Billy Crystal Opens Up About Losses Inspiring New Broadway Show

Tony Award winner Billy Crystal recently opened up about finding humor amid personal tragedy and bringing his experiences to Broadway in his new one-man show, 860, during an interview with Tracy Smith for CBS News Sunday Morning.

The production, currently in previews, recounts the devastating loss of Crystal’s longtime Pacific Palisades home in the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Named after the street address of the home he shared with his wife, 860 explores the memories, grief, and resilience that followed. The show’s set recreates Crystal’s home office, offering audiences an intimate look into the life he and his family built there.

During the interview, Crystal also reflected on the loss of his close friend Rob Reiner and Reiner’s wife, Michele, in December 2025. Reiner had helped Crystal select the title 860, making his friend’s death particularly poignant as the comedian prepared to bring the production to the stage.

Despite these tragedies, Crystal emphasized the importance of laughter in navigating grief. “That’s what I do! You have to, man. You got to, you got to … It’s a healer. It always has been that way. You know, we say when life gets tough, all you can do is laugh.”

The production marks Crystal’s return to autobiographical solo storytelling more than two decades after his Tony Award-winning 700 Sundays, which explored his childhood and relationship with his late father. Crystal shared that creating and performing 860 has already helped him process the losses he experienced.

In reflecting on the impact 700 Sundays had on him in his grieving process and if 860 could have the same effect, he stated “It already has, ’cause I’m doing it, and I’ve been doing it. If I didn’t get to perform it even, I’m OK. I’ve absorbed the biggest pains that people couldn’t go through, the loss of home, dearest of friends. And I’m OK

Directed by Scott Ellis, with music by Marc Shaiman, 860 is playing a limited Broadway engagement at the Imperial Theatre through January 3, 2027. “I’m 78 now,  and I feel really good,” he said, “and I’m optimistic for what life is going to bring. And if we’ve gotten through this in the way that we’ve gotten through it, we’re doing OK.”

Billy Crystal’s new one man show, 860, will open October 21 at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre. Written by Billy Crystal and directed by Scott Ellis, 860 is produced by Janice Crystal, James L. Nederlander, Larry Magid, and Face Productions. Billy Crystal was last on Broadway in Mr. Saturday Night in 2022. 

860 will feature original music and adaptations by Tony Award-winner Marc Shaiman, scenic design by Tony Award-winner Scott Pask, lighting design by Tony Award-winner Jen Schriever, sound design by Tony Award nominee Dan Moses Schreier, and video design by Tony Award-winner Hana S. Kim and Kylee Loera. The Production Stage Manager is Davin De Santis.

In the aftermath of the Palisades fires which took his home, Billy reflects on his family and his career – the memories and moments that mattered the most, and how the power of laughter can overcome the most difficult of times. 860 is a hilarious and intimate story about family, friendship, love, luck, and loss.