Billy Crystal has spent more than five decades making people laugh, but the 78-year-old comedian is having a hard time finding answers to what happened in his own life last year. His family home burned down in the Los Angeles wildfires, and months later, his close friend Rob Reiner and Reiner’s wife were killed.
Now, Crystal has revealed that the losses have changed something deeply personal. He no longer talks to God, something he once spoke about openly in his comedy.
During an October 11 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, correspondent Tracy Smith asked Crystal if he still had the conversations with God that he described in his earlier Broadway show, 700 Sundays.
“No, ’cause I don’t trust Him,” Crystal replied.
He went on to explain that too many terrible events had happened and that the world had become a frightening place in his eyes.
It was a surprisingly candid answer from the actor known for When Harry Met Sally…, City Slickers and Analyze This. And hearing what Crystal has experienced since January 2025 helps explain why he feels that way.
The Los Angeles Wildfires Destroyed a Home He Had Loved for Nearly 50 Years
In January 2025, the Palisades Fire swept through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, destroying thousands of homes. Among them was the house where Crystal and his wife, Janice, had spent nearly five decades together.
For the couple, the property held an enormous amount of family history. Their children had grown up there, friends had visited over the years, and Crystal had built a life around the place.
The comedian also had a backyard basketball court where he enjoyed spending time with friends and visitors. CBS correspondent Tracy Smith recalled playing basketball with him during previous interviews at the property.
Crystal remembered how the house made him feel younger, even as he grew older. Losing it meant saying goodbye to a place that had been part of his everyday life for decades.
When the fire approached, the couple had to leave quickly. During the CBS interview, Crystal recalled the helicopters and sirens that woke them that morning, along with the practical decisions they faced as they prepared to evacuate.
Even in recounting the emergency, he found a small moment of humor. His wife was thinking about medications and prescriptions, whereas Crystal remembered worrying about a leftover sandwich in the refrigerator.
Neither the house nor its contents survived.
Crystal has acknowledged that he and his wife were fortunate to have resources available after the disaster. Financial security, however, did little to soften the loss of the home where they had spent so much of their lives.
Then Came the Death of Rob Reiner, a Friend Who Had Been Part of His Life for Decades
The fire was devastating enough, but December 2025 brought another tragedy.
Director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead at their Los Angeles home. Their son, Nick Reiner, was subsequently charged with their murders.
For Crystal, the news was especially difficult because he had seen the couple just hours earlier.
He recalled spending time with Rob and Michele at a holiday gathering the evening before their deaths. The friends had said goodbye late that night, with no reason to imagine what would happen the following day.
Crystal told CBS that he still struggled to process the killings. His reaction was one of disbelief, especially after the ordinary farewell they had shared at the party.
He and Reiner had been close friends for decades. Their professional lives had also crossed in memorable ways, most notably when Reiner directed Crystal and Meg Ryan in the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally….
Reiner was more than a filmmaker Crystal admired. He was someone Crystal turned to for advice, including while preparing the Broadway production that now tells the story of his destroyed home.
Rob Reiner Helped Billy Crystal Name His New Broadway Show Before He Died
Crystal is currently performing a one-man Broadway show called 860, named after the street number of the house he lost in the Pacific Palisades fire.
The title has an especially personal connection to Reiner.
As Entertainment Weekly reported, Crystal had been considering several titles for the production and discussed them with his friend before Reiner died.
When Crystal mentioned 860, Reiner immediately liked the idea and encouraged him to use it.
Knowing that Reiner helped choose the title gives the production another layer of meaning. The show began as a way for Crystal to revisit memories of his home, but it now also carries a final creative contribution from one of his closest friends.
Crystal has brought the interior of his former home into the theater, too. The stage includes a detailed recreation of his office, arranged to resemble the room that was destroyed in the fire.
For audiences, it is a setting for stories about family, friends and the years spent in that house. For Crystal, it is also a chance to spend time in a place that no longer exists.
Crystal Is Trying to Find His Way Through Grief With the Same Humor That Made Him Famous
After everything that happened, it would be understandable if Crystal had little interest in returning to the stage. Instead, he began writing about the experience and eventually turned it into a live performance.
He has approached painful memories through the storytelling and comedy that audiences have known him for throughout his career.
The idea is not entirely new to Crystal. His earlier Broadway production, 700 Sundays, was built around memories of his father, who died when Crystal was just 15.
The title referred to the limited number of Sundays Crystal estimated he had spent with his father. The production became a major success and earned him a Tony Award.
In the CBS interview, Crystal explained that creating 700 Sundays had helped him process his father’s death. He now feels something similar happening with 860.
Asked if performing the new show was helping him heal, Crystal said the process already had, even before the production reached its official opening night.
His remarks about God have drawn attention because they sound so painful, but the rest of the interview showed that Crystal has not lost his desire to make people laugh.
He still believes humor helps him deal with difficult experiences. In fact, he appears determined to keep telling stories even when the memories behind them are painful.
The comedian is also open about the fact that grief does not disappear just because someone can find something funny in a terrible situation.
His New Broadway Show Opens October 21, and Crystal Hopes to Bring It to Los Angeles
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Crystal began preview performances of 860 at the Imperial Theatre in New York on October 1, 2026. The official opening is scheduled for October 21, with the limited Broadway engagement running through January 3, 2027.
According to the official website for the Broadway production, the show is directed by Scott Ellis and centers on family, friendship, love and the memories Crystal carries from his former home.
The production features music by Marc Shaiman, who has worked with Crystal on previous projects. Both Shaiman and Ellis spoke to CBS about the role humor and family have played in helping the comedian move forward.
Crystal hopes to bring 860 to Los Angeles after its Broadway run, allowing audiences in the city where the fire occurred to hear the story.
At 78, Crystal says he remains optimistic about the years ahead, even after the terrible events of 2025.
His comments about no longer trusting God show how deeply those experiences affected him. Yet he is still performing, spending time with his family and finding ways to laugh.
For someone who has spent a lifetime telling stories that made other people feel a little happier, returning to the stage with a story this personal is a significant moment in his career. And the involvement of Rob Reiner, right down to the name on the theater marquee, makes the production especially moving.
