Comedian and actor Martin Short is the host of ABC’s game show, Match Game, which premiered on July 23, 2025. The Emmy, Tony, and SAG Award-winning star replaced the previous host, Alec Baldwin, who helmed the series from 2016 to 2021. In an interview with TVLine, published on July 2, 2025, Martin revealed why he accepted fronting the game show, and more.

Martin had recently wrapped up the shooting of season 5 of the drama series Only Murders in the Building. When asked why he jumped straight into a new project, the comedian said:

“The hustle is real. I know! It’s real and maybe pathetic, but that’s me.”

Martin is set to oversee a season featuring a diverse lineup of celebrity guests, including his Only Murders in the Building podcast partner, Selena Gomez. Each week, four contestants will compete to win the $25,000 cash prize by correctly matching the answers of six celebrities in a game of fill-in-the-blank.

Match Game is produced by FredmantleMedia North America with Martin and Alycia Rossiter serving as producers. They previously worked on ABC series such as Generation Gap and Supermarket Sweep.

Match Game host Martin Short discusses guests, hosting responsibilities, and more

Martin set the record straight by stating that he took on the hosting duty of Match Game because of “the hustle.” Despite being part of various projects throughout his career, fronting a game show was a new experience for the comedian. As a result, he wanted to give it a try.

Martin’s Only Murders in the Building co-star, Selena Gomez, is set to appear on the competition show; however, the same cannot be said about his other co-star, Steve Martin. When asked if the latter was “too good” for game shows, Martin said:

“Yeah, he’s too good for a game show. You nailed it.”

He implied that while Selena was “all game and totally fun,” Steve had just finished shooting, so he did not consider appearing on the ABC series. While reflecting on his own decision to host Match Game, Martin admitted that it was “insanity” to accept a new project so soon.

Martin has a diverse portfolio, which includes sitcoms, sketch comedy, animation, drama, hosting a talk show, Broadway, and more. When asked if there was a job he had not been offered yet, Martin jokingly mentioned that it would be as an adult entertainer. However, on a more serious note, he stated that he had never hosted a game show before.

Despite it being his first time, the Match Game host liked the risks that came with it.

“I like the looseness of it, but also there’s danger in doing something that you don’t know [about]. You only find out at the end of the experience whether it was a good decision or not. That is always exciting to me,” he explained.

He further revealed that the game show was “pretty free-form,” debunking rumors about the series being scripted. Martin explained that while the questions were written and the game itself followed a structure, everything else happened “in the moment.”

While speaking about the skinny microphone used in the original 1962 Match Game, Martin mentioned that it was “gone.” He further joked that if production allowed ashtrays and drinking on set as in the original season, he would get the mic himself.

Match Game airs every Wednesday at 9 pm ET only on ABC. The episodes can be streamed on Hulu.