Dozens of celebrities came back to 30 Rock’s Studio 8H to reunite for “SNL50” last weekend. But it turns out the decision to have so many people shoulder-to-shoulder in such a small space may not have been such a great idea.
“Maya [Ruldolph] had Covid. Marty [Short] has Covid. I wonder why? The SNL 50th Covid curse is real,” actor and comedian Steve Martin posted to Instagram late Thursday with a photo of the aforementioned pair kissing during the special’s red carpet.
Martin added that he and Short’s The Dukes of Funnytown! comedy tour would be rescheduling its sold-out performances this weekend in Knoxville and Durham to Oct. 17 and 18, respectively.
“So sorry for the inconvenience,” he said. “I think we’ll be funnier then, anyway.”
Neither Rudolph nor Short have spoken publicly about having the illness, though Weekend Update host Colin Jost may have foreshadowed the possibility of a COVID outbreak with a joke about a fictional “quad-demic.”
“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 said. “So we did the smart thing and packed every beloved entertainer over 60 into one tiny space.”
At “SNL50,” Martin delivered the special’s monologue, which included a moment where he was joined by Short on stage before later being dragged off by ICE. Short also introduced Paul Simon, appeared with Molly Shannon in the latest Domingo sketch and delivered the special’s closing remarks with a packed group behind him on stage.
Ruldolph also returned for a new “Bronx Beat” sketch with Amy Poehler and Mike Myers and appeared in the New York musical sketch led by John Mulaney.
Despite the illnesses it may have caused, the “Saturday Night Live” 50th anniversary special was a ratings success, bringing in 14.8 million viewers across NBC and Peacock.
“SNL50” is available to stream on Peacock now.
