Billy Crystal says a cascade of personal tragedies has left him unable to trust in God.
In a candid appearance on CBS, the 78-year-old comedian described how losing his longtime Pacific Palisades home in the recent wildfires, followed closely by the shocking death of his close friend and collaborator Rob Reiner, shattered the spiritual framework that had quietly underpinned much of his life, according to the Daily Caller. The veteran performer, long associated with family-friendly comedy and a traditional work ethic, spoke with unusual bluntness about grief, uncertainty and the state of a world he now calls a weird, scary time.
Crystal was asked directly whether he still has conversations with God, a theme he had once explored with warmth and nostalgia in his acclaimed one-man show 700 Sundays. Shaking his head, he replied, No, because I I dont trust him.
His answer clearly startled correspondent Tracy Smith, who pressed him on whether he truly meant he had given up on his faith. The Hollywood icon did not retreat, responding, Yeah. Too many bad things have happened.
Crystal went on to broaden his lament beyond his own circumstances, suggesting that his personal losses are part of a larger sense of cultural and moral unraveling. The Earth is in bad shape, this is a weird, scary time, he said, before adding, So no, not anymore.
The comedian explained that the Los Angeles wildfires had wiped out his home and with it decades of family history and personal mementos. The destruction, he suggested, was not merely financial but deeply emotional, erasing the physical space that had anchored his private life even as his public persona remained that of the affable, steady entertainer.
Not long after that devastation, Crystal was hit with another blow: the sudden death of Rob Reiner and Reiners wife Michele in their Los Angeles home in December 2025. Crystal and Reiner had been intertwined professionally and personally for decades, most famously through their work on the beloved romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally.
Crystal recalled that the loss still feels surreal and unbearable, in part because of how abruptly it happened. Its so insane, because we were together the night before. We said goodbye, like, late that night, 10:30 or something, at the party we were at together for the holidays, and then, he said, his voice trailing off as he revisited the moment.
Faced with grief that he admits he can barely process, Crystal said he has fallen back on the one tool that has sustained him throughout his life: humor. He acknowledged that he turns to comedy even in the darkest of times, insisting that this instinct is not escapism but a form of resilience.
Thats what I do, he said. You have to, man. Youve gotta. Its a healer. It always has been that way. You know, we say when life gets tough, all you can do is laugh, the comedian added.
Crystals remarks came as he promoted his new one-man Broadway show, 860, a project that itself is rooted in loss and memory. The title refers to the street address of the home he lost in the wildfires, transforming a site of destruction into a creative focal point and, perhaps, a quiet act of defiance against despair.
He revealed that he had floated three possible titles for the show and that Reiner had been the one to immediately champion 860. Crystal recalled his friends enthusiasm with a mixture of pride and sorrow: Thats the one, he remembered Reiner saying at the time, love that. I like that.
For a performer who once publicly reflected on faith, family and the passage of time, Crystals admission that he no longer trusts God underscores how relentless loss can shake even long-held beliefs. Yet his decision to build a new show around the ashes of his former home, and to honor Reiners creative input in its very name, suggests that while his faith may be fractured, his commitment to work, memory and the healing power of laughter remains firmly intact.
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