Martin Short, 74, Got COVID After ‘SNL’ 50th Special

Martin Short is on the mend after his appearance at SNL50 on Feb. 16, leaving him wide open for mockery from his comedic partner Steve Martin. Short and former SNL castmate Maya Rudolph have both tested positive for COVID.

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“Maya had Covid. Marty has Covid. I wonder why? The SNL 50th Covid curse is real,” Martin wrote on the Instagram photo showing Short kissing Rudolph backstage at the event. He later edited the caption to make it clear that Rudolph “did NOT come to the show with it!”

The news does come with an unfortunate side effect or two, including the need to cancel several shows this weekend in Durham and Knoxville. Both shows have been rescheduled to October.

“So sorry for the inconvenience. I think we’ll be funnier then, anyway,” Martin concluded his post. The “curse” he mentions is a reference to Colin Jost’s Weekend Update joke about packing a small room with a ton of at-risk people.

“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 says. “So we did the smart thing and packed every beloved entertainer over 60 into one tiny space.”

Martin and Short both had a noteworthy role in the special, with the duo taking part in the monologue and some of the sketches. Short appeared in the later wedding reception sketch as the father of the bride.

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