Saturday Night Live hosted a nostalgic and iconic special on Feb. 16 to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary. This monumental anniversary celebration of SNL brought together stars from all industries to create an electrifying spectacle. The star-studded cast included renowned former cast members such as Eddie Murphy, John Mulaney, and Tina Fey and big names in Hollywood like Meryl Streep, Sabrina Carpenter, and Pedro Pascal.
Despite the anniversary’s heartfelt and hilarious energy, stars in attendance that night have since shared that they contracted COVID-19.
Most notably, former cast members Martin Short and Maya Rudolph were announced to have contracted COVID-19 after the show.
The host of the anniversary show, Steve Martin, who is currently on tour with Short, announced on his Instagram that the sold-out Durham and Knoxville tour dates would be rescheduled due to Short contracting the virus. In the Instagram post, Martin shared that Rudolph has it as well, adding that she did not attend the anniversary show while sick with the virus. It is unknown who began the spread, but Martin jokingly referred to the outbreak as “The SNL 50th Covid curse.”
The 50th anniversary held nearly double the attendees than a regular weekly show. Several commenters under Martin’s post expressed concerns about the lack of regulations set for such a significant event in SNL history.
Throughout the special, it was apparent that the SNL studio was more crowded than usual. Based on what the show conveyed, it is clear that audience members were not wearing masks, and social distancing procedures were not enforced for skits, performances, and monologues.
In true SNL fashion, the COVID-19 outbreak was accompanied by a veil of irony. Hosted by Colin Jost and Michael Che, the Weekend Update is a satirical news program that pairs prominent events and incidents with edgy jokes. During Jost and Che’s segment during the anniversary special, Jost mentioned the national outbreak of a “quad-demic.” Quad-demic is a term medical professionals use to cover the rise of COVID-19, flu, RSV, and norovirus cases during the winter.
As Jost said in the quad-demic portion of the segment, sarcastically claiming, “We did the smart thing, and packed every beloved entertainer over 60 into one tiny space,” almost predicting the SNL specific outbreak.
The team behind the SNL 50th Anniversary Special knew how laid-back their health and safety regulations were.
There have been no updates about Short’s or Rudolph’s conditions. As of now, no other stars in attendance have announced that they have contracted COVID-19. However, Martin’s comment section is flooded with concerned fans demanding that “national treasure,” Streep, be protected from the disease.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it’s no surprise that health risks are high for celebrities who are constantly traveling and surrounded by large teams of people. However, this outbreak reminds viewers at home and at other major celebrity events that although it seems a thing of the past, coronavirus is still in existence, and proper health and safety measures should be maintained at all times.