Steve Martin Says Martin Short Got COVID After ‘SNL 50’: ‘The Curse Is Real’

Steve Martin says that Martin Short got COVID-19 after appearing on Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special.

“Maya [Rudolph] had Covid. Marty has Covid. I wonder why? The SNL 50th Covid curse is real,” Martin, 79, wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of Maya Rudolph and Short, 74, sharing a friendly kiss backstage at SNL 50: The Anniversary Special in New York on Sunday, February 16.

Martin announced that because of Short’s illness, the pair have had to delay the latest stops on their Dukes of Funnytown Tour, which were due to take place this weekend in Durham, North Carolina, and Knoxville, Tennessee.

“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 wrote.

The Only Murders in the Building duo were among the A-list stars who attended Sunday’s SNL anniversary special. Other stars included Meryl Streep, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

During the Weekend Update segment of the show, SNL regular Colin Jost joked about a health scare potentially plaguing the special.

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

As well as attending the 50th anniversary special, Short and Streep were also at the SNL50: The Homecoming Concert on Friday, February 14, where they sat beside comedian Amy Schumer.

“There’s really no one funnier to sit next to than Marty Short, who I got to sit next to at the homecoming concert the other night,” Schumer, 43, told People.

“I think that the tea is, I think Marty might be off the market. That’s what I’m seeing. I don’t know,” Schumer added, referring to the rumored romance between Short and Streep.

While Schumer did not name the person who’s seemingly stolen Short’s heart, she teased, “Maybe by just like the greatest actor of our time, I don’t know.”

Schumer also gushed that sitting beside Short and Streep, 75, on Friday “was a very fun seat to be seated in.”