Martin Short accidentally slices Selena Gomez's wedding cake, thought it was part of the dessert spread

Jan 23, 2026

Washington DC [US], January 23 : Actor-comedian Martin Short just revealed that he accidentally cut into Selena Gomez's wedding cake and almost spoiled it.
The 75-year-old actor shared the hilarious story as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on January 21. According to PEOPLE, Short revealed that the mix-up happened at Gomez and Benny Blanco's wedding reception in Santa Barbara, California, last September.
"The wedding was perfect, and it was beautiful... So everything was perfect, except the night of the reception," Short told the audience as he began his story.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTzQEYrkY-1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
He went on to share that the party had big tents with small lounge areas in the back. Short was sitting with friends from Only Murders in the Building, including Steve Martin and Paul Rudd.
"And there was a wedding cake by our section, but it was a small wedding cake. I just assumed there was a wedding cake for each section in the back," Short said, as the crowd laughed.
Short said he had a fork in his hand and thought it would be nice to offer cake. "Maybe I'd had a cocktail, I don't know. So I said, 'Oh Steve, you can't leave' -- I had a fork in my hand. 'You can't leave yet without a piece of wedding cake.' And I cut the wedding cake, one side, cut it the other, and then all the people in our group screamed, 'Marty!' "
Short then added, "It was the wedding cake."
A photo of the cake appeared on the display during the show as he narrated the story, showing a big slice missing from the side.
"I tried to fix it with a fork," Short said. "This was bad. This was about an hour before it was to be presented."
The wedding team was called in, and the chef worked on the cake to repair it. "Then they did surgery," Short joked. "It ended up being like a Hollywood wedding cake... it was beautiful, but now it had a little work done." Short also said they didn't want Gomez to find out right away. "I kept saying, 'Guys, we can't let Selena know,'" he shared.
Gomez announced her wedding last year in September with a series of pictures that she shared on Instagram.