Billy Crystal is opening up about how a devastating year changed his relationship with God.
During an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the comedian, 78, opened up about how losing his longtime Pacific Palisades home in the January 2025 wildfires and the death of his close friend Rob Reiner greatly impacted his faith.
Crystal was asked whether he had been speaking with God after the painful losses. The actor referenced his previous one-man show, “700 Sundays,” in which he described conversations with God, before offering a stark response.
“No, ’cause I don’t trust Him,” Crystal said.
“Too many bad things have happened,” he added. “The Earth is in bad shape. This is a weird, scary time. So no, not anymore.”
Crystal’s longtime home was destroyed in the Palisades fire after he and his wife, Janice, lived there for 46 years. The couple raised their children and grandchildren in the house, which Crystal described as a “magical place.”
Speaking at a benefit weeks after the disaster, Crystal recalled visiting the remains of what was once his home.
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“When we were finally able to get back to our house in the Palisades, which I lived in for 46 years, like thousands of you, our house now looked like this,” Crystal said, before a photo of the aftermath of the Palisades Fire appeared on the screen.
“I stepped onto the grounds and fell to my knees and I wailed. I had not cried like that since I was 15 years old, and I was told that my father had just died. I remember looking in the mirror back then with my whole life ahead of me thinking, ‘What’s my life gonna be like without him?'”
“And now folks, I’m 76-years-old, without a mirror and a lot less life to ponder thinking, ‘What is my life going to be like without our home?’” Crystal asked.
The loss became the inspiration for Crystal’s new Broadway show, “860,” which is named after the street address of the home. The production recreates his home office onstage and explores his family, career, memories and grief.
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“860” also reflects on the loss of Reiner, who was killed with his wife, Michele, in December 2025. Crystal said he and Reiner had been together at a holiday party the night before their deaths.
“We said goodbye,” Crystal recalled. “And then … what?!?”
Despite the tragedies, Crystal said humor has helped him move forward.
“That’s what I do,” he said when asked how he finds humor during the darkest moments. “It’s a healer.”
Crystal said performing “860” has already helped him process the loss of his home and friends.
“I’ve absorbed the biggest pains that people couldn’t go through — the loss of home, dearest of friends,” he said. “And I’m OK.”
