‘Before’ Star Billy Crystal Says He Stopped Talking to God After the Palisades Fire and Rob Reiner’s Death

Billy Crystal has spent a lifetime turning pain into punchlines, which makes his latest admission all the more striking. The comedian, who has long used humor as a way through dark moments, has spoken openly about how a brutal stretch of loss has shaken something much deeper. His new interview offers a rare, unguarded look at grief from one of Hollywood’s funniest people.

The past two years have been devastating for him. In January 2025, the Palisades fire destroyed the Los Angeles home where he and his wife, Janice, had lived since 1979, raising their children and grandchildren there. Then, in December 2025, his longtime friend and collaborator Rob Reiner was murdered, a loss Crystal marked with an emotional tribute at the 2026 Oscars.

Now, Crystal says that year of loss has changed his relationship with God. In an interview that aired on October 11, he told “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent Tracy Smith that he no longer talks to God, explaining simply, “I don’t trust Him.” The remark surprised even Smith, who asked whether he was serious.

The comment lands with extra weight because of Crystal’s own history. His Tony-winning 2004 one-man show, ‘700 Sundays,’ recounted the loss of his father when he was 15, and it featured conversations with God. Going into his new show, he admitted that his faith has taken a hit.

He went on to say that too many bad things have happened, and that the world feels like a scary, strange place right now. It’s a bleak assessment from a performer known for optimism. But the interview also made clear that he hasn’t given up on finding joy.

Crystal explained that pushing through the darkest of times with humor is nothing new for him. It’s what he does. That instinct is at the heart of his new Broadway show, ‘860,’ which he says has helped him heal.

Even so, he acknowledged that the scale of what happened, between the fire and the deaths of Reiner and his wife, Michele, still feels too big to fully comprehend 10 months later. For all his comic instincts, grief hasn’t yet been tamed. That honesty has become part of the story he’s telling on stage.

The show takes its name from the street address of the home the Crystals lost. Written and performed by Crystal and directed by Scott Ellis, it plays Broadway’s Imperial Theatre, with previews that began on October 1, an opening night on October 21 and a run scheduled through January 3, 2027. In announcing the production, Crystal said he wanted to invite audiences to “come inside 860,” according to the official announcement.

In the show, he recounts the morning of the fire moment by moment, from the helicopters and sirens that woke him to the devastation that followed. A small piece of hope emerged from the rubble when a decorative rock engraved with the word “Laughter” was found unscathed. Crystal has also revealed that Reiner helped settle on the title, singling out ‘860’ from his list of options and telling him it was the one.

Crystal appeared at the FireAid benefit concert in January 2025 wearing the same clothes he had fled his home in. At the Oscars in March, he led a tribute to Reiner and Michele, joined onstage by more than a dozen of Reiner’s past collaborators, including Meg Ryan, Demi Moore and Kathy Bates.

At 78, he remains hopeful despite everything, even if his conversations with God have gone quiet. The interview paints a portrait of a man who is grieving honestly, laughing where he can and refusing to pretend that things are fine. That candor may be what makes ‘860’ resonate with audiences who have been through losses of their own.

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