Overview
- Billy Crystal, speaking on The Late Show on Tuesday, described spending the night before Rob Reiner’s death together and shared what they discussed about their lives and work.
- Crystal said he conceived the Oscars tribute soon after the December 2025 deaths of Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner and asked the Academy to help gather former cast members.
- The Academy’s In Memoriam segment opened with Crystal’s tribute and closed with collaborators from Reiner’s films joining him onstage, including Meg Ryan and Kathy Bates.
- He recalled their final conversation about how fewer people go to theaters now and how the real reward is the experience of making movies with trusted partners.
- Crystal met Reiner on All in the Family in 1975, and he called the loss profound as he reflected on a friendship that shaped his life and career.