Martin Short Recalls His First Thought After Meeting Steve Martin: ‘How Did You Get This Rich?&x27; Meredith Wilshere, Deirdre DurkanSat, May 9, 2026 at 3:58 PM UTC 0 Steve Martin (L) and Martin Short (R)Credit: Frazer Harrison/WireImage Martin Short and Steve Martin met in 1985 and have maintained a close friendship and collaboration ever since The duo has toured together for over a decade and costarred in Only Murders in the Building “One thing about movies is you spend months together and then never see each other again.
Martin Short Recalls His First Thought After Meeting Steve Martin: ‘How Did You Get This Rich?'
Meredith Wilshere, Deirdre DurkanSat, May 9, 2026 at 3:58 PM UTC
0
Steve Martin (L) and Martin Short (R)
Credit: Frazer Harrison/WireImage -
Martin Short and Steve Martin met in 1985 and have maintained a close friendship and collaboration ever since
The duo has toured together for over a decade and costarred in Only Murders in the Building
“One thing about movies is you spend months together and then never see each other again. Steve and I made a conscious decision not to let that happen,” Short shared at a recent event
Martin Short met his longtime collaborator and friend Steve Martin in 1985, and recently revealed his hilarious first thought after meeting the comedian.
Short reflected on his decades-long friendship with Martin, 80, during a panel alongside fellow comedians David Letterman and Paul Shaffer at the Netflix Is a Joke Presents: This Better Be Funny with David Letterman event in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 7.
The 76-year-old explained that he actually met Martin in the '80s after appearing on Letterman's show.
“Then I flew to Los Angeles to pick up the script for Three Amigos from his house," Short said. "I walked in and saw all this incredible art and said, 'How did you get this rich? Because I've seen your act.' "
Martin Short and Steve Martin in 1986
Credit: Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch via Getty
He then told Letterman and the audience, “We've been close ever since.”
The pair went on to star in the 1986 film Three Amigos!, and after hitting it off on set, they became fast friends.
“One thing about movies is you spend months together and then never see each other again. Steve and I made a conscious decision not to let that happen," Short said.
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Short told Letterman they have "probably done 35 shows a year together for over a decade."
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"The titles keep changing. The Dukes of Funnytown. Two Wild and Crazy Guys. Things like that," he joked.
In addition to touring together, the Father of the Bride actors have worked together on Only Murders in the Building — co-created byMartin and John Hoffman, with Short as an executive producer — since 2021.
Martin Short and Steve Martin in 2024
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
When talking to PEOPLE in 2022, Martin noted that, "There's just an ease between us. Sometimes, I'll hang out with Marty and I'll realize I haven't laughed that hard in two months. And that just feels great."
Meanwhile, Short previously told PEOPLE in 2019 that "Steve's best quality is who he is as a man."
"He's very moral, he's very loyal, very, very ethical. And this is beyond all that talent," he shared.
Steve Martin and Martin Short in 1994
Credit: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Martin echoed those same sentiments, calling his longtime friend "the perfect person."
"He's smart, he's funny," the Cheaper by the Dozen star continued. "He has many friends. He's the most popular guy at your dinner party. If he's coming to a dinner party, it's a better dinner party. If Marty can't come, you cancel the party."
Short's upcoming Netflix documentary film, Marty, Life Is Short, hits the platform on May 12.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: May 9, 2026 at 12:09PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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