Why Martin Short and Steve Martin Missed the SAG Awards

Only Murders in the Building had a big night at the SAG awards, picking up best actor in a comedy for Martin Short—his first major win for his work on the Hulu series—as well as its first-ever prize for best comedy ensemble. But only Selena Gomez was in the building at the actual ceremony, as her two co-stars—Short and Steve Martin—were conspicuously absent.

With the two funnymen nowhere to be found, a seriously surprised Gomez accepted the actor for best comedy ensemble on behalf of her cast mates. “We never win! This is so weird,” she said, before making a joke about her missing co-stars. “Marty and Steve aren’t here because, you know, they don’t really care.”

Which is not entirely true. It turns out laughter wasn’t the only thing spreading in Studio 8H at last week’s SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration. Both Short and Martin were heavily featured in the star-studded special that feted 50 years of Saturday Night Live—and according to Martin’s instagram, Short ultimately contracted COVID at the event. On February 21st, Martin posted a photo of Short kissing Maya Rudolph at the event with the following caption: “Maya came down with Covid, (she did NOT come to the show with it!) Marty came down with it.” Martin then announced that he and Short would have to reschedule a few dates on their joint comedy tour as a result. “The SNL 50th Covid curse is real,” he joked.

Whether or not Martin also contracted COVID is unclear—but, perhaps out of an abundance of caution, he, too, sat out the SAG Awards. He did celebrate Martin Short and Only Murders‘s big wins in an Instagram post, though, posting a photo of his cast mates Gomez, Molly Shannon, Kumail Nunjani, and Richard Kind at the ceremony. “I’m the buddy of a winner,” Martin wrote. “Congratulations to Martin Short for his best comedy actor award, and thank you SAG for our comedy ensemble award!”

Short, meanwhile, delivered gratitude at his dual SAG wins—his first ever—in a statement to People. “The honor of being in Only Murders in the Building is the most spectacular compliment anyone could be given,” he said. “The honor of being awarded by your peers is even greater. Thank you so so much.” Hopefully Short and his good friend Meryl Streep will be healthy enough to attend the Emmys later this year, where he may now be the one to beat for best actor in a comedy series.