2025 Emmys: Martin Short (‘Only Murders in the Building’) Could Make History as Oldest Comedy Lead Actor Winner

Among the most familiar faces at the Emmys over the past four decades has been the iconic Martin Short.

First honored at the Emmys in 1983 with not one, not two but five bids in Variety or Music Program Writing for SCTV, this comedy legend has amassed a total of 20 career nominations, including appearances in Limited Series Supporting Actor (for Merlin), Variety Program Individual Performance (for Primetime Glick), Drama Supporting Actor (for Damages), Variety Special (for AFI Life Achievement Award: Mel Brooks and Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life), Variety Special Writing (also for An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life) and Drama Guest Actor (for The Morning Show).

Short’s most recent eight nominations have arrived in Comedy Series and Comedy Lead Actor as executive producer and star of Only Murders in the Building, on which, opposite longtime comedy partner Steve Martin, he portrays Broadway director and true crime-obsessed podcaster Oliver Putnam.

Among his 20 nominations, Short has triumphed twice – as part of the SCTV writing team and for hosting AFI Life Achievement Award: Mel Brooks. He has never, however, prevailed for his acting.

Should Short finally win for this performance, he will, at age 75, make history as the oldest Comedy Lead Actor Emmy winner, breaking the record presently held by Eugene Levy, who was 73 at the time of his victory for Schitt’s Creek.

What are the odds Short sets this new record? Let’s dive into this year’s race for Comedy Lead Actor.

It’s a lineup of leading men from programs that have earned a plethora of Emmy recognition. Alongside Short, Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This), Seth Rogen (The Studio), Jason Segel (Shrinking) and Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) all headline shows that are up for the Best Comedy Series prize.

If there’s a category favorite, it is Rogen, whose program received the most recognition (23 nominations, a healthy margin over runner-up Hacks’ 14) of any comedy series this year. If The Studio takes home the gold in Best Comedy Series, it’ll make perfect sense for its leading man to triumph as well, especially when you consider the past 10 Comedy Series winners have earned at least one leading acting prize on Emmy night. Rogen may also be seen as due for a win, having lost on his prior five career Emmy bids.

Not to be underestimated is White, this category’s winner for the past two years. Should he three-peat, he will tie Michael J. Fox (Family Ties) and Carroll O’Connor (All in the Family)’s record for most consecutive Comedy Lead Actor wins. Given voters’ affection for his performance, a third White win should not come as a shock – however, The Bear has seen some slippage in recognition, going from a record-breaking 23 Emmy nominations last year to 13 this year. Accordingly, he will enter this race in a decidedly less formidable position than past years.

Not a front-runner but still very much in the race will be Brody, who earlier this year took home the Critics’ Choice Award in Comedy Lead Actor. It should be noted, however, that only one of Brody’s Emmy competitors (Short) was a nominee at Critics’ Choice. Moreover, Nobody Wants This somewhat underperformed in Emmy nominations, scoring just three bids overall – the lowest of any Best Comedy Series contender.

Perhaps most an underdog will be Segel, whose series, with the exception of Michael Urie’s recent Critics’ Choice victory in Comedy Supporting Actor, has struggled to score award wins. That said, Shrinking did see a sizable season-to-season increase in recognition, from just two nominations in its first outing to seven bids this year, so support for the show is clearly growing. Keep an eye on both Urie and Harrison Ford in Comedy Supporting Actor, an Emmy category it is better positioned to win.

Last but hardly least is Short, who, on the heels of his surprise recent SAG Award triumph in Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series, looks to finally have a real shot at an acting Emmy win. At SAG, Short managed to best not only Brody but White as well – no small feat, given White prevailed the two years prior. If support among actors remains robust, this could be Short’s year.

There is, however, a daunting red flag – overall support for Only Murders in the Building substantially slid this year, with just seven Emmy bids, a sizable drop from its 21 nominations in 2024. Moreover, despite eight Creative Arts Emmy wins, the series has never prevailed on the main telecast, upstaged by the likes of Ted Lasso, The Bear and Hacks. For it to finally do so, when support appears to be at an all-time low, would be a bit jarring.

Ultimately, given the sky-high buzz around The Studio, this is Rogen’s to lose. That isn’t to say, however, the race isn’t competitive.

One can easily picture White winning three consecutive, as he pulled off at the Golden Globes, and the significance of Short’s SAG win cannot be overstated. He is a beloved entertainer who has worked with countless folks in the industry, including no shortage of Emmy voters. And while he may not be the front-runner, Short is likely better positioned this year, post-SAG win, than he was on his past three Comedy Lead Actor bids.

Long story short – expect Rogen to take this but keep a very close eye on both Short and White.

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Andrew Carden

Andrew Carden is a contributing writer at Gold Derby and writes about all things Oscar on his blog, The Awards Connection. When he’s not on Twitter, lamenting Thelma Ritter’s 0-for-6 record in Best Supporting Actress, Andrew works in Massachusetts politics.

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