{"id":52943,"date":"2026-10-15T10:55:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T14:55:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=52943"},"modified":"2026-10-15T10:55:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T14:55:36","slug":"billy-crystal-says-he-no-longer-trusts-god-after-heartbreaking-losses-too-many-bad-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2026\/10\/billy-crystal-says-he-no-longer-trusts-god-after-heartbreaking-losses-too-many-bad-things.html","title":{"rendered":"Billy Crystal Says He No Longer Trusts God After Heartbreaking Losses: \u2018Too Many Bad Things\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Featureflash Photo Agency \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Actor and comedian Billy Crystal is opening up about a heartbreaking year that shook his faith in God after losing his longtime family home and one of his closest friends.<\/p>\n

The 78-year-old Hollywood star said during an emotional interview<\/a> with CBS Sunday Morning that the tragedies changed how he views God, leaving him struggling to understand the suffering.<\/p>\n

When asked whether he still talks to God, something he previously discussed in his one-man show 700 Sundays, Crystal gave a painful and direct response.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, \u2019cause I don\u2019t trust Him,\u201d Crystal said.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo many bad things have happened,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe Earth is in bad shape. This is a weird, scary time. So no, not anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crystal\u2019s struggles began in January 2025, when the Pacific Palisades wildfire destroyed the California home where he and his wife, Janice, had lived for 46 years.<\/p>\n

The house held nearly five decades of family memories and was where the couple raised their children and welcomed their grandchildren. Crystal described it as \u201cmagical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weeks after the fire, Crystal described the overwhelming grief he felt when he returned to the property.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stepped onto the grounds and fell to my knees, and I wailed,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

The comedian said he had not cried that intensely since he was 15 years old, when his father died.<\/p>\n

He said that as a teenager he wondered how he would live without his father, and decades later he faced a similar question in the ruins of his home.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now folks, I\u2019m 76 years old, without a mirror and a lot less life to ponder, thinking, \u2018What is my life going to be like without our home?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The heartbreak continued.<\/p>\n

In December 2025, Crystal suffered another devastating loss when his longtime friend, filmmaker Rob Reiner, and Reiner\u2019s wife, Michele, were killed.<\/p>\n

Crystal revealed that he had spent time with the couple at a holiday party just one night before their deaths.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe said goodbye,\u201d Crystal recalled. \u201cAnd then \u2026 what?!?\u201d<\/p>\n

The tragedies are now central to Crystal\u2019s new Broadway production, 860, named after the street address of his destroyed home.<\/p>\n

The show recreates his former home office onstage and explores the memories, relationships, and painful losses that shaped his life.<\/p>\n

Despite saying his trust in God has been shaken, Crystal says humor remains one of the most important ways he copes with grief.<\/p>\n

When asked how he manages to find laughter during life\u2019s darkest moments, he offered a simple explanation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I do,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a healer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crystal also says sharing his experiences onstage has helped him process the emotional weight of everything he has endured.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve absorbed the biggest pains that people couldn\u2019t go through \u2014 the loss of home, dearest of friends,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Christians, Crystal\u2019s comments raise a difficult question many believers wrestle with in seasons of suffering: How can someone continue to trust God when life brings unimaginable loss?<\/p>\n

While Crystal says he no longer trusts God, his openness about grief is a reminder of how deeply tragedy can affect faith long after the devastation passes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Actor and comedian Billy Crystal is opening up about a heartbreaking year that shook his faith in God after losing his longtime family home and one of his closest friends. The 78-year-old Hollywood star said during an emotional interview with CBS Sunday Morning that the tragedies changed how he views God, leaving him struggling to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":52946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nBilly Crystal Says He No Longer Trusts God After Heartbreaking Losses: \u2018Too Many Bad Things\u2019<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Billy Crystal opens up about his shaken faith after losing his longtime home and close friend Rob Reiner in a heartbreaking year.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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