Billy Crystal was honored at the 46th Kennedy Center Honors on December 3rd in Washington DC, which also paid homage to honorees Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick, Barry Gibb, and Renée Fleming.
The 75-year-old actor and comedian received gushing tributes at the ceremony from the likes of Rob Reiner, Whoopi Goldberg, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jay Leno, and his beloved co-star and close friend Meg Ryan, who is making her own return to the spotlight.
In fact, for Billy’s moment and Meg’s tribute, the set of Katz’s Delicatessen was actually recreated on stage to spoof that iconic When Harry Met Sally… scene.
Meg, 62, talked about how it was in fact that the nine-time Oscar host who came up with the line “I’ll have what she’s having,” which now lives in the movie quote hall of fame, and that the spontaneous racy scene was quite a collaboration between the pair.
“The scene came really naturally to me, and I really have Billy to thank for that,” she joked to the audience, but then turned the attention to his loving marriage to wife Janice Crystal née Goldfinger, which has remained strong for over 50 years.
“As his wife Janice has known for over 50 years, falling in love with Billy is a pretty easy thing to do,” she remarked to a resounding series of “awws” from the room.
© Getty ImagesBilly and Janice were high school sweethearts, and they celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary this year. The two are parents to daughters Jennifer, 50, and Lindsay, 46, and are also grandparents.
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In his speech, the celebrated Mr. Saturday Night star spoke openly about his life with his wife and two daughters and gushed about reflecting on his legacy being both his acting career and his family.
© Getty Images“I think about how lucky I’ve been to start my life the way I did,” he shared. “We are the product of our environment, and I was brought home to a house filled with music and the music of American jazz and laughter.”
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He also added a presidential theme to his speech, continuing: “The luckiest thing of all is that in 1966, I met a beautiful girl on the beach. I was eighteen, and she was seventeen. Fifty-seven years later, we’re married. We started dating during the Johnson administration if that helps at all.”
© Getty ImagesTheir daughters were present with their husbands to support their beloved dad. “We have two beautiful daughters who are with us tonight, who grew up during my career. None of this happens without the partnership I’ve shared with Janice over the years.
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“And my two girls are here tonight with their wonderful husbands. What I do for a living is joy. But the real work is taking two little infants and watching them become the great women and mothers they are today.”
© Getty ImagesHe sweetly concluded: “And I know they’re looking at me right now with this beautiful medallion on my neck. You’ve grown up throughout my career, and I know what you’re thinking, ‘Who’s going to get that when he’s gone?’ Thank you, Kennedy Center, I toast you!”
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