Martin Short Opens Up About His 1 Year as an SNL Cast Member
The beloved actor-comedian was a cast member for one season back in 1984.
On December 21, Martin Short returns to host Saturday Night Live, but he's no stranger to the Studio 8H stage. The beloved award-winning actor-comedian was a cast member on the series for one season, back in 1984.
"This is really bizarre. I was a cast member 40 years ago," said Short during his December 19 Tonight Show appearance, as Jimmy Fallon shared an image of the SNL cast during Short's year, which included comedy greats like Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, and Billy Crystal.
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"Eddie Murphy was the host of the Christmas show. I had a one-year contract. Because it was a very weird year," he continued. "You know, Eddie Murphy had left and Joe Piscopo had left, and they [the producers] thought the show was going to be canceled."
He continued, "So, Dick Ebersol, who was running it then, not Lorne [Michaels], called it the 'George Steinbrenner Year.' And he hired these guys that had been on television. I had done SCTV. Billy was already a big star, and Chris Guest and Harry had done Spinal Tap that summer. They hired us for a one-year contract."
When Fallon asked Short if being an SNL cast member made him nervous, the Only Murders actor replied, "I was terrified every show, because I think, you know, I treated it like a special. In fact, during the fourth show, on the Tuesday, I went in to try to quit," he revealed, adding that Ebersol eventually talked him into staying.
Watch Short return to Studio 8H when he hosts Saturday Night Live on December 21.
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When was Martin Short a Saturday Night Live cast member?
Martin Short was an SNL cast member for one season — from 1984 to 1985. He first returned in 1986 to co-host with Chevy Chase and Steve Martin. Short hosted again, this time solo, in December 1996 and December 2012. He returned in December 2022 to co-host with his Only Murders in the Building co-star and friend, Steve Martin. Short will host SNL again — for technically his fifth time — on December 21, 2024.
