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If you are watching the crowd during a Knicks or Lakers home game, odds are you’ll see some A-listers sitting courtside. Over the years that list has included big-name actors like Billy Crystal and Jack Nicholson, in fact, they’ve even attended them together. Now, the When Harry Met Sally actor has opened up about sitting next to The Shining actor at a game in 2004 and the kiss they ended up sharing during it.
The Monsters Inc. star stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! where he and the titular host exchanged funny stories, and chatted about Crystal’s upcoming Apple TV+ series, Before. The comedian also revealed he is being honored by The Basketball Hall of Fame for being a superfan of the sport, as his support for the LA Clippers has been undying. While explaining that, he also recalled one particular night in 2004, when the Clippers were playing the Lakers, the favorite team of Nicholson. The Chinatown actor asked Crystal to attend with him, and the comic actor couldn’t have been happier. He said:
Jack is my Babe Ruth, no one I respect more for what he’s done for the film industry than Jack. I just love him, he’s bigger than life. So he calls me, Clippers at the Lakers. So you get a call from Jack – ‘Hey, Willy, would you like to go to the game with me?’
Not many people would turn down the opportunity to hang out with one of the biggest movie stars of all time, especially one with such a distinctive personality as Jack Nicholson.
So, Crystal went to the game with the actor, and they started chatting. It didn’t take long for the two to be spotted enjoying the game together, and apparently, the cameraman thought it would be hilarious to have the two familiar faces exchange a smooch for the crowd. The City Slickers actor recalled:
So I sit next to him at the game, and it’s exciting and so on. So it’s a time out, and we’re just [making] small talk. And, suddenly, I hear the crowd chanting. There’s a picture of us just sitting side by side. … So then I hear the crowd chanting, ‘Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him! …’ And I look up at the scoreboard, and Jack and I are on the kiss cam. I look over to him and say, ‘Jack?’ He goes, ‘Oh no.’ I said, ‘I think we have to kiss.’ He said to me, ‘OK, Willy, I’m coming in.’ Right before he said that, he whispered to me, ‘No tongue.’
Kimmel then showed a hilarious picture from the moment where the chaste kiss was caught on camera. While Nicholson may have turned down the urging at first, he clearly understood it was all in good fun and smooched the comedian.
Jack Nicholson has kissed many actors over the years in the Batman star’s endless list of fantastic films. Admittedly, they were mostly women, but during this game, he understood the humor of the moment. It’s a great story, but probably not what the Oscar winner was expecting when he asked Billy Crystal to accompany him to the game.
This is exactly the kind of Hollywood exchange fans love to see at Lakers’ games. Crystal and Nicholson are both courtside fixtures, and seeing them together must’ve been truly something. I totally see why the cameraman couldn’t resist creating a hilarious moment between the two actors.
They haven’t been seen together courtside in a while, but hopefully, they make an appearance again and reprise their kiss-cam chemistry. They both have had great on-screen connections in some of the best rom-coms with actresses like Meryl Streep and Meg Ryan, but this unforgettable sports moment also features some electric (and funny) chemistry.
Jack Nicholson has since retired from acting, but you can see Billy Crystal in his latest series, Before, when it premieres on the 2024 TV schedule on October 25 with an AppleTV+ subscription.