Billy Crystal and Rob Reiner first met in 1977, and the two went on to build an unbreakable bond. So now, 11 months after Rob and Michele Reiner were murdered, Crystal is opening up about his friendship with the legendary director.
“He’s tall and he’s in charge,” Crystal said, remembering his first impression of Reiner, in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. “I could see right away how he worked with the great writers. We just met and he said, ‘Billy, what do you think we should do here?’ And then so many times, we couldn’t keep a straight face during the tapings. And then it continued and we moved to California and then we were just inseparable.”
After they met, there was no doubt they were going to be great friends.
“Chemistry like that, it’s undefinable sometimes,” Crystal added. “I knew it from the first week that this is going to be a forever thing. It’s not something you can define and that makes the loss even more profound.”
Billy Crystal Says He No Longer Speaks To God Following Rough Year
During an interview with Tracy Smith on “CBS Sunday Morning,” Crystal opened up about how his relationship with God has changed, detailing that this very tough year has altered things for him. It comes after his longtime Pacific Palisades home was destroyed in the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, with Crystal and his wife having lived there for 46 years.
“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. 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?’” he added.
And then, he lost his dear friend, Rob Reiner, with the two being killed in their Los Angeles home. Rob and Michele’s son Nick was charged with their deaths, and has since pleaded not guilty. He is being held without bail.
“No, ’cause I don’t trust Him,” Crystal said when asked about his conversations with God.
Rob Reiner Helped Name Billy Crystal’s New Show
Crystal is set to release his Broadway show, “860,” named after the street address of his home, which follows the heartbreak he has faced from losing his home and his friend.
And during the CBS Sunday Morning interview, he revealed that it was actually Reiner who helped him name it.
“I had these other titles, and the third one was 860,” Crystal explained, going on to add that Reiner then responded, “‘That’s the one. I love that.’”
Comments
Billy Crystal Shares Emotional Tribute to Beloved Director Rob Reiner As He Reflects On Their ‘Forever’ Bond