I Have No Idea What’s Going On In This Viral Meryl Streep And Martin Short Moment, But Fans Can’t Get Enough

Who doesn’t love Meryl Streep and Martin Short? The duo are not just legends in their own right, but they absolutely killed it together on the critically acclaimed third season of Only Murders in the Building. The two seem to be having an absolute blast this awards season, as the show is getting a lot of recognition for its goofy recent episodes, and fans are loving the antics. Recent photos of the two goofing off at the AFI Awards have gone viral, and the Internet is absolutely living for this new meme. 

Only Murders in the Building was just one of the many incredible shows this year that received recognition at the 2024 AFI Awards. Meryl Streep and Martin Short are used to the glitz and glamor of awards season, so they used the cast reunion opportunity just to have some fun together. A recent photo was taken on the red carpet of Streep seemingly shunning Short in his face, and it’s absolutely hilarious, even without any context. You can see the photo from the evening below:

Los Angeles, CA - January 12: Martin Short and Meryl Streep from "Only Murders in the Building," mingled during the 2023 American Film Institute Awards, at Four Seasons Hotel , in Los Angeles, CA, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.

(Image credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

While some may interpret this as a heated moment on a carpet, the two were clearly just joking around. Only moments later both stars were seen laughing with fellow co-stars Selena Gomez and Steve Martin, who also seemed to be having a great time at the Hollywood event. 

No one seems to know what was happening that made the Oscar winner theatrically shun her TV co-star, yet the moment immediately became a meme. Fans loved that the iconic actress didn’t seem to take herself too seriously and that many of her moments from the night were going viral. After X became aware of the silly moment, it became obvious that many would be using it as a reaction photo for years to come. One fan said:

New meme loading.

Another X user couldn’t help but think the viral moment had the same vibes as the dynamic between Succession characters Roman and Gerri, and I’m loving the reference: 

Romangerri without the age difference.

This wasn’t the only photo of the Sophie's Choice star from the night that was making the rounds on X. Another photo showed Streep pretending to fall asleep while talking to Disney CEO Bob Iger, which is also absolutely hilarious. Another fan said of the starlet: 

Meryl Streep just changed her career from being one of the greatest actress ever to basically becoming a walking meme.

She's also received attention for her adorable interaction with The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White, who immediately bowed when he met the Kramer vs. Kramer actress. She bowed back, resulting in an adorable moment that seemed to take White by surprise. You can see a sweet video from X of the two actors meeting below:

Few people have likely been to more award ceremonies than Meryl Streep, probably because she’s been nominated more than any other actor. At this point, the movie star is a pro and just seems to have fun at seemingly formal events. And, with that, fans just can’t seem to get enough. Her dynamic with Martin Short is also so much fun to watch and also translated to on-screen chemistry in Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building. I hope the record-breaking Hulu series finds some way to bring her character back in Season 4, even just so she can appear at public events with the stars and have even more viral moments.

You can see Meryl Streep, Martin Short and the rest of the Only Murders in the Building cast give incredible performances on the most recent season, which is currently streamable with a Hulu subscription. For more information on what other great shows are heading to the streamer this year, make sure to consult our feature on everything new and coming soon to Hulu.

Caroline Young
Writer

Writer, podcaster, CinemaBlend contributor, film and television nerd, enthusiastic person. Hoping to bring undying passion for storytelling to CinemaBlend.