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Updated Oct 14, 2024Meryl Streep and Martin Short Are the Celebrity Couple We're All Rooting For
Are they dating? In a situationship? Here's what we know about their elusive relationship status.
Photo: Kevin Winter | Getty Images
While new celebrity pairings make headlines on a near-constant basis, one famous couple has us swooning more than others: Meryl Streep and Martin Short. The illustrious actors, ages 76 and 75 respectively, sparked dating rumors in 2024 not long after Streep joined Only Murders in the Building as Short's on-screen love interest. The timing made sense, considering she had just split from her husband of 40 years, Don Gummer, and he hadn't publicly dated since his wife, Nancy Dolman, passed away from ovarian cancer in 2010.
While the A-listers have continued to insist their relationship is strictly friendly, insiders have alluded to the seriousness of their connection. "Meryl couldn't help but fall for Martin," a source told Page Six in March 2025. "He is a gentleman, he keeps her laughing and is an all-around positive person. She loves being around him."
So, is Meryl Streep dating Martin Short? Are they in one of the most public situationships of all time? We explore this famous couple's romance here, breaking down their complete relationship timeline, along with key tidbits revealed about their relationship.
- Meryl Streep and Martin Short have known each other since at least 2015, when they were photographed together at a Broadway show in New York City.
- Martin Short and Meryl Streep first sparked romance rumors in 2024 shortly after she joined his Hulu series Only Murders in the Building.
- While their reps have stated that Meryl Streep and Martin Short are just friends, a source told The Globe in July 2025 that there's more to the story. "It's not a secret that they're together, but it's also not something they want to be forced to address," they said.
In this article:
How Meryl Streep and Martin Short Met
Photo: Bruce Glikas | FilmMagic
We don't know exactly how or when Meryl Streep and Martin Short met. Their first public interaction took place in February 2015, when they were photographed backstage at his Broadway show It's Only a Play.
Meryl Streep and Martin Short's Relationship Timeline
Over the last 10 years, Meryl Streep and Martin Short have been seen together quite a few times, especially after she joined Only Murders in the Building. Look back at their complete relationship timeline here.
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February 2015: Meryl Streep Supports Martin Short at His Broadway Show
We can trace this celebrity romance back to 2015. The first public indication of Meryl Streep and Martin Short's relationship began in 2015, when they were photographed at the Broadway show It's Only a Play. Short was starring in the production at the time, and Streep spent time with him backstage after.
June 2017: Meryl Streep and Martin Short Attend an Event Together
Photo: Christopher Polk | Getty Images for Turner
Two years later, Short and Streep sat next to each other at an event honoring their mutual friend Diane Keaton. Short's bestie Steve Martin was also at the table…talk about star power.
January 2023: Meryl Streep Joins Only Murders in the Building
Photo: Michael Kovac | Getty Images for AFI
In January 2023, Selena Gomez revealed that Meryl Streep would be joining the cast of Only Murders in the Building for the show's third season. Short opened up about the casting decision to People, noting that she had no idea she'd be playing his on-screen love interest. "The story with Meryl is she phoned me and said, 'I want to be on it,'" he recalled. "They already planned that I would have a theatrical experience and there would be a love interest. So that was coincidental, but she just wanted to be on the show. She didn't know about [the love story]."
Later that summer, the series' showrunner John Hoffman revealed that Short and Streep's chemistry was obvious from the very beginning. "It's pretty unexpected to imagine a pairing of Meryl Streep with Martin Short and watch them find this incredible connection together and, as Meryl said, to not have it be twee or about the age or about any of that," he told The Wrap. "It's just a beautiful romance that you buy, I think because of who these two characters are."
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October 2023: Meryl Streep Splits From Don Gummer
In the fall of 2023, Page Six reported that Meryl Streep had split from Don Gummer, her husband of 40 years. (Up until this point, they shared one of the longest marriages in Hollywood.) While the revelation was news to the public, the insider said that they had actually been separated for six years, "and while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart." Their last public appearance together was the 2018 Oscar Awards.
January 2024: Meryl Streep and Martin Short Attend the Golden Globes Together
Photo: Francis Specker/CBS | Getty Images
After filming for OMITB wrapped, Streep and Short took on awards season together. The pair sat next to each other at the Golden Globes in January 2024. While their sweet interactions sent the public abuzz with romance speculation, Short's rep told People they "are just very good friends, nothing more."
They continued to spend more time together throughout the spring. In February, they were spotted on a dinner date with friends in Santa Monica. The next month, they enjoyed a production of Merrily We Roll Along in New York and posed with performers together backstage.
May 2024: Martin Short Addresses Meryl Streep Romance Rumors
Photo: Stefanie Keenan | Getty Images for FIJI Water
Amid their publicity tour, Short coyly addressed romance speculation when asked by a People reporter. "It's always interesting. Show business relationships and spec," he said. "She's fabulous. There's no one who doesn't adore her."
August 2024: Meryl Streep and Martin Short Hold Hands at OMITB Premiere
Further fueling confusion about their relationship, Streep and Short held hands at the season four premiere party for Only Murders in the Building. They continued to deflect, though, and that very same day, Short insisted their relationship was strictly friendly in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
The same month, he divulged more about the nature of their connection in a conversation with Extra: "I think a friendship always grows if you work with someone and love that person."
February 2025: Meryl Streep and Martin Short Spend Valentine's Day Together
Despite their constant assurance that they really are just friends, Streep and Short did spend Valentine's Day together in 2025. The couple was spotted in the crowd at the SNL50 concert, and when the camera panned over to them, Streep jokingly held her middle finger up to the camera. TMZ captured them attending another Saturday Night Live taping in March, and that same day they attended a showing of Oh Mary! too.
June 2025: Martin Short Discusses Working With Meryl Streep
Photo: TheStewartofNY | GC Images
One month after they were spotted kissing while filming a scene for OMITB, Short stopped by Conan O'Brien's podcast. He discussed his experience working alongside Streep, saying, "I remember the first day working with Meryl and driving to the studio and thinking, 'I'm nervous today.' I hadn't been nervous going to the set for a long time. Oh yeah...it's Mery Streep."
He continued, "The first scene we shot in Only Murders was a scene where we're at the piano, and we're flirting a little bit. The first shot set up is to me, so pressure's on me, and then we break down so that they can reverse the cameras and do her side. We go into the holding area, and she just says, 'Okay, nerves to half.' I go, 'Wait a second, I was nervous. You can't be nervous.'"
