Did Steve Martin just give Martin Short and Meryl Streep's relationship a hard time?

Did Steve Martin Confirm Martin Short and Meryl Streep's Relationship?

On Friday, October 18, Martin, 79, posted a photo from 2023 on Instagram that showed him standing next to him Just murders in the building Co-stars Short, 74, and Streep, 75, below a screenshot of a Glamor Magazine article. However, there was a giant red X covering Martin's face.

The raunchy snap led fans to speculate that the actor was trying to hint at a possible romance between his two co-stars, which has been rumored since Streep joined the series in Season 3.

While Martin left no room for theories and disabled the comments section under the edited photo, a Martin fan page reposted the image on Instagram shortly after, and followers were quick to speculate about the meaning of the image he shared.

“Are you confirming this relationship?!” one fan wrote, while another added: “Did he just start the relationship hard?”

“I take that as confirmation. “I've never been so invested in celebrity couple rumors,” another follower wrote in the comments section, while another fan added, “Is this the couple reveal we've been waiting for?”

Martin's post comes as speculation continues about the nature of Short and Streep's relationship following the duo's recent outings and public appearances together. This week, the couple was spotted having dinner at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, California on Wednesday, October 16, photos obtained by Page Six show.

The couple were all smiles in the snaps, which featured Short in a gray suit and Streep in a blue patterned silk shirt and navy pants, and they were also seen driving away together in the same car.

They were previously photographed hand in hand at the season four premiere and afterparty Just murders in the building in Los Angeles on August 22nd. The co-stars — who play lovers on the series — also stayed close as they sat next to each other at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 15.

Both Short and his rep shut down speculation of a romance between the two back in January after fans believed he and Streep were close at the 2024 Golden Globes.

A rep for Short told PEOPLE at the time that the two were “just very good friends, nothing more.” The actor insisted on Bill Maher's podcast later that month that he and Streep are “not a couple, we're just very close friends.”

PEOPLE confirmed Streep's split from her husband of 45 years, Don Gummer, in October 2023, a few months after the Oscar winner made her debut on the third season of Just murders in the building. While news of their split broke in 2023, the couple had actually quietly ended their romantic relationship six years earlier.

Short addressed the interest in his relationship with Streep again when he spoke to PEOPLE in May.

“It's always interesting. Show business relationships and specifications,” he said. When asked if he felt strange being asked about the relationship, he replied: “No. She is fabulous. There is no one who doesn’t adore her.”

Although the two are good friends, Short also admitted that he was nervous about working with Streep Just murders in the building for the first time.

“I remember driving to work and thinking, 'Man, this is weird.' I’m a little (nervous),” Short told PEOPLE. “Oh, of course! “I'm going to do a two-person scene with Meryl.”

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Just murders in the building Season 4 is currently streaming on Hulu.