Meryl Streep and Martin Short: From Co-Stars to Real-Life Couple?

What started as a denial two years ago might actually be becoming the real thing. Meryl Streep and Martin Short, both 76, were spotted getting cozy in a London restaurant over the weekend, and the body language tells a story their reps have been dodging since January 2024.

The pair, who star together on the Netflix series Only Murders in the Building, were photographed side-by-side with Streep resting her shoulder on Short’s chest as they both gazed at a phone screen. A fan who happened upon them posted the image on X, initially mistaking Short for Streep’s husband—a detail worth noting, given that Streep split from Don Gummer in 2023 and Short has been single since his wife Nancy Dolman died in 2010. When the rumors first surfaced at the Golden Globes, both camps shut it down hard. A representative said at the time,“They are just very good friends, nothing more.”But then something shifted.

The evidence started piling up. Amy Schumer went on record in February 2025 saying she thought Short was“off the market”after spotting him with Streep at Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary celebrations. During promotion for Only Murders, the two showed repeated displays of public affection—hand-holding, lingering moments, the kind of stuff that doesn’t typically happen between“very good friends.”Then came Short’s June 2025 appearance on the“Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend”podcast, where he revealed he’d been genuinely nervous working with Streep on the show. But here’s the kicker: Streep calmed his nerves on set by simply saying,“OK, nerves to half.”The chemistry was undeniable even in his telling of it.

The London sighting matters because it’s not a one-off. Streep and Short have been repeat customers at Giorgio Baldi, the star-studded Los Angeles restaurant, where they’ve been spotted leaving together multiple times in recent months. They even attended the opening night of Tom Hanks’play This World of Tomorrow together in November, posing for a backstage photo alongside Hanks, his wife Rita Wilson, Steve Martin, Anne Stringfield, and Chet Hanks. This isn’t sneaking around; this is showing up.

Whether they’re officially a couple or the world’s most affectionate friendship remains to be seen. But at 76, both with decades of legendary careers behind them, there’s something genuinely sweet about two talented people finding companionship in each other. Only Murders in the Building is currently filming its sixth season in London—the show’s first filming location outside the U.S.—and if nothing else, the cozy London restaurant moment suggests the set chemistry is translating just fine off-camera.