How Meryl Streep & Her Estranged Husband Mastered The Art Of The Invisible Breakup

In a world filled with explosive breakups and scandalous divorces, Meryl Streep and her estranged husband, Don Gummer, showed us exactly how it should be done. The two have mastered the art of the invisible breakup: in 2023, Page Six confirmed they quietly went their separate ways after basically a lifetime and four children together. According to a spokesperson for the star, she and Gummer had actually been living separately since 2017, unbeknownst to their fans and perhaps even some of their friends in the industry. Since then, rumors have surfaced of Streep being romantically involved with her "Only Murders in the Building" co-star, Martin Short. "Meryl couldn't help but fall for Martin," a source informed Page Six. "He is a gentleman, he keeps her laughing and is an all-around positive person. She loves being around him."

Rumors of their budding romance came shortly after Streep announced the end of her decades-long marriage to Gummer. In 2026, more than a year after this surprising development, sources revealed how Gummer felt about his ex-wife's rumored new relationship. A source told the Daily Mail that the sculptor has no hard feelings given that "so much time has passed since they stopped being a couple." Of course, it would've been a different story if Streep and Short got together shortly after their split. But obviously, "Enough time has passed now that he's genuinely at peace with it [...] and has come to terms with the end of his marriage." Furthermore, it also sounds like the former couple are on much better terms these days, which is heartening. According to the insider, "[They've] reached a place of mutual respect, which definitely didn't happen overnight." All in all, it seems to be an entirely cordial situation.

In hindsight, there were several red flags that seemed to hint that Meryl Streep and Don Gummer's marriage was never going to last despite being together for a really long time. One of those supposed red flags was that the two had not been seen in public since their last red carpet appearance at the 2018 Oscars. There were also rumors that, not unlike her character as the hashtag girl boss Miranda Priestly in "The Devil Wears Prada," Streep's work often took precedence over her marriage and personal life. In 2002, she offered a rare insight into her relationship with Gummer in a candid interview with Vogue. "Goodwill and willingness to bend — and to shut up every once in a while," Streep said when asked what the key is to their successful union. "There's no road map on how to raise a family: It's always an enormous negotiation." She went on, "But I have a holistic need to work and to have huge ties of love in my life. I can't imagine eschewing one for the other."

Streep has also admitted that her ex-husband had been more involved in raising the kids and managing their household while she would often travel for work. Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald in 2019, she credited Gummer for "always being happy to look after the children" so that she'd feel a little less guilty about being away from home. At the time, she also opened up about their parenting styles, saying Gummer tended to be the good cop while she often played the bad cop. "Teamwork is everything. My husband Don was ... very involved," Streep told the paper. "He was a little more relaxed when it comes to raising kids." As for her, "I was more of a tiger mom."