana Zabel recalled Nick, 32, making Michele’s yoga sessions difficult when he taught the family (Zabel was the Reiner family’s yoga instructor until 2010.)
Zabel told Nick newspaper that he was “notorious” for disrupting class with drama, which he said made things difficult for Michele, 70.
“We couldn’t get through one yoga session without Nicky coming in and having a major problem or depression, and it would disrupt the flow of the yoga class,” she said.
Michele and her husband, a respected director Rob Reiner78, were found dead from apparent stab wounds at their home in Brentwood, California, on Sunday, December 14. After being named a person of interest, Nick was later arrested and charged with two counts of murder. He faces life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted, and his trial is scheduled for January 7, 2026. (Along with Nick, Rob and Michele share children Jake, 34, and Romy, 27. Rob is also the adoptive father of Penny Marshall’s former daughter, Tracy, 61, from a previous relationship.
In interview no People On Friday, Zabel continued to share that Michele and Rob asked her to teach Nick yoga in one-on-one sessions “to help him calm down and channelize his energy” after he participated in group classes.
Michele, Rob and Nick Reiner.
(Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Teen Vogue)After the private classes went well, the yoga instructor was inspired to write a children’s book Seat in the Air, which was loosely based on Nick.
The book follows the journey of the hyperactive protagonist Nicky, who “learns to control his emotions a little and take responsibility for his behavior.”
According to Zabel, Nick’s childhood behavior was “a perfect storm… one of those things where, as hard as they were trying to control, to get help, to deal with it, it was more than any of us could spread.”
Zabel also praised Michelle as a “very loving” mother who “lived for those children,” adding, “She was just kind and lovely.”
Nick, on the other hand, has previously commented on his violent behavior problems and admitted to trashing his parents’ guest house during his addiction.
“It’s not much of a story,” Nick said on the August 2018 episode of the “Dopey” podcast. “I went completely off the high stuff – I think it was coke and stuff – and I was up most days. I started kicking different things in my guest house.”
He added, “I walked 10 laps in my guest house. I literally hit the TV.”
Nick has been candid about his past addiction problems, including his early drug use. His addiction problems led him to relapse at the age of 15 and become homeless after several relapses.
After getting clean, Nick wrote the 2015 film Being Charlie, inspired by his struggle. This film follows the events of a family dealing with their son’s addiction problem. Rob served as the film’s director.
If you or someone you know has a substance abuse problem, contact the National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
