Billy Crystal is speaking out after losing his home in a devastating wildfire. The actor recently appeared at the LA FireAid Benefit Concert on Thursday night at the Kia Forum.
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Crystal took the stage to talk about rebuilding efforts and raising money for those affected. He brought jokes but also a bunch of emotion to the proceeds as well.
"Our goal is simple tonight, to raise more money than the Dodgers spent on free agents," he said. He said that Steve Ballmer, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, planned to match everyone's donation $1 for $1.
Crystal said, "You'll be hearing from a number of people who were tragically affected by these fires, and I was one of them. These were the clothes I wore when I fled my house with my wife Janice, like so many of us did, on January 7th. This was all I had. Wore it for a week, plus an N-95 mask. I looked like an evacuee or someone that just robbed a 7-11."
Billy Crystal Speaks Out
The comedian had a lot of appreciation for the firefighters doing their jobs. He also took a moment to get real and candid with audience. The actor said that he was one of the people who lost their homes.
"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.
Crystal said he broke down in tears when he learned that his house was gone. He said he hadn't cried like that since he was 15.
He 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?'" Crystal asked.
But the actor said you should remember comedy in the face of tragedy.
"Even in your worst pain folks, it's okay, and it's important to laugh," he said. "When I held that rock in my hands, this was the only thing that was left, I thought it was a message from 15-year-old me, saying 'It's gonna be okay, and it will be okay.' "
