Martin Short and Meryl Streep co-star on the most recent season of Only Murders In the Building, where they have a kind of will they-won’t they thing going on. In real life, Short insisted that they won’t. Or…aren’t. Or…weren’t last month, at least, after they were seated together at the Golden Globes, sparking speculation about a romantic relationship between the two.  

Then, on Wednesday evening, the duo was spotted at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, California with a group of friends. They both wore sensible shoes and big smiles. Surely this couldn’t be connected to Streep, 74, and Short, 73, being long-time veterans of the same industry, friends, and co-stars in the upcoming fourth season of Only Murders in the Building, could it? (It…it definitely could.) 

Even denials straight from the proverbial horse's mouth haven't stymied the internet's desire to see these two as more than friends. Last month, Short appeared on the Club Random with Bill Maher podcast where he denied any rumors of a romantic relationship between the actors. “We’re not a couple. We are just very close friends," he said. 

The idea of a relationship between the two caught fire following their appearance at the Golden Globes, where they were seated together at the Only Murders in the Building table and were seen smiling, laughing, and being friendly, all while daring to be close in age. Other things they have in common: Understanding that they both make a living pretending to be other people, having prior marriages, and having the same initials. Both even allegedly eat meals, probably more than once a day. Surely there couldn't only be platonic, good-looking, well-respected friends who occasionally enjoy group pasta outings together in the building, right? 

Despite the mutual mastication and all other “evidence,” Short's rep issued a denial to media after the awards show, saying, “They are just good friends, nothing more.”

Short was previously married to Nancy Dolman until her death from ovarian cancer in 2010. Streep married Don Gummer in 1978, but confirmed in October 2023 that the two had been quietly separated from each other for “more than six years.”

Representatives for Meryl Streep and Martin Short did not respond to a request for comment.