Martin Short Reassures Nervous Selena Gomez in Sweet Moment Before Stepping Onstage at 2024 Emmys: ‘I Got You, Baby’

Martin Short always has Selena Gomez’s back.

The Only Murders in the Building costars kicked off the 2024 Emmy Awards as they presented the night’s first award with Steve Martin. And as they walked onstage, Short, 74, reassured a nervous Gomez, 32.

“I feel like I’m about to fall,” the actress whispered to her costar, who wrapped his arm around her waist and told her, “I got you, baby.”

Fans were loving the sweet moment between the friends, with one person commenting on E! News’ post, “The uncles she didn’t know she needed ❤️,” and another writing, “They’ve totally become Selena’s [real life] grandpas and I’m all here for it 😍.”

Gomez, Short and Martin, 79, delighted the audience as they gave a hilarious introduction before presenting the award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series to Ebon Moss-Bachrach for The Bear.

Short joked that it was an “honor to be working with someone who looks like he’s fallen and can’t get up,” and Martin hit back with, “And let me say what an honor it is for me to be working with someone who looks like a former women’s tennis champion.”

Gomez then joked that the pair are close to becoming “childless cat ladies,” a dig that referenced what J.D. Vance called vice president Kamala Harris — and a phrase that her BFF Taylor Swift later used in her statement announcing her endorsement of Harris for president.

It was a big night for Gomez, who earned her first-ever acting nomination for her Only Murders role, and Short shouted her out onstage before both he and Martin agreed they’d “obviously both voted for [her].”

John Leguizamo later gave a special shout-out to the Rare Beauty mogul, too, amongst a list of the Latinx nominees, as he joked that she’s been “carrying Steve Martin and Martin Short for three whole seasons” of the Hulu show. The Encanto actor also praised Sofía Vergara, Liza Colón-Zayas, Nava Mau and Kali Reis, all of whom were up for major awards.

See PEOPLE’s full coverage of the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards as they were broadcast live on ABC from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.