No. The reporting reviewed does not show Steve Martin confirming that Meryl Streep and Martin Short are dating. E! characterized a post by Martin as a playful allusion to the rumors, while Short said in January 2024 that he and Streep were “not a couple” and “very close friends.” Later stories cited unnamed sources alleging a romance, but the pair had not publicly confirmed one in the latest report reviewed, published May 18, 2026.
What did Steve Martin say about the rumors?
E! News described Martin’s October 18, 2024 Instagram post as a playful reaction to speculation about his friends. That characterization supports calling it a joke or allusion—not a confirmation of a real-life relationship. The original post was not independently inspected for this account, so there is no verified caption to quote.
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E! News’ report on Steve Martin’s reaction
What did Martin Short and Meryl Streep say?
Short’s January 2024 response
On Club Random with Bill Maher, Short addressed the question directly. As quoted by Vanity Fair on January 29, 2024, he said, “We’re not a couple” and “We are just very close friends.” Short’s representative separately described them as “just very good friends, nothing more.”
Vanity Fair’s report on Short’s response
Streep’s representative in September 2024
In a September 14, 2024 report, Vanity Fair quoted Streep’s representative saying, “They are just friends.” These statements document what Short and the representatives said at the time; they should not be stretched into a claim about what either actor may say privately or later.
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Vanity Fair’s relationship timeline
Why did people speculate?
Short and Streep play characters whose relationship turns romantic in Only Murders in the Building. Their on-screen storyline and public appearances prompted questions about whether the actors were also a couple. Neither fictional romance nor public chemistry establishes the actors’ private relationship status.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How do later reports fit with the 2024 statements?
A spring 2025 Page Six report, recounted by The Daily Beast, cited unnamed sources claiming Streep and Short had been in a romance for more than a year. That is anonymous-source reporting, not an on-record confirmation from either actor. The Daily Beast’s May 18, 2026 article said the pair had not publicly confirmed they were together. It also discussed a social-media image that its poster claimed showed them at a London restaurant; the article did not establish that the image proved a relationship.
So the evidence needs to be kept in separate categories: Short and the representatives described them as friends in 2024; later anonymous sources alleged a romance; and Martin’s reported post was characterized as playful. None of that makes the claim that Steve Martin confirmed a relationship accurate.
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The Daily Beast’s May 2026 report
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