Steve Martin Says the ‘SNL50’ ‘COVID Curse Is Real’ After Martin Short and Maya Rudolph Get Sick

Apparently laughter wasn’t the only contagious thing at “SNL50.”

On Thursday evening, Steve Martin shared on Instagram that Martin Short had tested positive for COVID-19 after attending “Saturday Night Live’s” 50th anniversary special. He suggested that Maya Rudolph might have been the source of the infection, as they were seen sharing a kiss in a photo he posted with the caption, “Maya had COVID-19. Marty has COVID-19. I wonder why? It seems like the ‘SNL 50th COVID curse’ is indeed real.

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Because Short is unwell, Martin informed everyone that they would need to postpone their comedy shows scheduled this weekend in Durham, North Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee. “I apologize for any inconvenience,” he said, “but I believe we’ll be even funnier when we reschedule.

On Sunday evening, the special “SNL50” assembled a multitude of comedy greats who first rose to fame on this iconic sketch show, such as Adam Sandler, Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis, Jimmy Fallon, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, Molly Shannon, Pete Davidson, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Will Ferrell and others. The original cast members reprised several classic skits and characters in a fresh light, including Wiig’s Dooneese, Dratch’s Debbie Downer, and Murray’s Nick the Lounge Singer.

While many former “SNL” cast members took part in the celebration, not everyone was able to attend. Dana Carvey unfortunately came down with the flu, preventing him from attending, Bill Hader had a long-standing scheduling issue that conflicted, and Dan Aykroyd was already committed elsewhere.

Ultimately, the specific episode garnered a total of 14.8 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, marking a staggering 202% increase compared to the usual viewership for a standard “SNL” episode.

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2025-02-21 17:46