Another award show has come and gone, and you know what that means: renewed speculation about America’s favorite rumored couple, Meryl Streep and Martin Short. Last night at the Emmys, after Short presented the award for Best Supporting Actor in a comedy series with his Only Murders in the Building co-stars, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez, he took his seat in the audience — right next to Streep.
On the one hand, it’s perfectly natural that Streep and Short would be seated together since she recently guest-starred on the latest season of OMITB and the two had an onscreen romance. On the other hand, both in-person attendees and viewers at home noted their visible chemistry on X:
The pair first began to spark rumors with their in-show romance, especially after Streep announced her longtime separation from husband Don Gummer in October 2023. The dating rumors picked up when they appeared cozy at the Golden Globes and the AFI Awards in January, though at the time, Short’s rep said the two were “just very good friends, nothing more.” Short repeated this later that month on Bill Maher’s podcast, saying: “We’re not a couple. We are just very close friends.”
In May, Short told People he isn’t particularly bothered by the rumors. “She’s fabulous. There’s no one who doesn’t adore her,” he said. They were also recently spotted holding hands at the August after-party for the premiere of the newest season of OMITB:
Whatever their relationship status, watching them interact kept me awake and alert throughout last night’s underwhelming ceremony, and for that I applaud them.