Martin Short is filling in for Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” this week, but it seems the actor may not exactly be thrilled about it. On Tuesday night, he joked that he’s “been trying to get COVID” in order to get out of the rest of his hosting stint.
The joke came right at the start of his monologue, as Short explained why he was there for a second night in a row. The actor joked that he “got such rave reviews from last night’s show” that he couldn’t stop, despite knowing he was out of his element.
“I know what you’re all thinking: Martin Short is way too famous to be doing this,” Short joke. “And I am, so goodnight everybody!”
And with that, Short pretended to exit the stage, running out of frame for a few seconds before returning.
When he did return, he admitted to the audience that hosting was no small feat, and “revealed” that he’s been actively trying to get out of it — in fairly dramatic ways.
“This is my second night here, and I have to say, it’s even harder than Jimmy makes it look. Ever since I agreed to host the show, I’ve been trying to get COVID,” Short joked. “But I didn’t, so here I am!”
At that, the actor faked a sneeze before poking fun at the fact that COVID is even still a possibility.
You can watch Martin Short’s full monologue on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in the video above.