Meryl Streep and Martin Short: Inside the simmering rumors of a romance between two Hollywood stars | Explained

Meryl Streep is widely considered one of the greatest actresses of all time. Martin Short is praised in Hollywood for his comedic genius. Together they would be an unbeatable duo – or maybe they already are?

Streep, 75, and Short, 74 – both of whom will be attending this year’s Emmy Awards – have been friends for more than nine years, but rumors have been circulating since the beginning of the year that there is more between them than that.

Their long-standing friendship, the undeniable chemistry on screen in Only murders in the building and the fact that they are both single (unless???) are the perfect combination to fuel the simmering rumors of a romance.

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There is also a sweet moment on the red carpet where the two experienced actors hold hands and sing openly Together (wherever we go) and you have found a surefire way to absolutely convince fans of Mertin… or Maryl… or Shreep (we're still working on that).

And even though Streep and Short's teams have agreed to put an end to the sizzling rumors, fans are still watching their every move for even the slightest hint that they might actually turn their on-screen love story into reality.

So how did this come about?

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To understand the rumors of a romance, we have to go back to this year Golden Globe which took place on January 7th.

While Streep and Short have been linked since at least 2015, when they posed backstage at the Broadway show It's just a game and spend a lot of time together since Selena Gomez announced that Streep had joined the cast of Only murders in the buildingRumors of a romance between the two date back to the glamorous celebrity awards ceremony earlier this year.

Short, whose wife Nancy Dolman died in 2010, and Streep, who confirmed last October that she had separated from her husband Don Gummer six years ago, took part in the event and posed together for the photographers.

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But it wasn't her color-coordinated appearance at the event that aroused suspicion.

On a separate table: Short and Streep's co-star Gomez was engrossed in a conversation with her friend and a world star Taylor Swift.

Footage of the moment quickly circulated on social media, and celebrity sleuths online began speculating that she was gossiping about Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet.

To dispel the rumors, Gomez makes things clear.

“Noooo, I told Taylor about two of my friends who were dating. Not that it's anyone else's business,” she replied to a Instagram caption by E-News.

While that ended the Jenner/Chalamet talk, the focus quickly shifted to Streep and Short. Streep's recently announced single status, their seemingly growing friendship, and Gomez's professional closeness to the two all fit the bill, leading fans to believe that Streep and Short were the well-known duo Gomez was referring to.

But shortly after the Golden Globes fiasco, a spokesman for Short People that the two are “just very good friends, nothing more”.

In the same month Short himself addressed the rumors chatting with Bill Maher in his podcast Club Coincidence.

“We are not a couple. We are just very close friends,” he said.

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All stars at the premiere of “Only Murders in the Building”

A spokesman for Streep has also commented on the rumors that Page Six that “they are just friends”.

Since denying the rumors, Streep and Short have continued to enjoy each other's company – they were spotted having dinner with friends at a Santa Monica restaurant and, on another occasion, spent an evening together at a Broadway show.

But as often happens, rumors about their romance only simmered until they flared up again in August, when the duo attended the premiere of Only murders in the building, season 4The couple walked hand in hand down the red carpet and seemed very happy in each other's company – thus reigniting the rumor mill.

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Although Short had spoken in an interview with The Hollywood ReporterFans were not easily convinced and the rumors persisted when Short shared his love for his worldwide sensation co-star in an interview with Extra.

“I think a friendship always grows when you work with someone and like that person,” he said.

Rare date night for the couple after secret wedding a year ago

Both Streep and Short, who continue to insist that their love is purely platonic, were nominated for Emmy Awards for their respective films. Only murders in the building roles and will likely make another friendly appearance at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Monday.

Whether there's any truth to the simmering romance rumors or whether Streep and Short are really just good friends having fun together in the spotlight, we can only hope to see more cute moments from the duo in the future.

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