Meryl Streep’s first big love was John Cazale, the brilliant character actor in films like The Deer Hunter, The Godfather (1 and 2) and The Conversation. Streep and Cazale were living together when he was diagnosed with cancer, and they were together when he passed away in 1978. That same year, she married Don Gummer. She was heartbroken and on the rebound and I can totally understand why Don Gummer would seem like a safe choice. At the end of September, Meryl and Don celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. Except they didn’t really celebrate, because they’ve been separated for six years.
Meryl Streep and her husband of 45 years, Don Gummer, are living separate lives, sources confirmed to Page Six Friday. The Oscar-winning icon, 74, and the feted sculptor, 76, have been separated for more than six years.
In an exclusive statement, a spokesperson for the beloved star told us, “Don Gummer and Meryl Streep have been separated for more than 6 years, and while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart.”
The news may come as a shock as the actress was seen today at the Princesa de Asturias Awards 2023 rocking her wedding band. However, they were last seen together at the 2018 Oscars.
The couple shares four children: singer-songwriter Henry Wolfe, 43, and actresses Mamie Gummer, 40, Grace Gummer, 37, and Louisa Jacobson, 30, whom they raised at their Connecticut compound in the quiet, historic town of Salisbury. They also have five grandchildren. Their son, Henry, has two children with his wife, Tamryn Storm Hawker. Mamie has two children with husband Mehar Sethi. Meanwhile, Grace recently gave birth to her first child with her husband, record producer Mark Ronson. As for Louisa, she is best known for her starring role in the HBO show “The Gilded Age.”
I’m surprised but not all that shocked. Don always seemed uncomfortable with Hollywood and Meryl’s whole career, and it often felt like he didn’t even want to show up for the Oscars whenever Meryl was nominated. Maybe Meryl was like “you know what, I’d rather go off and be by myself for a while.” Pete Davidson is definitely going to call her.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- 114529, Don Gummer, Meryl Streep at the 86th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre. Hollywood, California – Sunday March 2, 2014.,Image: 529345762, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: Celebrity Monitor, PacificCoastN / Avalon
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- Don Gummer and wife Meryl Streep attend the “Made in NY” Awards at Gracie Mansion on June 4, 2012 in New York City.,Image: 529968533, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries call London + 44 (0)20 7421 6000 , New York + 1 646-329-6242 or Hamburg + 49 (0)40 530 240 5959, Model Release: no, Credit line: Robin Platzer/Twin Images / Twin Images / Avalon
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- Meryl Streep and Don Gummer arrive for the formal Artist’s Dinner honoring the recipients of the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors hosted by United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, December 1, 2012. The 2012 honorees are Buddy Guy, actor Dustin Hoffman, late-night host David Letterman, dancer Natalia Makarova, and the British rock band Led Zeppelin (Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones)..,Image: 544011686, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 917 704 9816 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Ron Sachs / Avalon
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- March 2 2014: Don Gummer and Meryl Streep attending the 86th Annual Academy Awards held at the Dolby theater in Hollywood, California. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com Ref: infusny-142|sp| Featuring: Don Gummer, Meryl Streep Where: Hollywood, California, United States When: 02 Mar 2014 Credit: Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com
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- Actress Meryl Streep receives her award during the 43rd edition of the ‘Princess of Asturias Awards 2023’, at the Campoamor Theatre. The Princess of Asturias Awards Ceremony is the main activity carried out by the Princess of Asturias Foundation, a private non-profit institution whose objectives are to contribute to the exaltation and promotion of scientific, cultural and humanistic values and to consolidate the links between the Principality of Asturias and the title traditionally held by the heirs to the Crown of Spain. The day is considered one of the most important cultural events on the international agenda. Featuring: Meryl Streep Where: Oviedo, Spain When: 20 Oct 2023 Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
So someone (Don or Meryl) is about to debut a new dating partner. Any of their kids about to get married where this might come out? This is clearly a preemptive shot.
Actually when I first heard about this I thought maybe the upset many had with jada and will coming out after
six plus years being separated but publicly still together made them think well now is the time to share that we’ve done the same. I kinda understand what Busy Phillips (who had been separated over a year before publicly admitting it) went through. It’s hard enough to talk about a breakup with family and friends and being a public person makes you feel even more exposed. Tbh if I was famous I’d put a breakup under the “nobody’s business but our own” and not share it. At least not until all the dust had already settled. And sometimes that’s years!
Actually, their daughter Grace Gummer just had a very high profile wedding to famous music producer Mark Ronson. Taylor Swift and other celebs were in attendance. Streep’s separation showed up in blind items several days ago so they probably wanted to come clean.
Grace and Mark married in 2021.
What? they’ve been married since 2021
If they’re still married then they have the right to celebrate 45 years. People more and more are choosing to live apart. When I saw this headline on CNN I was surprised by the antiquated stance.
Being married and living apart isn’t any weirder than not being married and living together. If it works for them, great.
The kids are all grown and they probably just grew apart. They made a solid life together so it’s not a failure.
Agreed
It is a rousing success, the shelf life of most marriages in modern day lasts two years…..
They may love each other and still want to be married but living entirely different lifestyles. Could be a new partner but why not amicably divorce then instead of announcing their separation?
That said, I am here for Pete Davidson + Meryl Streep as long as she does 100% of the driving.
This is exactly, precisely the perfect take, an emphatic YES to “Peryl” and an emphatic NO to the actual peril of Pete’s driving!
No to both “peril” and Peryl! Please not.
I honestly didn’t see this coming.
Shoot your shot, Pete!
I kind of hope they are announcing it now because the chemistry between Meryl and Marty was real on Only Murders in the Building and they are seeing each other
Oooh!!!!
ohh, that would make me so happy. I will never get over the cringe moment when Kathy Lee Giffford asked Martin about his wife in the present tense as if she knew her after she had passed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk3TxOnqyCA&ab_channel=PeterChacona
OMG yes I am here for this!
Totally here for this.
That was my thought, too. (Wouldn’t *that* be delicious!?)
I’ll ship that! Wouldn’t that be beautiful?
Taking the Jada train to announce separation, 6 years is possibly bogus. im guessing there’s a 3rd person who’s going to be introduced and they say 6 years ti be safe and so they’ll be no timeline entanglement m. What is wrong with 2023 . I can’t wait for this tear to be over
I’m not super versed in astrology, but I know Venus was in retrograde for two months, and a LOT of news seemed to come out during that time
While I don’t believe couples owe us the status of their private lives, thirty nine happy years is an achievement. People are simply living longer these days. I doubt this was separation that was done overnight too. I’m sure they’ve had plenty of contact and time together over the last six years.
Sounds to me like he’s ready to financially divvy up and call it a day.
Sorry to hear this, but it happens. Even after so many years, people drift apart or want different things in life. Wishing the best for both. They seem to love each other despite the divorce and will remain on friendly terms.
I have a Meryl Streep encounter story. I live and work in NYC. Years ago, I was riding the subway home from work. At one stop, Meryl Streep and her (son?) got on the train and SHE SAT RIGHT NEXT TO ME!!!! There was not that many people on the train and plenty of seats, but I got the privilege! She was so normal, inconspicuous that no one, except me, noticed. Just a regular Mom and her son riding the son. I don’t know who the boy was — I assumed her son or some relative. Anyway, the boy appeared surly, angry at her for something or the other and she was trying to placate, be nice to him. I was freaking out on the inside, but never said anything to her. Living in NYC, you see and encounter celebrities all the time, but you don’t bother them. Anyway, just wanted to share my Meryl Streep subway ride story, which I still remember to this day.
You should have just suddenly burst, “I can’t take this excitement anymore!” 🙂
I would have!
Celebrities – they’re just like us! They take public transport with their ungrateful children!
But seriously, thanks for sharing this funny memory. I live in LA and the struggle to not react to seeing a celebrity is real.
Sorry again! More errors on my end: Just a regular Mom and her son riding the train…not son.
Here’s another story. The grandmother-like figure in my childhood was Meryl Streep’s Girl Scout leader back in the day. May have been Brownies, can’t remember, but she had a pic of the troop with Meryl looking very expressive.
A few years ago, Meryl was nominated for an Oscar and she and Don attended the ceremony together. (I guess they may have already been separated for a year or so at that point.) Meryl was basically holding court that night and a lot of the attendees were fawning over her. I remember Don was rolling his eyes HARD. Because of that memory, this separation news was not a complete surprise to me.
Pretty awful considering her career helped finance his as a sculptor. He’s no starving artist.
Sure, he has benefitted from her career, but let’s not pretend that she’s curing cancer. I’m sure it gets tiresome when all she does is play pretend.
@northlondon: Don, is that you?
NorthLondon, because… he’s curing cancer with sculptures then?
I’m quite grateful that my husband’s steady career helped me when I needed support for mine (that seemed to die after it just began) and I’d consider it very rude to roll my eyes when he speaks and laugh among colleagues, even if he’s not curing cancer…
He has been an internationally successful artist even before they met. Sure people are interested in that she is, was his wife but she definitely did not need to finance him. She was always at his openings as a proud supporter. That is how I met her a few times as his proud wife and she was incredibly down to earth when I asked her questions about his work. Sometimes unfortunately you just drift apart, especially when your work takes you away from home so much. They are both very grounded so I can understand why he would roll his eyes at all the fawning.
I mean, she IS Meryl Streep. It had to be frustrating, not knowing if she was faking all those years, right? /lazyjoke
Sad to hear about this.
Pete Davidson? Why when Tom Brady is back on the market…
I just watched one of my favorite comedy movies again, Death Becomes Her, starring Meryl, Goldie Hawn, and Bruce Willis in which all gave excellent performances. And all jokes aside, it’s still sad when couples break up, esp those who’ve been together for decades. I never paid any attention to Meryl’s personal life, since she seemed to be so low-key to me. Their marriage certainly lasted longer than most, esp in Hollywood but the 6 yr separation seems odd. They also haven’t announced that they are divorcing, just living separate lives. I wonder if these separate but still married arrangements are the rule, rather than the exception in Hollywood. Anyway, I hope the best for them.
I suspect they’re pretty common with rich people generally. I’m sure it’s a lot easier to avoid getting on each other’s nerves if you can afford to have completely separate households, and the financial aspects of divorce can be very complicated when there are a lot of assets.
It’s just life.
A lot of normal couple live separate lives because they can’t afford divorce, and this is not the case, but it seems that in Hollywood admitting it is some sort of trend.
Martin Short lost his wife to ovarian cancer some time ago. They were together for 30 years and he’s never remarried. Meryl and Martin’s characters have a lovely romance in Only Murder’s. I wonder if that chemistry was just on screen. Just a thought.
They’re IRL friends – he’s written about parties where he plays the piano and all the other celebs have a sing along.
This seems like a new trend. Celebrities announcing they’ve been separated for years without telling the public. They certainly don’t owe anyone an announcement but why tell us now?
I wonder if Meryl has ever really gotten over losing John Cazale. He was a great actor much like her. Every one of his movies was Oscar nominated. “Dog Day Afternoon”, one of my favorites, is the one not mentioned. He was simply brilliant.
He was great in that. It’s one of my all-time favorite movies. Attica! Attica!
One of my favourite all time movies too. He was amazing in everything he did, to be fair. But reading these comments reminded me of this tweet 😍
https://twitter.com/laynemontgomery/status/1581817300151578626?t=vdLykysBPJAeQVw4X_W59w&s=19
@Shoegirl 77: 😭😭😭
That anecdote about Meryl kinda makes my point. She never moved past him. It happens.
Absolutely brilliant in Dog Day Afternoon with Al Pacino.
I wonder if not divorcing is an attempt to keep the separation private and out of public eye. If you file for divorce, it’s a public legal document. This way, they’ve had 6 years to manage it their own way before it’s splashed over the headlines.
Maybe this way is just easier if you get along well, and there is no hurry to move on legally with someone else.
I would take this approach especially if it were amicable for the most part and just about being in different places versus making a new start with someone else. Divorce is hard enough without the glare of celebrity.
@Slush, I think this theory is a strong one. Especially as neither one (or at least her biologically speaking), are at an age where they are going to start a new family.
I do wonder if one of the, is getting more serious with a new partner as six years is a long time to keep news like this on the DL.
Exactly. She’s never been one to use her personal life for her work, as far as I’ve seen, so I could easily see them wanting separate lives but doing so quietly. And why not? If they’re both in agreement with the situation, good for them, no one else’s business.
But LOL at the Pete Davidson line.
I read on some internet discussion board a while back that Meryl had a habit of sleeping with her costars. Might not be true; it was a comment by a stranger on the internet who claimed to work on movie sets but there was no proof. Still, it did make me wonder if Meryl had a different private persona than we would have expected.
She publicly supported Harvey Weinstein when the allegations first emerged. I say we know exactly who she is.
Robert De Niro comes to mind, that rumor was around for years.
I can believe it. She and Chris Cooper were in Adaptation together. They were both nominated for Oscars for that movie; he won and she didn’t. When he won and people from the film were congratulating him before he went on stage, he and Meryl kissed directly on the lips. There was also a lingering look (at least, that’s how it looked to me). I was at home watching and thinking,” Hollywood must be a different kind of place because I could not kiss another person like that right in front of my spouse!” (Both of their spouses were there.)
As for the De Niro rumor that @Jan mentions, there may be some contributing factors. One, De Niro was a good friend of Cazale’s. Cazale was already really sick when they were going to film The Deer Hunter; the production’s insurance policy for Cazale was really costly because he was so sick. Meryl has gone on record to say that she strongly suspects De Niro paid for Cazale’s insurance so that he could be in the film, but De Niro has never admitted it to her. Two, Meryl and De Niro did a movie in the 80s called Falling in Love where they played two married Metro North commuters who have an affair. I’ve seen the movie several times and the chemistry between the two of them is strong, in my opinion. But, in the end, who knows? Only the two of them for sure, I guess.
I love Falling in Love. It’s a remake of Brief Encounter, which is excellent.
I love that movie.
That Falling In Love movie sounds amazing!!
The Jack Nicholson rumours have been around since the 1980s.
What happens on set, stays on set.
It never clicked with me that it is her daughter in the The Gilded Age. I remember thinking Louisa reminded me of Mamie Gummer, but my brain never made the leap to actually realizing she was Meryl’s daughter. I worry about me sometimes. LOL
I can see a married couple separating and living apart after a lot of years. I get it. I love my husband but we do have different interests. If I had the means I’d buy a place in NY and live there part of the time, which he would never do. Doesn’t mean I want to divorce him, just that I want to some things he doesn’t want to do.
I don’t think that it makes sense to think about this as a failed marriage or of him being uncomfortable with her career. The non-separated part of their marriage lasted for 39 years! Her career thrived during that time, and neither of them is trashing the other.
It sounds like the two just grew apart over the years. It happens sometimes to people in their 60s. People think about what they want to do with the last couple decades of their life now that the kids are gone and out of early adulthood, and it turns out they’re not on the same page anymore.
I do suspect that the announcement is probably because one or the other of them has a new serious partner, though.
I never understood why people say a marriage fails. Most of the time it was a success until it wasn’t and then it’s smart to separate. But while it worked, it was s success. I don’t think all relationships are meant to last forever.
Jada and Will were married for 20 years before they separated. But people love to call their relationship a failure and call Jada a liar for not talking about it until now. Funny how no one is calling Meryl a liar.
I’m interested in all these celeb marriages that have been over for years and it’s just now coming out. Like…why now? I’m currently separated with no plans to divorce so this is an interesting trend to me.
Seems to be an amicable separation and they managed to keep it under wraps for 6 years because unlike divorce, a legal separation is not on public record. My guess is they grew apart. It must be incredibly stressful to be married to a world famous celebrity if you’re much more of a private person and can’t handle all the unwanted attention that comes with being the “spouse of”. And for those of you who think Streep bank-rolled his career, he was an established artist for years before they met and married.
I can completely understand wanting to live separately, especially as you get older and if you have the resources to do it. I decided a long time ago that I didn’t want to get married again because I really love my space and independence.
Haven’t there been rumors of on-set showmances with her and some co-stars?
Of course, she did. A long-lasting marriage in Hollywood doesn’t mean there were no infidelities. He probably fooled around a bit too while she was away so much during her peak years. IMO 70 percent of actors and a bit less of actresses in a long marriage cheated at some point. They are away for months, and it becomes its own little world.
you know, my grandparents lived apart for many years…on different continents. sometimes they would live together, and then other times apart. it worked for them. my grandpa liked living in california, my grandma didn’t.
Im glad Jada inspired her 🙄