Meryl Streep and Martin Short Hold Hands at Premiere Party After Shutting Down Dating Rumors

Only sweethearts in the building?

Only Murders in the Building costars Meryl Streep and Martin Short did nothing to quell romance rumors at an after-party for their Hulu show’s season four premiere. The film and TV veterans were filmed walking to the event hand-in-hand on Aug. 22 in a Deadline video posted on X (formerly Twitter), after previously dismissing rumors that they are dating.

Amid speculation that the Mamma Mia star was dating the Father of the Bride actor back in January, his rep denied the reports, telling E! News at the time "They are just very good friends, nothing more."

In fact, hours before the premiere party, Short once again shut down relationship speculation, assuring The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Aug. 22 that they really are just pals.

Although, while at the Los Angeles premiere, the costars posed alongside Selena Gomez and Steven Martin and goofed off together for some solo shots.

Rumors of a budding romance between the two reached a peak on social media during the 2024 Golden Globes, as viewers weighed in with possible clues that the pair were more than colleagues.

At that time, fans new Meryl was single, given that a spokesperson for the 75-year-old actress confirmed in late 2023 that Streep and her estranged husband Don Gummer had been separated for six years. The exes share son Henry Wolfe, 44, and daughters Mamie Gummer, 41, Grace Gummer, 38, Louisa Jacobson, 33. As for Short, his wife, Nancy Dolman, died in 2010 after a battle with cancer. Short and Dolman welcomed three kids via adoption prior to her death— Katherine Elizabeth, 40, Oliver Patrick, 38, and Henry Hayter, 35.

Despite denying romance rumors in real life, the actors’ characters explored a romance on screen during season 3 of OMITB.

"It's pretty unexpected to imagine a pairing of Meryl Streep with Martin Short and watch them find this incredible connection together," OMITB's John Hoffman told TheWrap in August 2023, "and, as Meryl said, to not have it be twee or about the age or about any of that."