Are Meryl Streep and Martin Short Dating? Inside the Costars’ Romance Rumors After Appearances Together

In season 3 of Only Murders in the Building, Martin Short’s vibrant Oliver Putnam romanced Meryl Streep’s quirky Loretta Durkin. Fans have been wondering if art has imitated real life, questioning whether or not the pair are dating.

Are Meryl Streep and Martin Short Dating?

Prior to sharing the screen in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, Martin and Meryl both established themselves as Hollywood icons. The Canadian actor conquered the Saturday Night Live stage in the ‘80s and later found a home on Broadway. Similarly, Meryl’s big break came in the late ‘70s with her role in The Deer Hunter while balancing a Broadway career.

The two powerhouse performers united in the comedy-mystery series, also starring Steve Martin and Selena Gomez, in 2023. Steve, one of Martin’s closest Hollywood friends, previously worked with Meryl in the 2009 rom-com It’s Complicated.

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Meryl actually reached out to Martin and Steve about her love for Only Murders in the Building before joining the cast.

“[Executive producers] Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal and I, after season 2, got together and started talking about this opener that introduced this actress into the world,” cocreator John Hoffman told Variety in August 2023 of how Meryl’s role came to be. “I said to Dan, ‘Well, what would be dreamy for the person who never got their break, is if Meryl Streep played this.’ He’s like, ‘’Yeah, good luck with that, John.’ And then it was a matter of two weeks that Meryl was calling Marty and Steve, just to say that she likes the show.”

Meryl earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work on the series. At the January 2024 ceremony, she sat next to Martin in the audience. The camera panned to them throughout the night as they cheered on their Hollywood pals.

Rumors began swirling that the pair were more than just friends after the outing. The speculation led Martin to speak out via a statement through his rep saying the duo “are just very good friends, nothing more.”

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Martin further denounced the romance rumors during an appearance on Bill Maher‘s “Club Random” podcast later that month. Bill referred to Martin and Meryl as a “power couple,” which led the Three Amigos actor to shut down the rumor mill.

“We’re not a couple,” he assured listeners. “We are just very close friends.”

After the comment was made, Bill decided he wasn’t ready to ditch the topic just yet, trying to encourage the pair to date while working together in Hollywood.

“Well, you should because there’s nothing more powerful in Hollywood than a power couple,” the commentator joked. “It worked for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, it worked for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.”

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In October 2023, the Oscar winner announced that she and her husband, Don Gummer, were no longer together.

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“Don Gummer and Meryl Streep have been separated for more than 6 years, and while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart,” a spokesperson for the movie star told Page Six at the time.

Despite their split after four decades of marriage, Meryl still wears her wedding ring “out of habit,” an insider told Closer that month. As for Martin’s relationship history, he was married to his wife, Nancy Dolman, from 1980 up until her death in 2010 from ovarian cancer.

They Stepped Out on the Red Carpet Together

In March 2024, an insider revealed that the duo were spending more time together.

“Actions are more powerful than words, and these two’s actions say there is something going on!” the source told Closer. “Let them label their ‘special’ relationship whatever they want. The indisputable truth is they are enjoying spending more and more time alone together.”

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In August 2024, Meryl and Martin attended the season 4 premiere of Only Murders in the Building. The pair were seen holding hands in photos and videos captured while walking on the red carpet with huge smiles on their faces.

Just days before cozying up during the public appearance together, The Hollywood Reporter published an interview with Martin, in which he maintained that they were just “friends.”

In the same interview, he reflected on experiencing grief after losing Nancy.

“It was absolutely horrible, obviously, and as sad as anything, but I will tell you what I said to my kids at the time: ‘I believe Mom has zoomed into our souls’ … We were together for 36 years. I didn’t want to forget Nancy,” he said.

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While both parties denied dating rumors, a second insider doubled down on the speculation.

“They knew exactly what they were doing by coming out on stage holding hands. It was their way of basically telling everyone that there’s a lot more to their relationship, and that they’re falling in love,” insider No. 2 exclusively told Closer on September 4, 2024.

However, Meryl’s rep later told Closer that she is “just friends” with Martin.

One week later, a third source even joked that Martin and Meryl have “been joking with friends that they’re the new Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.”

They Sat Together at the 2024 Emmy Awards

Martin and Meryl sat next to each other at the Emmys inside the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024.

Like their Only Murders In the Building costars, the pair didn’t walk the red carpet together.

Martin introduced the Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series alongside Selena and Steve on stage. After announcing The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the winner, Martin headed toward Meryl before taking his seat. The moment made its rounds on social media, leading fans to further believe that they brought their oncamera romance into their personal lives.