Comedian Billy Crystal says the January 2025 wildfires that destroyed his longtime Pacific Palisades home, combined with the death of his close friend Rob Reiner, have shaken his faith in God.
Crystal, 78, discussed the losses in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning. Asked whether he still talks to God, a reference to his one-man show “700 Sundays,” in which he described conversations with God, Crystal gave a blunt answer.
“No, ’cause I don’t trust Him,” Crystal said. “Too many bad things have happened. The Earth is in bad shape. This is a weird, scary time. So no, not anymore.”
Crystal and his wife, Janice, lived in their Pacific Palisades home for 46 years, raising their children and grandchildren there before it was destroyed in the Palisades fire. Crystal has described the house as a “magical place.”
Speaking at a benefit concert weeks after the fire, Crystal recounted returning to the site of the home.
“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. “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.”
He continued: “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?'”
The loss of the house inspired Crystal’s new Broadway show, “860,” named for the street address of the home. The production recreates his home office onstage and explores his family, career, memories and grief.
“860” also addresses the loss of Reiner, who was killed along with his wife, Michele, in December 2025. Crystal said the two men had been together at a holiday party the night before Reiner’s death.
“We said goodbye,” Crystal recalled. “And then … what?!?”
Despite the string of tragedies, Crystal said humor has continued to help him cope.
“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 helped him process the losses of both his home and his 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.”
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