Meet Comedy Legend

Martin Short

Martin Short, a celebrated comedian and actor, has won fans and accolades in television, film and theater since his breakout season on “Saturday Night Live” over 30 years ago. Short won his first Emmy in 1982 while working on Canada’s SCTV Comedy Network, which brought him to the attention of the producers of “SNL.” He became an “SNL” fan-favorite for his portrayal of characters such as Ed Grimley, lawyer Nathan Thurm and “legendary songwriter” Irving Cohen. His popularity and exposure on “SNL” led Short to cross over quickly into feature films. He made his debut in “Three Amigos” and followed with “Innerspace,” “Three Fugitives,” “Clifford,” “Pure Luck” and “Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks.” One of Short’s most memorable roles was in the remake of “Father of the Bride” as Franck the wedding planner, a role he reprised a few years later in “Father of the Bride Part II.” Short lent his voice to the animated film “Madagascar 3” and Tim Burton’s Oscar-nominated “Frankenweenie.”

An accomplished stage actor, Short won a Tony, Theatre World Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his role in the revival of “Little Me.” He was also nominated for a Tony and took home an Outer Critics Circle Award for the musical version of Neil Simon’s “The Goodbye Girl.” Short co-wrote and starred in “Fame Becomes Me,” prompting The New York Times to describe Short as “a natural for live musicals, a limber singer and dancer who exudes a fiery energy that makes you want to reach for your sunglasses.” Short most recently appeared on Broadway in Terrence McNally’s “It’s Only a Play.” A two-time primetime Emmy winner and multi-nominated for both primetime and daytime Emmys, Short returned to television in 1998 for the miniseries “Merlin” and host of “The Martin Short Show.” In 2001, he launched the popular comedy “Primetime Glick and in 2010 received critical acclaim for his role in FX’s drama series “Damages.”

Short has hosted “SNL” five times and was inducted into the ‘five-timers club” in 2024. He also co-hosted with Steve Martin in December 2022. Martin performed in the series’ landmark 40th anniversary special in February 2015 and also appeared most recently on SNL50. Other recent television credits include “Big Mouth”, “The Morning Show”, “Hairspray Live!” “Maya & Marty,” “Mulaney,” “How I Met Your Mother” and the critically acclaimed PBS series “Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That.” Short’s New York Times bestselling memoir, “I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend,” was published in 2014.

In 1994, Short was awarded the Order of Canada — the Canadian equivalent to British knighthood. He was also inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in June 2000. In 2017, he received a Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award from the Governor-General of Canada. Short’s 2018 Netflix special with Steve Martin titled “An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest Of Your Life” received 4 Emmy nominations in 2018. In 2019, Martin and Short launched the “Now You See Them, Soon You Won’t” tour, which visited major venues across the U.S. and Australia for the first time followed by the 2020 tour called “The Funniest Show in Town at the Moment,” their 2022-2023 tour “You Won't Believe What They Look Like Today,” as well as the 2024-2025 tour “The Dukes of Funnytown.” Martin and Short also star together in Hulu’s most-watched comedy series, Only Murders in the Building, along with Selena Gomez .

Co-Hosts

Cheryl Scott

ABC7 Chicago Meteorologist

Meteorologist Cheryl Scott joined ABC7 Eyewitness News, Chicago's #1 station for news, in December 2014. In her announcement, the ABC7 News Director described her as "an experienced and knowledgeable meteorologist who enjoys the challenge of forecasting Chicago's unpredictable weather." Scott joined ABC7 from NBC 5 in Chicago where she has been the morning and weekend meteorologist since September 2011.

Andrea Darlas

Sr. Director of Constituent Engagement
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Andrea Darlas is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning radio and television news anchor/reporter and talk show host based in Chicago. Darlas was a news anchor and reporter at WGN Radio for more than 22 years and a news reporter and weekend break/features reporter for WGN-TV for 10 years. Andrea is currently the Senior Director of Constituent Engagement for the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, based at the Illini Center in Chicago.

Stand-Up Comedians

Jim Flannigan

Jim Flannigan is a nationally touring stand-up comedian from Chicago. Known for his quick wit, face pace and clever punchlines, Jim is a regular headliner at top clubs including the legendary Improv & Zanies Comedy Clubs. He has been featured at comedy festivals across the country and is a regular performer at New York Comedy Club, The Laugh Factory and Brad Garrett's Comedy Club in Las Vegas, NV. Jim was recently seen on Nate Bargatze’s new show Nateland Presents. When not headlining his own shows, Jim has opened for some of the biggest names in comedy, including Sebastian Maniscalco, Demitri Martin, Brad Garrett and many more.

Bridget McGuire

Bridget McGuire is a storyteller and stand-up comedian based in New York. Her self-deprecating and conversational humor revolves around her life: anxiety, family, and dating - all said in her hot Chicago accent. Bridget is currently touring her solo show, Ballet Flats for Dinner about her life with OCD.