Why Meryl Streep and Martin Short’s Friendship Keeps Us Guessing
Oh, fantastic. The world’s grasping at straws over two seasoned actors who’d rather sip tea than spill it. Meryl Streep and Martin Short have fans losing their minds, convinced the pair’s cozy public moments must mean more than just friendship. But before you ditch your day job to ship this duo, let me break down the painfully obvious: they’re pals—and they’re enjoying the chaos.
Let’s get the hard facts on the table. The duo lit up the 2024 Golden Globes, strolling arm in arm, prompting a rep to clarify they’re “very good friends, nothing more.” Short doubled down on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast (Jan. 28, 2024), grumbling, “We’re not a couple. We are just very close friends.” Sure, because nothing screams romance like a middle-finger salute to dating rumors.
Their only crime? Playing lovers on Only Murders in the Building. Oliver and Loretta fell for each other on screen, sealed the deal with a season four wedding, and apparently spilled some on-set affection into real life. Their New York City May smooch? Exhibit A. But let’s be real: that was just them embracing their characters. Still, the Internet swooned.
The timeline of this so-called “bromance” reads like a gossip columnist’s dream. Broadway outings to Merrily We Roll Along in March 2024, hand-holding on the Only Murders season four premiere and after-party, side-by-side seating at the 2024 Emmys, and that rare Santa Monica dinner paparazzi frenzy last October. Amy Schumer even quipped to People, “There’s really no one funnier to sit next to than Marty Short. I think that the tea is, I think Marty might be off the market.” Because when your friend of nearly a decade is hilarious, obviously you’re off the market.
Then there’s Steve Martin, the trio’s honorary third wheel. He posted a 2023 Broadway photo with Streep and Short, plastered a “no” symbol over his own face, and unleashed a commenter frenzy. Nothing like a little mischief to keep the rumor mill spinning.
But here’s the unvarnished truth: these two icons have admired each other since 2015, when Streep applauded Short’s Broadway romp in It’s Only a Play. They’ve shared galas, cast parties, even Diane Keaton’s AFI tribute in 2017. Their professional bond dates to their 2015 stage show An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life, which spawned an Emmy-nominated Netflix special in 2018. So naturally, their bond “always grows,” as Short sniffed in August, “if you work with someone and love that person.”
Reluctantly, I’ll admit their camaraderie is a masterclass in mutual respect and comic timing. But let’s not crown Cupid just yet. This saga is exactly why the Internet can’t have nice things—and why I told you so.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! Online, People Magazine, Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
