Inside The Real Love Lives of the Only Murders in the Building Stars
Meryl Streep and Martin Short insist there is only friendship in their building.
Although The Only Murders in the Building stars—whose show is up for 21 honors at the 2024 Emmys Sept. 15—have been dodging romance rumors of their own ever since their characters Oliver and Loretta sparked an on-screen relationship, they have insisted there is no real spark between them.
“They are just very good friends,” the Three Amigos actor’s rep told E! News in January. “Nothing more.”
Even so, Martin, 74, and Meryl, 75—who are nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Lead Actress at the Emmys for their respective roles in the comedy-drama—have continued to fan the romance flames. After all, the duo attended the Aug. 22 premiere for season four of the Hulu series hand-in-hand, and Martin has not held back when it comes to praising the Oscar winner in interviews.
"It's been a friendship that always grows," he gushed of Meryl to Extra in an interview last month. “If you work with someone and love that person.”
And though Martin refrained from getting too in the weeds of his on-screen chemistry with the Mamma Mia! star, Selena Gomez—who is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress for her performance of Mabel at the Emmys—noted, “It’s so sweet.”
Last October, a rep for the Devil Wears Prada star announced she and husband Don Gummer—with whom she shares kids Henry, 44, Mamie, 41, Grace, 38, and Louisa, 33—had privately separated back in 2017.
At the time, the spokesperson told E! News that the couple—who were married for 40 years—will remain friends and had simply, “chosen lives apart.”
Martin, meanwhile, lost his late wife Nancy Dolman in 2010 after a cancer battle. Nearly 10 years later, the Saturday Night Live alum told AARP in 2019 that he still talks to her, noting, “Our marriage was a triumph.”
And while Meryl and Martin are the only actors on the Only Murders set who have sparked relationship rumors, there are plenty of more love stories of note among its cast. Selena, for her part, is in the midst of a nearly year-long whirlwind romance with record producer Benny Blanco.
In fact, the two have also recently sparked rumors of their own, with fans speculating that the pair may have gotten engaged. However, though they have yet to address the possible next step in their romance, Selena assured on Instagram in 2023 that Benny is “everything” in her heart.
As for Steve Martin, who rounds out the Only Murders golden trio with Selena and Martin, he and wife Anne Stringfield met over the phone in the early aughts, before welcoming their first child together in 2012.
To solve the mystery of every cast member’s love life, keep reading.
When it comes to her romance with record producer Benny Blanco, Selena is the first to admit she has trouble keeping her hands to herself. After all, the duo have had a penchant for showing off their relationship since confirming it over social media last year.
As she wrote to a fan of Benny in a December 2023 Instagram comment, “He is my everything in my heart.”
At the time, Selena revealed the duo had been dating for six months, and Benny later opened up on how their friendship blossomed into something more.
“I was the last one to know,” he told the Wall Street Journal of developing feelings for Selena in April 2024. “It’s crazy how your partner could just be sitting there the whole time, right in front of your eyes, and you don’t even notice, and then you have that Clueless moment where you’re like, Wait, I’m in love.”
And while many of the Wizards of Waverly Place alum’s fans reminisce on her previous relationships with Justin Bieber, whom she dated on-and-off until 2018, and The Weeknd, whom she dated in 2017, Selena assures that Benny is not her same old love.
“I'd have to say overall it's the safest that I feel,” she told Zane Lowe of her relationship with Benny (real name Benjamin Joseph Levin) in February 2024. “It's been really lovely and I've only grown through it, so it's awesome.”
Steve’s character Charles may not have the best luck when it comes to romance, but the comedian is doing just fine. After all, the Cheaper by the Dozen alum has been happily married to his wife Anne Stringfield since 2007.
The pair’s meet cute actually happened over the phone while Anne was working as a fact checker for The New Yorker during the aughts. At the time, Steve was writing comedy blurbs for the publication, and told AARP in 2017 that he and his wife “talked on the phone for a year” before they ever met.
And while Steve described Anne as “shy” on their first introduction, the pair’s romance quickly heated up. In fact, they ended up tying the knot in a ceremony that was a surprise even to their guests—which included Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, Eugene Levy, Tom Hanks and Diane Keaton.
Steve was married to ex wife Victoria Tennant from 1986 to 1994, but he welcomed his first child, Mary, with Anna in 2012.
He later told AARP that becoming a dad at nearly 70 was “fantastic.”
“I think if I'd had a child earlier, I would have been a lousy father because I would have misplaced my attention on my career,” he told the publication. “She’s giving me way more than I’m giving her.”
Long before he was on Only Murders, Martin met his only one—late wife Nancy Dolman—on the set of Godspell in 1972. The couple—who share kids Katherine, Oliver and Henry—was married from 1980 until Nancy died after a battle with cancer in 2010.
And while Martin has more recently sparked romance rumors with costar and longtime friend Meryl Streep, he has spoken before about communicating with Nancy “all the time.”
“Our marriage was a triumph," he gushed to AARP in 2019. “It's 'Hey Nan,' you know? How would she react to this decision or that, especially regarding our three kids.”
Still, Martin noted that after his wife’s untimely death he has been able to ascertain what he holds most dear in life.
As he put it to AARP, “To me, life is a practical experience each day, with a coating of 'Be as happy as you can be' on top.”
At the moment, Meryl appears to be making Martin quite happy—as the duo arrived to their Only Murders season 4 premiere together, holding hands. Still, they may have been playing into their characters, as sources close to the Santa Clause alum assured to E! News in Jan. 2024 that the pair are just “very good friends.”
“It's been a friendship that always grows,” Martin told Extra of Meryl in Aug. 2024. “If you work with someone and love that person.”
Prior to stirring romance rumors with her on-screen Only Murders love interest, Meryl was married to ex husband Don Gummer for nearly 40 years. The couple—who share adult children Henry, Mamie, Grace and Louisa—separated in 2017, but kept their break up private until 2023.
“Don Gummer and Meryl Streep have been separated for more than six years," a spokesperson for the Mamma Mia! actress told E! News in 2023. “And while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart.”
The couple’s last public appearance together was at the 2018 Academy Awards. And at an early Oscars ceremony in 2012, the three-time award winner didn’t hold back from gushing over her then-husband.
“First, I am going to thank Don,” she said during her Best Actress acceptance speech for her role in The Iron Lady. “Because when you thank your husband at the end of the speech they play him out with the music, and I want him to know that everything I value most in our lives, you've given me.”
Paul may no longer be a resident of the Arconia, but his role as Ben Glenroy will forever be infamous of Only Murders lore, and the Ant-Man star’s love life is just as notable.
After all, Paul met his wife Julie Yaeger, a screenwriter and producer, in the late ‘90s. And, the actor described, Julie was the first person Paul ever met in New York—literally. He met her in a publicist’s office on the heels of his Clueless breakout role. As if it could get any cuter!
“We started talking and there was a maturity with her—she had experienced some tragedy in her life, I had too,” he explained of Julie to Marie Claire UK in 2018. “The impression I got was, ‘Wow, this is a woman. This isn't a girl.'”
Shortly after their office meet-cute, Paul took Julie to lunch—a short few years later, they tied the knot in 2003. Afterward, the couple welcomed son Jack in 2006, who was followed by younger sister Darby in 2010. And while Paul has made quite the name for himself as a comedian and actor, it’s the life he’s created with his family that he cherishes the most.
“When I think about myself, I think of myself as a husband and a father, like I'm that," he told People in 2021. "I just hang out with my family when I'm not working. That's what I kind of like the most.”
It’s important to be familiar with Eva Longoria’s love life—as the Desperate Housewives star plays herself in the newest season of Only Murders. Indeed, along with Eugene Levy and Zach Galifiankis, the trio makes up the movie versions of Mabel, Charles and Oliver.
While Eva was previously married to the late Tyler Christopher from 2002 to 2004, and Tony Parker from 2007 to 2011, she found her forever in José “Pepe” Bastón, whom she married in 2016. And the Young and Restless star—who now shares son Santiago with the producer—has said the wait was worth it.
"I learned to be content on my own," she told People in 2016. “I think I needed that to be ready for what I have with Pepe.”
Of course, Eva’s other true love is her son.
“Laying in bed, falling asleep—those are my favorite moments,” she gushed of Santiago to E! News in 2024. “My heart melts. That's my favorite—when he just wants to be with me.”
The Schitt’s Creek star’s love story is simple. He met his wife Deborah Divine—with whom he shares kids Sarah Levy and Dan Levy—in the 1970s, before the couple tied the knot in 1977.
Unlike the rest of her family, Deborah prefers to stay behind the camera and has worked as a producer and screenwriter on various productions over the years.
But the American Pie star assures that without her, his family—nor he—would be where they are today.
"You can't have your name put on a star on Hollywood Boulevard without someone having your back, and Deb’s had mine for 47 years,” the actor explained during his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in March 2024. “There would be no star today without you.”
Zach rounds out season four’s Hollywood faces in Only Murders by playing Oliver’s celebrity counterpart. The Hangover star has been married to Canadian businesswoman Quinn Lundberg since 2012.
Together, the couple share son Rufus Emmanuel Lundberg, whom they welcomed in 2016, E! News exclusively confirmed at the time. They also share another son, born in 2013.
"I think fatherhood is just the greatest thing,” Zach told Jimmy Fallon on a 2014 appearance of The Tonight Show. “It really, really is.”
As fellow aspiring actress Kimber, Ashley got to witness Oliver (Martin) and Loretta (Meryl) on-screen romance blossom up-close, but her own love story occurred on the set of another show.
Indeed, Ashley is currently dating her Emily in Paris costar Paul Forman. In fact, she hard-launched their relationship after months of speculation in a heartfelt Jan. 2024 Instagram post amid a health scare.
“You calmed my fears and held me through ambulances, three foreign hospitals, a week in the ICU, scary ERs, countless scans and tests and injections, excruciating pain, and so much confusion all while we were alone on the other side of the world far from those we know,” Ashley wrote. “I love you Paul. More than I can ever say.”
To which Paul—who also plays Ashley’s love interest in the Netflix series—wrote back with a red heart emoji, “My love.”
Jane Lynch’s Sazz is at the forefront of season 4 as Charles, Mabel and Oliver attempt to find out who killed her.
Behind the scenes though, Jane’s life is a lot sweeter with wife Jennifer Cheyne, whom she married in 2021. And despite their happily ever after, it wasn’t exactly a fairytale proposal.
“Jennifer and I have been together forever and we were shopping for insurance for her and I said, ‘Let’s just get married.’” Jane recalled to Today in 2022. “So that’s how romantic it went."
In fact, the wedding itself, only included Jane, Jennifer and a minister in the courtyard of a courthouse.
As Jane recalled, “It was lovely.”
Previously, Jane married Lara Embry in 2010, before separating three years later.
Jesse may have confirmed his time on Only Murders is done, but his relationship with girlfriend Ciarra Pardo—whom he started dating in 2022—is still going strong.
The couple tend to keep things lowkey, but they have shared updates here and there, including Ciarra—who works in the fashion industry and is the founder of N4XT Experiences—sharing a selfie of the duo in her birthday celebration photo dump in April 2024.
She captioned the post, which included a snap of her cuddling into Jesse’s shoulder, “Italian BDay Archives.”
Before igniting a romance with Ciarra, Jesse married ex-wife Aryn Drake-Lee in 2012. The couple welcomed kids Sadie in 2013 and Maceo in 2015, before Jesse filed for divorce in 2017. (The couple finalized their divorce in 2020).
After their split, he was also linked to actresses Minka Kelly and Taylour Paige.
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