Martin Short reflects on 'emotional ups and downs' of ex-girlfriend Gilda Radner: 'I fell for her, madly'

Yahoo

24-03-2025

Martin Short has fond memories of late Saturday Night Live cast member Gilda Radner.
Short described Radner, who died in 1989, as "just so original," and reminisced on "the size of her purse" and the "fullness of her hair" on a recent episode of Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast. "And, you know, I fell for her madly,"
Watch the conversation below, with the part about Radner beginning about 38 minutes in.
"She was just ... I've said this before, but every girl wanted to be her best friend," said Short, who was later an SNL cast member himself. "And every guy wanted to go out with her."
The two began dating when he was 22 and she was 26, after meeting in a Toronto production of Godspell in 1972. They dated on and off for a couple of years, but it ultimately didn't work out.
Related: Original SNL cast members Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman honor late costar Gilda Radner at 50th anniversary special
"Gilda had, you know, emotional ups and downs," Short explained. "And I had just gone through a period where my parents had died, and my mother had died. And all she wanted to do was live. And she was the happiest person in the world."
The Only Murders in the Building star's brother died when he was 12, followed by his mother and his father, when he was 17 and 20."So, to me, one of the issues that Gilda and I had, that we'd have fights about was, I think, 'What do you have to be not happy about? You're talented. You have family money. Everyone loves you. Everyone wants to be your friend. Everyone wants to date you. No one is funnier. you get the biggest laughs of anyone on stage. You know? But I was only 22. I didn't understand."
Radner was part of the "Not Ready for Prime-Time Players" chosen for SNL's debut in 1975. Her characters such as Baba Wawa and Roseanne Roseannadanna made her a fan favorite. She went on to star in movies including The Woman in Red and Haunted Honeymoon.
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While it didn't work out between her and Short, she went on to marry and divorce former SNL bandleader G.E. Smith. She married late actor Gene Wilder in 1984, and they were together until she died of ovarian cancer at 42.
Meanwhile, Short married actress and singer Nancy Dolman, who was also part of the Godspell cast, in 1980. They were together until she died in 2010.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly