When Harry Met Sally Stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal Will Reunite for Rob Reiner Tribute at the Oscars

Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal are returning to the Academy Awards stage together for a tribute to director Rob Reiner, the When Harry Met Sally… filmmaker who died in December 2025. The duo will come together for an as-yet-specified section honoring the filmmaker’s cinematic legacy.

Reiner, known for a wide range of classics including Stand by Me, This Is Spinal Tap and The Princess Bride, had a long creative relationship with both actors; his 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally… starred Ryan as Sally Albright and Crystal as Harry Burns. The film has remained a touchstone of the genre and a key part of both performers’ careers. 

Ryan and Crystal’s Oscars appearance follows a series of reunions in recent years — from a Super Bowl commercial that playfully revisited their iconic deli scene to their joint presentation of Best Picture at the 2025 Academy Awards. Industry readers will recall Crystal’s decades-long association with the Oscars itself, having hosted the ceremony nine times.

Details of the Reiner tribute have been kept under wraps, but the pairing of Ryan and Crystal underscores the personal and professional ties they shared with the late filmmaker. Reiner’s death, and that of his wife Michele, was a shock to Hollywood; the couple was found fatally stabbed in their Los Angeles home in December, and their son has since been charged in the case. Widely known to be a longtime family friend of the director, Crystal was one of the first people who turned up at his home following his death.

The 98th Academy Awards – held at the Dolby Theatre – will be televised live on Sunday, March 15, 2026.