Billy Crystal and Wife Janice Reveal Their Home of 46 Years Burned Down in Palisades Fire: 'We Are Heartbroken'
Billy Crystal and his wife, Janice Crystal's home has been destroyed by the deadly Los Angeles wildfires.
The celebrated actor confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE that the couple's home in the Pacific Palisades, Calif., burned down on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The couple lived in the home for 46 years together and raised their children and grandchildren there.
"Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing. We ache for our friends and neighbors who have also lost their homes and businesses in this tragedy," the actor's statement read.
"Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can't be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this."
"We pray for the safety of the firefighters and first responders," Crystal's statement continued. "The Pacific Palisades is a resilient community of amazing people and we know in time it will rise again. It is our home."
The couple — who married in 1970 — are parents to two daughters, Jennifer Crystal Foley and Lindsay Crystal, in 1973 and 1977, respectively.
During a 2021 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Billy spoke about raising his daughters in the home at the beginning of his and Janice's careers.
“I was Mr. Mom way before it was popular,” he joked. “I look at it as a real turning point in my life, not only as a father, but a human being."
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The Palisades Fire ignited around 10:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Jan. 7, and has grown to over 15,000 acres. There are currently multiple wildfires burning throughout the Los Angeles area, and most are 0% contained, according to CalFire.
There have been five confirmed deaths during the Eaton Fire, Los Angeles County Fire Department chief Anthony C. Marrone confirmed in a news briefing on Wednesday, Jan. 8, according to the Associated Press.
Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.
Who Is Billy Crystal's Wife? All About Janice Crystal
Billy Crystal and his wife, Janice Crystal, have been married for more than five decades.
The couple met in New York in the summer of 1966 and married on June 4, 1970 — long before Billy had his big break in When Harry Met Sally.
"[Janice is] everything," the actor told Gayle King during an interview in December 2023. "Her honesty, her strength, her love. [She is] the weight in my shoes in case I tend to drift off."
Janice and Billy share two daughters, Jennifer and Lindsay, and are doting grandparents to four grandchildren.
In January 2025, Billy and Janice lost the home they raised their family in the Los Angeles wildfires.
"Janice and I lived in our home since 1979," Billy said in a statement released to PEOPLE. "We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can't be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this."
From meeting as teenagers to celebrating more than 50 years of marriage, here's everything to know about Billy Crystal's wife, Janice.
Billy and Janice met as teenagers living in Long Beach, New York.
After graduating from Long Beach High School in 1965, where he was voted “Most Popular,” Billy attended Marshall University in West Virginia and played baseball there.
During the summer before his sophomore year, Billy got a job at a summer camp, where he met Janice.
“This girl walks by ... and I said, 'I’m gonna marry her.' And I did, four years later,” he shared, recalling the first time he saw Janice on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast.
Meeting Janice influenced Billy’s decision to stay in New York. “I loved her so much right away," he said. “You know, I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a long-distance relationship — they don’t work out."
Billy started his sophomore year as a transfer student at Nassau Community College on Long Island, where he took an acting class that made him feel like he was "home." He eventually transferred to NYU, where he earned a bachelor of fine arts in film.
Billy and Janice wed on June 4, 1970. During a May 2021 interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Billy offered his advice for a long and happy marriage.
"We laugh, we joke, we still learn from each other," he told host Kelly Clarkson. "We still love being together ... We just have so much fun and keep discovering new things about each other. And I think that's the most important thing is to still always be curious and find out more about each other."
Billy has also credited his parents’ relationship as something he strived to replicate.
"My parents always looked like they loved being together," he told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2016. "That's what I took from them, and that's how my wife and I are. I still feel like we're dating."
As a longstanding couple in Hollywood, Billy and Janice’s relationship is revered by many — and people often ask them about the secrets to making a marriage last.
“What’s the secret to a 50-year marriage? We see other people,” Billy joked in an interview with PEOPLE and his Standing Up, Falling Down costar Ben Schwartz.
“Constantly?” Ben asked, laughing. “Constantly. I’m insatiable,” Billy responded.
Ben went on to praise Billy for the example he set in his relationship with Janice, saying: “It’s very hard in this industry, but he has found a way to make sure that family is the most important, to give his time to his kids, to his grandkids, to his wife, and that is something that is paramount."
In October 2024, Billy told PEOPLE that he attributes “respect, humor [and] honesty" to his successful marriage.
"Just enjoy all the time that you have together," he added. "Through the thin and the thinner."
Janice welcomed her first daughter with Billy, Jennifer Crystal Foley, on Jan. 26, 1973.
During his 2021 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Billy spoke about how much time he spent at home with Jennifer while she was a baby and how formative it was for their relationship.
“I was Mr. Mom way before it was popular,” he joked, referring to the fact that he became Jennifer’s daytime primary caregiver when Janice went to work.
“I look at it as a real turning point in my life, not only as a father, but a human being,” he continued. “It gave me perspective on what we’re here for, and what you’re responsible for, and to love someone so selflessly and take care of her and make sure that she’s healthy and happy and educated, even in those early days … It forever bonded us.”
The couple welcomed their second daughter, Lindsay Crystal, on Oct. 21, 1977.
“I think my wife and I were good parents because we didn't want to be our kids' friends," Billy told The Guardian in 2013. "We knew we had to be their parents. A lot of parents nowadays try to be friends with their kids, and I don't think that works."
He continued: “Also we listened to them and we were patient; we just always maintained the right amount of authority. I think we laughed a lot and we let them express themselves. We just really loved being parents."
Janice and Billy became grandparents when their daughter, Jennifer, welcomed her first child, Ella Ryan Foley.
“When my daughter Jenny was pregnant with our first grandchild, Ella, it was very profound for me because Jenny is my firstborn daughter,” Billy said, speaking to The Guardian.
“One night, I wrote down all the things I was waiting to do with my little granddaughter, and it became a book, I Already Know I Love You,” he continued, speaking about the 2004 children's book he wrote.
Now, Billy and Janice are grandparents to four grandchildren as Jennifer welcomed her second daughter, Dylan Frances Foley, in 2006, and Lindsay has two sons.
Billy also revealed a funny tidbit about what happened when his grandkids became old enough to learn that he voiced some of their favorite movie characters.
"When they understood that I was Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc., I had to talk like him for six months. It drove me crazy," he told The Guardian. "Then they saw The Princess Bride, and I had to be Miracle Max for six months.”
On a more serious note, Billy shared that he teared up when his grandchildren came to see him on Broadway in 2022 when he reprised his role as Buddy in Mr. Saturday Night.
"I'm very proud of the fact that at the age of 74, I made my musical comedy debut in front of my grandchildren opening night," he said during a May 2022 appearance on The View. "That was the greatest thrill of all."
Billy added: “I kept thinking of the fact of where I started and how these kids who have never seen me live before on stage … never saw me perform — especially this character, that embraces my age now, this is who I am — and I kept getting teary."
Billy and Janice’s 50th anniversary came in 2020, making it less easy to celebrate with COVID-19 pandemic precautions in place. Fortunately, their kids and grandkids had a solution to ensure they still had the opportunity to celebrate the milestone.
Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel in a from-home interview, Billy revealed that his and Janice’s kids and grandkids surprised them with an anniversary dinner.
“They created a little outdoor restaurant for us, and my grandchildren … They were the waiters and waitresses, and they took care of us. And we had this very romantic dinner, just the two of us,” he shared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
When asked if he tipped his waiters, Billy said, “No.”
He joked: “Honestly, the service was slow."
Janice and Billy shared a love of comedy and theater even before he got his big break as an actor. While she was in her early 20s and they still lived in their hometown of Long Beach, N.Y., Janice worked as an assistant to the dean of theater at a junior college on Long Island.
Janice worked as a producer on the film special Billy Crystal: 700 Sundays, which earned an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Variety Special in 2014. It was based on Billy's autobiographical book of the same name and the one-man Broadway show (which won a Tony for Best Special Theatrical Event in 2005) following the book’s release.
However, Janice isn’t always behind the scenes. She had a small role in the 2021 film Here Today, which Billy co-wrote, directed and starred in. Janice also spent time on stage, acting in a 1981 production of Cabaret performed in Akron, Ohio, alongside Billy.
Billy was working as a substitute teacher at his old high school while waiting for his big break.
Speaking to Clarkson, Billy revealed he could stop teaching and pursue comedy full-time because of his wife’s support at an early stage in his career.
“It was always my dream, and it was what I was working hard at, and I was already a young father–my daughter was already 6 months old,” he shared, noting that the time spent traveling back and forth to the city to perform at comedy clubs took a toll when he was already working.
Janice decided to return to work and have Billy stay home with their daughter, Jennifer, so he could spend his nights performing comedy.
“'Go into the city and become the comedian I know that you can be,' ” Janice told Billy, as he recalled to Kelly. “It was the greatest gift of her selflessness as a young mother with a 6-month-old, to trust me."
LA wildfires: Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal and Adam Brody among celebrities to lose homes
Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal and Adam Brody are among the celebrities who have lost homes in the deadly wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area.
More than 1,000 structures have been destroyed as six separate blazes burn in and around the city, which is dotted with film stars' mansions.
Some of the worst devastation was in the scenic enclave of Pacific Palisades, where a wind-whipped inferno exploded from several hundred acres to more than 15,000 in size since Tuesday.
A swathe of the neighbourhood, which is a haven of hillside streets nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and winding down to beaches along the Pacific Ocean, was reduced to ash.
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Actor James Woods, who starred in films including Nixon and Casino, broke down in tears on CNN as he described losing his Pacific Palisades property.
"One day you're swimming in the pool and the next day it's all gone," he told the network.
He wiped away tears as he described how his wife's eight-year-old niece offered them her piggybank to help rebuild their house.
Actor Crystal said in a statement that he and his wife Janice were "heartbroken" by the loss of their Pacific Palisades home where they had lived since 1979.
The When Harry Met Sally star said in a statement: "We raised our children and grandchildren here.
"Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can't be taken away.
"We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this."
Hotel heiress Paris Hilton said she had lost her home in Malibu.
She wrote in an Instagram post: "Sitting with my family, watching the news, and seeing our home in Malibu burn to the ground on live TV is something no one should ever have to experience.
"This home is where we built so many precious memories... My heart and prayers are going out to every family affected by these fires."
A home reportedly belonging to Brody, who stars in hit Netflix show Nobody Wants This, and Gossip Girl star wife Leighton Meester, was also destroyed.
The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, who are married, also lost their home in the blaze.
"I'm watching our house burn down on the security cameras," Pratt posted.
Montag said: "So our house is on fire and we were able to get out in time, but I keep going over and over in my mind of the things I should've got, but we're out safe and that is the most important thing, and Spencer is behind me."
In a later post, she said while tearing up that she was "so sad our house has gone" and they had lost "everything we worked so hard for".
Singer and This Is Us actress Mandy Moore posted a video of the scene of destruction as she evacuated. "Grateful for my family and pets getting out last night before it was too late (and endless gratitude to friends for taking us in and bringing us clothes and blankets).
"Honestly, I'm in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family. My children's school is gone.
"Our favourite restaurants, levelled. So many friends and loved ones have lost everything too. Our community is broken but we will be here to rebuild together."
TV host Ricki Lake told followers she had lost her "dream home", adding: "I grieve along with all of those suffering during this apocalyptic event."
Actors Sir Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, Anna Faris and Cary Elwes also reportedly lost their homes.
Miles Teller, best known for his role in Top Gun: Maverick, and his wife, Keleigh Sperry, reportedly lost their home in the Pacific Palisades.
Posting on Instagram, Sperry shared a picture of the fires and a broken heart emoji.
She urged people to leave bowls of water for animals left behind as they evacuate their homes.
Other stars forced to flee include Star Wars' actor Mark Hamill and Schitt's Creek actor Eugene Levy.
In a post on Instagram, Hamill called the blaze the "most horrific" since 1993, when 18,000 acres burned, destroying 323 homes in Malibu.
He said he had evacuated his Malibu house "so last-minute there [were] small fires on both sides of the road".
Levy described to local media "black and intense" smoke over Temescal Canyon.
"I couldn't see any flames but the smoke was very dark," he told the Los Angeles Times.
Jamie Lee Curtis said her home was safe but the situation was "gnarly".
"Obviously, there have been horrific fires in many places," she said. "This is literally where I live. Everything the market, I shop in, the schools my kids go to. Friends - many, many, many friends - now have lost their homes."
Curtis and her husband, fellow actor Christopher Guest, pledged $1m (£800,000) "to start a fund of support for our great city and state and the great people who live and love there".
Actor Cameron Mathison also shared a clip of his house reduced to smouldering ruins. "We are safe. But this is what's left of our beautiful home," the General Hospital star wrote.
"Our home where our kids were raised and where they wanted to raise their own someday."
Legendary songwriter Diane Warren, who composed classic hits including If I Could Turn Back Time and I Don't Want to Miss a Thing, also lost her home.
She posted a picture of the beachfront near her house, saying that the property she's had for close to three decades was gone.
Actor Steve Guttenberg, known for Police Academy, stayed to help firefighters by moving cars to clear a path for incoming fire trucks.
He urged fellow Pacific Palisades residents to leave the keys in their abandoned cars so they could be moved.
Meanwhile, the Palisades Charter High School - used in the 1976 horror classic Carrie - has been devastated.
The Oscar nominations have been postponed by two days because of the fires, and otherstar-studded events were also cancelled.
Film premieres for Unstoppable, Better Man and Wolfman have been called off, as has the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations announcement.
Meanwhile, a new blaze broke out on Wednesday night, the Sunset fire, in the Hollywood Hills, near where the world-famous Hollywood sign nestles in the hillside.
Billy Crystal and more celebrities impacted by ongoing Los Angeles wildfires
As at least four wildfires rage around Los Angeles, numerous members of the Hollywood community have been impacted, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore, Jeff Bridges, Anna Faris and Ricki Lake.
In statement to CNN on Wednesday, Crystal said, “Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing. We ache for our friends and neighbors who have also lost their homes and businesses in this tragedy.”
“Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away,” he added.
“We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this. We pray for the safety of the fire fighters and first responders. The Pacific Palisades is a resilient community of amazing people and we know in time it will rise again. It is our home.”
The family beach home belonging to Oscar-winning actor Bridges was also destroyed by fire. He and his loved ones are safe, according to his representative.
Actor and former talk show host Lake shared on her Instagram page Wednesday that she lost her “dream home” in the fires, writing, “It’s all gone.”
“It was our heaven on earth. The place where we planned to grow old together. We never took our heavenly spot on the bluff overlooking our beloved malibu for granted, not even for one second,” she wrote. Lake added that she is grieving the “immeasurable” loss of her home, where she and her husband wed three years ago.
Paris Hilton said she learned that her Malibu home was lost while watching it burn on live TV, writing on her Instagram page the image is something “no one should ever have to experience.”
“This home was where we built so many precious memories. It’s where Phoenix took his first steps and where we dreamed of building a lifetime of memories with London,” she wrote. “While the loss is overwhelming, I’m holding onto gratitude that my family is safe. My heart and prayers are going out to every family affected by these fires.”
Celebrity chef Sandra Lee also said she lost her house due to the disaster.
“I cried all night and thought about every room, nook, and cranny. It was perfection and now it’s just Ash,” Lee wrote in a post shared on Instagram. “Please keep our community, the firefighters and the first responders in your prayers. This is not over-not even close.”
Actors James Woods and Steve Guttenberg spoke to CNN Wednesday morning about their experiences navigating the fires in their neighborhoods.
Mandy Moore, who resides near the Eaton Fire, posted an update on her Instagram story on Tuesday night that she and her family of five had evacuated to safety. On Wednesday, Moore shared another update mourning the destruction of her neighborhood.
“Honestly, I’m in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family. My children’s school is gone. Our favorite restaurants, leveled,” Moore wrote on her Instagram page Wednesday. “So many friends and loved ones have lost everything too. Our community is broken but we will be here to rebuild together.”
Reality stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag’s home burned in the Palisades fire, according to Pratt, who posted a photo of their children’s room burning on his Instagram page Wednesday. Both their house and Pratt’s parents’ house burned in the fire, he wrote.
Faris was also reportedly impacted by the Palisades Fire. A representative told CNN on Wednesday that “Anna and her family are safe and very grateful.”
Several massive fires in Los Angeles County, fueled by excessive wind, have killed at least two people and left others with “significant injuries.” The two civilians died in the Eaton Fire, burning in East Los Angeles near Altadena and Pasadena, county Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said Wednesday morning.
The Palisades Fire, burning in LA’s westside near Malibu and Santa Monica, has already destroyed at least 1,000 structures. It is the most destructive to ever occur in Los Angeles County, according to CalFire data.
The fires are 0% contained as emergency workers struggle to battle fast-moving blazes, and tens of thousands more people are under evacuation orders across LA County.
Several Hollywood events were also postponed due to the fires, including the Critics Choice Awards. Originally set to be held this Sunday in Santa Monica, the awards show has been postponed to January 26, Critics Choice Awards CEO Joey Berlin in a statement Wednesday.
CNN’s Lisa Respers France, Elizabeth Wagmeister, Jamie Gangel, Antoinette Radford, Holly Yan, Andy Rose, Lauren Mascarenhas, Elise Hammond, Aditi Sangal and Rachel Ramirez contributed to this report.
Billy Crystal Says Martin Scorsese ‘Was So Intense’ When He Taught Him at NYU: ‘He Would Be Very Scary’
Billy Crystal is thinking back on his formative years in Martin Scorsese’s classroom.
On the Dec. 15 episode of the “Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist” podcast, Crystal talked about his time being taught by Scorsese at New York University.
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“He was a graduate student at the time, just doing his first movie, called ‘Who’s That Knocking at My Door.’ And it was 1968, 1969, 1970,” Crystal remarked on the podcast.
Crystal went on to describe Scorsese’s looks: “[He] had a big beard and granny glasses and hair down to his shoulders. He looked like everybody. He’d stand behind you while you were editing your film and he would be very scary, because he would look and he was so intense and he would speak very quickly — even then — he spoke quicker then because he was, you know, 50 years younger.”
Scorsese would reference Howard Hawks always using wide shots in his films as a response to what his students were shooting. But while decades have passed since Crystal first crossed paths with Scorsese, he says Scorsese still retains the same energy and spirit.
As a student in the 1960s, Crystal also learned during the counterculture movement as it took over.
“[The West Village] was wild,” Crystal added. “It was a terrible time for America, but a great time at the same time. ‘Cause all of that adversity and all of the protesting against the Vietnam War. It brought us together … What came out of it was a renaissance in music, in poetry, in art — that we’re still feeling today.”
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