Billy Crystal lost his faith following the January 2025 Pacific Palisades wildfires and the death of his longtime friend Rob Reiner, discussing his grief on CBS Sunday Morning ahead of his Broadway solo show, “860.”
The 78-year-old actor and comedian no longer trusts God after experiencing a devastating sequence of personal losses. During the broadcast interview, the star addressed his relationship with faith after his home of 46 years vanished in the Southern California fires and his close friend died.
No, ’cause I don’t trust Him. Too many bad things have happened. The Earth is in bad shape. This is a weird, scary time. So no, not anymore.
Returning to the Pacific Palisades Ruins and Finding a Sparing Rock
Crystal and his wife, Janice, purchased their 1930s ranch-style house in 1979 and raised their daughters, Jenny and Lindsay, on the property. When the wind-driven wildfire tore through the neighborhood in January 2025, it destroyed thousands of structures, including the Crystal home.
About a week after the disaster, the family returned to the site. Crystal described the desolation to People, comparing the charred chimneys and empty streets to an episode of The Walking Dead
.
Stepping onto the property, he fell to his knees and wailed, noting it was the first time he had cried like that since learning of his father’s death at age 15.
His daughter Lindsay discovered a small garden stone engraved with the word Laughter
that had survived the flames. Crystal kept the stone as a touchstone, connecting its message to the coping mechanism he relied on after losing his father. That childhood experience taught him to keep his grieving mother laughing, a philosophy that guided his career from television work on Soap
to comedic feature films.
Bringing Grief to Broadway in the Solo Show 860
The destroyed Pacific Palisades home’s address serves as the title for Crystal’s new one-man Broadway show, 860. The production recreates his former home office on the stage at the Imperial Theatre in New York City, running through January 3, 2027.
Crystal struggled to find a title until his close friend and frequent collaborator Rob Reiner weighed in.
He said, ‘What are you going to call it?’ I had these other titles, and the third one was 860. He went, ‘That’s the one. I love that. I like that.’
The project follows his 2004 autobiographical play, 700 Sundays
, which focused on the time he shared with his father before his death. Billy Crystal worked alongside director Scott Ellis to shape the staging of his show.
Coping With the Loss of Lifelong Friend Rob Reiner
Months before the Broadway production opened, Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed in their Brentwood home in December 2025. Their son, Nick Reiner, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty.
Crystal found himself returning to old habits during preparations for the show. He told People that after completing a run-through on stage, his instinct was still to reach for the phone.
I ran upstairs to the dressing room, and my first thought was: ‘I got to call Rob and tell him.’ I don’t know if I don’t want that to keep happening or I do want it to keep happening.
Crystal expressed resilience as the Broadway show welcomed audiences. I’m 78 now, and I feel really good,
he noted, adding that he remains optimistic about what life brings next.
