Martin Short Got More Than Laughs at ‘SNL’ 50th Anniversary Special: He Has COVID

Martin Short Got More Than Laughs at ‘SNL’ 50th Anniversary Special: He Has COVID

Craig Rosen

February 21, 2025 at 6:43 AM

Steve Martin announced on Instagram that he and Martin Short have had to postpone a pair of sold-out live dates because the latter star has COVID, which he apparently caught at the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special on Feb. 16 from SNL alum Maya Rudolph.

“Maya had Covid. Marty has Covid. I wonder why? The SNL 50th Covid curse is real,” Martin posted on Instagram on Thursday, Feb. 20, alongside a photo of his Only Murders in the Building co-star kissing Rudolph backstage at the SNL studio.

“Unfortunately, we have to reschedule our sold out Durham and Knoxville dates to 10/17 Knoxville and 10/18 Durham. So sorry for the inconvenience. I think we’ll be funnier then, anyway,” Martin added.

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The comedy legends were scheduled to take the stage at the Durham Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Feb. 22, and the Knoxville Civic Auditorium on Sunday, Feb. 23. The shows have been rescheduled with the Knoxville date now set for Oct. 17 with the Durham show rescheduled for Oct. 18.

Short’s illness comes after Colin Jost joked during the “Weekend Update” segment on the special that cramming so many veteran stars into the 30 Rock studio might not have been the wisest move.

“Health experts are facing increased pressure this winter in the face of outbreaks of COVID, the flu, RSV and nanovirus, which they’re calling a quad-demic,” Jost quipped. “So we did the smart thing and packed every beloved entertainer over 60 into one tiny space.”

Martin, who has hosted SNL 16 times, opened Sunday’s 50th anniversary special with a monologue, during which he poked fun at his longtime friend, Short.

“Ladies and gentleman, the only Canadian who wasn’t in Schitt’s Creek,” Martin said of Short during Sunday’s show. He then asked his friend if he had a passport. When Short replied no, a pair of SNL cast members dressed as ICE agents appeared on stage and dragged Short away.

“Marty and I have been working together so long that we can actually finish each other’s careers,” Martin joked during the show.

SNL50: The Anniversary Special is available for streaming on Peacock.