As predicted, SNL50 was a petri dish
Multiple "beloved entertainers over 60" have fallen ill after attending Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary.
Screenshots: Saturday Night Live/YouTube
“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,” Weekend Update anchor Colin Jost reported during Saturday Night Live‘s 50th anniversary. “So we did the smart thing and packed every beloved entertainer over 60 into one tiny space.” Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy or just a logical observation, but it seems SNL50 may have infected some beloved old people.
“Maya had Covid. Marty has Covid. I wonder why? The SNL 50th Covid curse is real,” Steve Martin posted on Instagram alongside a photo of Maya Rudolph kissing Martin Short in greeting. Martin’s post continued, “Unfortunately, we have to reschedule this weekend’s 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.”
It’s unclear if the “SNL 50th Covid curse” is in reference to Jost’s joke or if, perhaps, there’s a larger outbreak going on behind the scenes that the other celebs in attendance haven’t let on about. It’s hard to imagine this infection wouldn’t spread further, given the night of sloppy makeouts (Short and Molly Shannon were all over each other!), joyful embraces, and close quarters. So while we won’t declare the event a superspreader just yet, we do know of at least one other “beloved entertainer over 60” who fell sick in the aftermath. Whoopi Goldberg, who also attended the SNL50, missed multiple tapings of The View this week. “Whoopi is still out with the flu. It’s going around, be careful,” her co-host Joy Behar announced during Thursday’s show (via Entertainment Weekly). “We hope you’re feeling better, Whoopi. Come back soon!”
Be careful, indeed. As Jost so obviously pointed out, the show was scheduled for a tricky time of year. Dana Carvey, who is not only a beloved SNL alum but rejoined as a semi-regular cast member this season, had to skip the 50th celebration because he was recovering from the flu and advised not to travel (as he explained on his podcast). Hopefully, the quad-demic didn’t hit too many other attendees—if America’s most famous COVID patient zero, Tom Hanks, were to get sick, it might portend doom once again. Stay safe out there!
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