WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Billy Crystal said losing his Pacific Palisades home and close friend Rob Reiner changed his relationship with God.
- Crystal and his wife, Janice, lived in the home for 46 years before the January 2025 wildfire destroyed it.
- His Broadway show, “860,” recreates his home office and explores his family, career, memories and grief.
- Crystal said humor and performing the show have helped him process the loss of his home and friends.
Billy Crystal is opening up about a devastating period that altered his relationship with God. The comedian said the destruction of his longtime Pacific Palisades home and the death of close friend Rob Reiner deeply affected his faith, as reported by Fox News.
During an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Crystal, 78, reflected on both losses and the emotional toll they took. His home was destroyed in the January 2025 wildfires, while Reiner and his wife, Michele, were killed in December 2025.
Crystal was asked whether he had been speaking with God after enduring those painful events. The actor referred to his previous one-man show, “700 Sundays,” in which he described conversations with God, before offering a blunt answer.
“No, ’cause I don’t trust Him,” Crystal said. He then explained why his outlook had changed so dramatically.
"No, ’cause I don’t trust Him."
Billy Crystal gives a blunt response when asked whether he still talks to God after losing his home of 46 years in the Pacific Palisades wildfires and grieving the death of longtime friend Rob Reiner. "Too many bad things have happened," the 78-year-old comedian says, describing the world as a frightening place and admitting his relationship with God has changed. Crystal also reveals he saw Reiner at a holiday party just one night before the filmmaker and his wife were killed. See how Crystal is honoring his late friend while finding a way forward: https://t.co/Cjczyp91ej — Fox News (@FoxNews) October 14, 2026
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“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 and his wife, Janice, had lived in their Pacific Palisades home for 46 years. The couple raised their children and grandchildren there, and Crystal described the property as a “magical place.”
Speaking at a benefit weeks after the fire, Crystal recalled returning to the property and seeing what remained. A photograph showing the aftermath appeared on the screen as he discussed the destruction.
“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.
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The sight brought Crystal to his knees and reminded him of another overwhelming loss from his childhood. He said he had not cried with that intensity since learning at age 15 that his father had died.
“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?'”
Crystal then described facing a similar question decades later, this time while grieving the house that had held so much of his family’s life. The destruction left him considering what his future would look like without that familiar place.
“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 of the house inspired Crystal’s new Broadway show, “860.” The title comes directly from the street address of the Pacific Palisades home where he and Janice spent 46 years.
The production recreates Crystal’s home office onstage while exploring his family, career, memories and grief. Through the show, he has turned his attention toward the home and relationships that shaped his life.
“860” also addresses the death of Reiner, Crystal’s longtime friend. Reiner was killed with his wife, Michele, in December 2025, and Crystal said the couple’s deaths affected him in more ways than one.
Crystal and Reiner had been together at a holiday party on the night before Reiner and Michele died. Recalling their final interaction, Crystal said, “We said goodbye,” before adding, “And then … what?!?”
Despite the tragedies, Crystal said humor continues to help him move forward. When asked how he manages to find humor during the darkest moments, he answered, “That’s what I do,” and described humor as “a healer.”
Performing “860” has also helped Crystal process the destruction of his home and the deaths of people dear to him. The production allows him to revisit family, friendship, career memories, and grief through his work.
“I’ve absorbed the biggest pains that people couldn’t go through — the loss of home, dearest of friends,” Crystal said. “And I’m OK.”
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