Do we like them?

Do we like Steve Martin?

Our score: 7 out of 10. Nothing harmful found and a long, well-honoured career, but the search was thin, so we hold back from the top marks.

He later softened it to simply working a little less. That's about the size of the 'news' on his career this run. His early years, from the stand-up days to the banjo, are well documented elsewhere, but we couldn't open a solid page on them this time, so we're not retelling them from memory.

The most recent item is from January 2026. Nikki Glaser told The Hollywood Reporter that Martin sent a political joke through one of her writers, then pulled it with a message relayed as “That's too far.” The content of the joke wasn't disclosed, so we can't judge it. What it does show is a comedian editing himself.

On the harm test, searches for his views on LGBTQ+ and trans people, women, climate, vaccines, migrants or politics found no statements, campaigns or donations of his own, and no run of work with people who push harm. That's an absence of evidence, not a deep dive, and we say so plainly. A 2022 apology over a tweet also surfaced in search, but we couldn't open a page on it, so it isn't weighed here.

On the good side, the Academy gave him an honorary Oscar at its Governors Awards in November 2013, with Tom Hanks presenting. That's an honour for the work rather than a kind act, and the file has no verified charity work either way. So he lands as a pass on both tests, with a modest seven because the record we could verify is short.