Martin Short is back in Studio 8H for his fifth Saturday Night Live hosting gig this weekend, and in a just-released promo we learn that he’s brought some gifts—a whole bushel of them.
Unfortunately for SNL cast members Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, and Ashley Padilla, none of Short’s many presents—which fill the show’s main stage—are for them.
But he does have something special for them: “I got you a job,” he explains. “Wrapping all my presents for all my famous friends, which, of course, you three aren’t.”
He proceeds to show the trio some of the gifts he’s bought.
“This book is for Colin Jost,” he explains. “It’s called ‘How to Develop a Personality.’ Cocaine calls him ‘the challenge,” Short says of Jost as Padilla, Longfellow and Walker nod in agreement.
The host then shows off a baby rattle that he intends to give Al Pacino. “Not his baby, it’s actually for Al.”
Finally, it’s on to Short’s favorite target of insults: Steve Martin, who’s set to receive some suntan lotion. “It’s SPF Infinity,” he explains. “Because let’s face it, Steve is whiter than a Coldplay meet and greet. His blood type is mayonnaise.”
Short is set to host SNL’s final episode of 2024 alongside musical guest Hozier. It will be his second time hosting one of the show’s annual Christmas episodes, making him one of just four people who’ve done so, joining the ranks of Candice Bergen in 1975 and 1976, Jimmy Fallon in 2011 and 2013, and Eddie Murphy in 1982, 1984, and 2019. (Murphy’s 1982 turn carries an asterisk as he was still an SNL cast member at the time, called to fill-in at the last-minute for no-show Nick Nolte, his co-star in the movie 48 Hours.)
