Martin Short is reminiscing about his time with the late Gilda Radner, shedding some rare light on their on-again, off-again relationship.
During a recent appearance on the Tuesday, March 18 episode of Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast, Short, now 74, fondly recalled the moments that made Radner unforgettable to him.
Short mentioned how Radner had a magnetic charm that made everyone around her adore her. He reminisced about a rehearsal when Radner, excited to meet him, greeted him with a warm "Hi, Marty, I'm so happy to be here" with a finger on her forehead, but soon pulled back, hilariously revealing a pimple."She was just so original... I fell for her madly," he admitted.
Short was 22 when he first dated Radner, who was four years older. Despite their deep connection, they often found themselves breaking up only to reconnect a few years later. He explained that during their time together, Radner had emotional highs and lows, while he was still grieving the loss of his parents. He said that at the time, he couldn't understand why Radner, with all her talent and fame, had moments of unhappiness.
"One of the issues that Gilda and I had, what 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.' But I was only 22. I didn't understand," Short said in the podcast.
Radner, who went on to marry Gene Wilder in 1984, died in 1989 at the age of 42 from ovarian cancer. Later in life, Short went on to marry Nancy Dolman, who also tragically passed from ovarian cancer in 2010. The couple shared three adopted children; Katherine, 41, Oliver, 38, and Henry, 35.
Short has been rumored to be dating his Only Murders in the Building costar Meryl Streep, though he has continued to deny the rumors. Despite the denial, the actor has been spotted with Streep, 75, on multiple occasions –– the duo most recently enjoyed a night out in New York which included a Broadway show and a Saturday Night Live taping.
