The Oscars are honoring all of the cinematic greats that the industry lost in the past year, starting with Rob Reiner. At the 2026 Academy Awards, Billy Crystal paid tribute to his When Harry Met Sally director and his wife Michele, before joining many of the stars he worked with across his indelible career to honor the filmmaker.
Kicking off the In Memoriam segment, Crystal gave a speech honoring his friendship with Reiner, mentioning his most significant films from This Is Spinal Tap to Misery, and acknowledging his philanthropical efforts with Michele. Afterwards, the curtain opened up to reveal many of the actors that Reiner directed, including a reunion with his When Harry Met Sally co-star Meg Ryan.
“I met Mr. Rob Reiner when I was cast as his best friend in an episode of All in the Family,” Crystal recalled. “It went so well that Rob said, ‘It was fun playing your best friend. Why don’t we keep it going?’”
Other stars who stood in honor of Reiner included Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Jerry O’Connell, Wil Wheaton, Fred Savage, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Carol Kane, Kiefer Sutherland, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, John Cusack, and Daphne Zuniga.
Rachel McAdams’ Tribute To Diane Keaton
Afterwards, Rachel McAdams paid tribute to two late icons. First, she acknowledged her “fellow Canadian” Catherine O’Hara, before honoring her The Family Stone co-star Diane Keaton, nodding to her iconic hats. “She wore so many hats, literally and figuratively, actress, artist, author, activist, but no hat more important to her than being a mother to her two children,” she said.
McAdams went on to share a special memory of Keaton. “I remember she used to sing this old Girl Scout song she used to sing on set, which is just so her,” she recalled. “‘Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, and the other is gold. A circle is round, it has no end. That’s how long I’ll be your friend.’ And so to our friend, Diane Keaton, celebrating a life in silver and gold, a legend with no end.”
More to come…
