Steve Martin’s week in focus: tribute onstage, tour dates, and “Only Murders” Season 6 shift

Steve Martin’s current run of live dates took on an unexpectedly emotional tone after he and longtime collaborator Martin Short paused their show in Austin, Texas, to honor Catherine O’Hara just hours after news of her death. The tribute moment—brief, unscripted, and visibly felt in the room—has become the dominant headline around Martin this week, even as his calendar remains packed with tour stops and a busy television schedule ahead.

The response has also revived attention around Martin’s recent public appearances and how he’s balancing touring with ongoing work on the hit whodunit comedy series that has kept him in weekly conversation for several years.

Onstage tribute after Catherine O’Hara’s death

During their Friday night show on January 30, 2026 (ET), Martin and Short raised a glass and addressed the crowd with a short remembrance of O’Hara, their longtime friend and collaborator. The moment spread quickly online, in part because O’Hara’s work sits at the intersection of the same comedy community that shaped Martin’s career for decades—ensemble improv, character comedy, and the kind of show-business friendships that span generations.

The tribute also resonated because it landed in the middle of a live run, not at an awards show or formal memorial. It read as a simple gesture: a pause in the act, a few words, a toast, and a return to the performance—exactly the kind of understated farewell audiences tend to remember.

Tour schedule: more dates, same two-man chemistry

Martin remains on the road with Short on their two-man variety-style show, a format built around stand-up, banter, and shared stories from decades in comedy and film. The schedule listed publicly for early 2026 shows additional U.S. dates through late winter, with at least one next stop highlighted for Friday, February 27, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. (ET equivalent), following the late-January Texas run.

The tour’s durability is part of the story. Martin has largely stepped away from traditional stand-up tours in recent years, but this format—paired with Short—has become a reliable live draw, mixing nostalgia with a surprisingly current pace. The onstage chemistry is the product: quick, rehearsed enough to feel tight, loose enough to feel risky.

Television: “Only Murders” Season 6 relocation

Martin’s other major lane remains the mystery-comedy series he leads with Short and Selena Gomez. The show has been officially renewed for Season 6, and the next chapter is expected to shift settings to the United Kingdom, with London featured as the new focal point. The move is significant both creatively and logistically: a change of location can refresh a long-running formula, but it also means a different production footprint and scheduling demands.

For Martin, the relocation reinforces how the series has evolved from a “comeback vehicle” into a sustained pillar of his late-career work—one that now must coexist with live dates, writing, and the constant churn of press cycles that follow a hit show.

Health chatter and what’s actually confirmed

Search interest around Martin’s health spikes whenever there’s a cancellation or a noticeable gap in appearances. The most concrete recent episode in public view came from late 2025, when Martin had to cancel a pair of shows after testing positive for COVID. Since then, his return to public appearances and continued touring suggests he recovered and resumed work.

Beyond that, there has been no detailed, ongoing medical disclosure tied to early February 2026. As always with celebrity health rumors: if a detail isn’t publicly confirmed by Martin or his representatives, it’s best treated as unverified.

What to watch next

Martin’s next few months look defined by two things: whether the tour continues uninterrupted and how production timing lines up for the next season of the mystery series.

A few developments to keep an eye on:

• Whether additional tour legs are added beyond the currently listed early-2026 dates

• Whether the television schedule forces longer breaks between live appearances

• How the show’s London setting changes the tone and pacing audiences expect

• Whether Martin chooses to address the O’Hara tribute further, or lets the onstage moment stand on its own

For now, the headline is less about reinvention and more about continuity: Martin is still working at a high clip, still drawing crowds live, and still anchoring a major scripted series—while also, in a single toast, reminding audiences how closely knit the comedy world can be.

Sources consulted: Steve Martin official website, Disney Press, People Magazine, Deadline