Actor and comedian Billy Crystal shared more details about the devastating loss of his Pacific Palisades home to the deadly wildfires in Los Angeles.
Crystal was a presenter during the FireAid benefit concert at the Kia Forum on Thursday night to raise money for wildfire relief efforts.
“Tonight, we are here together to thank [the firefighters and first responders] and all those who run toward danger while we run to shelter and safety,” Crystal said.
As the Palisades Fire ignited on Jan. 7 and continued growing, Crystal and his wife, Janice, were forced to evacuate their home.
“These were the clothes I wore when I fled my house with my wife like so many of us did. It was all I had,” he said of his blue hoodie and jeans. “I wore it for a week, plus an N95 mask.”
The couple had lived in their Palisades home since 1979 and had raised their children and grandchildren there.
The charred rubble of Billy Crystal’s Pacific Palisades home after the devastating Palisades Fire in January 2025. (Billy Crystal)
A decorative rock inscribed with the word, ‘Laughter,” remained unscathed amid the rubble of Billy Crystal’s Pacific Palisades home that was destroyed in the Palisades Fire. (Billy Crystal)
Actor and comedian Billy Crystal shares details about losing his home to the Palisades Fire during the FireAid benefit concert at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Jan. 30, 2025. (KTLA)
On Jan. 8, Crystal discovered his beloved home had burned to the ground.
“I stepped onto the grounds and I fell to my knees and I wailed,” he said upon seeing the charred rubble of his house. “I had not cried like that since I was 15 years old and I was told that my father had just died.”
Crystal described several decorative rocks he had purchased for the backyard that were inscribed with words such as, “Welcome,” “Patience,” “Dream,” and “Laughter.”
While combing through the wreckage of their home, his daughters were stunned to find one of the rocks unscathed — the “Laughter” rock.
“Even in your worse pain, it’s okay and it’s important, to laugh,” he said. “It’s going to be okay. It will be okay. We’ll laugh again. We’re Los Angeles. One city, one heart. L.A. Strong.”
The FireAid benefit concert is a two-venue concert event on Jan. 30 taking place at both the Kia Forum and the Intuit Done.
All proceeds from the concert will benefit wildfire victims and rebuilding efforts. More information and ways to donate can be found at FireAidLA.org.
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