CNN+ host Chris Wallace asked comedy superstar Billy Crystal about the “uncanny” impression he did of legendary athlete and activist Muhammad Ali — at Ali’s funeral.

Mr. Crystal was Mr. Wallace’s guest on the latest episode of the CNN+ series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, during which the pair discussed Crystal’s career, his current stage project Mr. Saturday Night, and a certain Academy Awards controversy that you may have heard a thing or two about.

But nearly the entire last quarter of the wide-ranging interview wound up being devoted to Crystal’s relationship with the late, lamented champ.

Wallace began by asking Crystal about the impression he did at Ali’s 2016 funeral, and played a clip of it.

He asked Crystal “why did [Ali] call your ‘Little brother?'”

A clearly affected Crystal explained that by happenstance, Mr. Ali was the guest of honor on the first television show he ever did. Crystal asked to be introduced as one of Ali’s “closest and dearest friends” so he could go straight into his Howard Cosell impression.

“When I finished the routine, he hugged me,” Crystal said, joking that “when he picks me up, so I look like the award he was about to be given. And he said, and he whispered to me, ‘You are now my little brother.’ And that’s what he called me for 42 years and we became very good friends.

Cosell then asked Crystal about attending Cosell’s funeral with Ali — depressingly cutting in to tell the audience who Howard Cosell is:

MR. WALLACE: You told a story at the funeral about going with Ali to Howard Cosell’s funeral.

MR. CRYSTAL: Oh no. All right. Howard dies, and it’s…

MR. WALLACE: And for folks, because a lot of folks may not know, Howard Cosell, the preeminent sportscaster, for decades.

MR. CRYSTAL: And they were basically almost a team.

MR. WALLACE: Yeah, they were foils.

MR. CRYSTAL: When Ali was in exile, Howard it became his staunchest supporter. And he would have won Wide World of Sports all the time and so on. So now, Howard passes away, we’re at the funeral, a big funeral. And I’m sitting with with Muhammad Ali and the casket is closed, and he elbows me. “Little brother.”

“What, Champ?”

“Do you think he’s wearing his hairpiece?”

So I just, now we’re like two little kids laughing in church or synagogue, you know? I said, “I don’t think so.”

He said “Well, how will God recognize him?”

I said “Once he opens his mouth, he’ll know who he is.

Crystal went on to speak wistfully about a TV appearance on Ali’s 65th birthday, and told Wallace that “fate” had brought them together.

Watch above via CNN+.

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