This joke at the 2024 Emmys shocked Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep caused a stir at the 2024 Emmys – and not for the usual reasons.

The award-winning star, 75, didn't take home the usual stack of trophies for her Hulu show “Only Murders in the Building” on Sunday night.

However, she attracted attention when she responded to an offensive joke.

At the award ceremony for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – for which Streep was nominated – real-life spouses and “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia” co-stars Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson made a joke at Streep's expense.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to honor the comedic performances that hold it all together. They show crucial support when it is truly needed,” McElhenney said as he announced the nominees in this category.

Olson interjected and said, “What you described sounds very much like a jockstrap.”

“No, it doesn't!” said McElhenney. The creator and star of “Mythic Quest” continued, “These rollers keep everything secure, without that support the whole package falls apart… so OK, that really sounds like a jockstrap.”

His wife then said, “Are you calling Meryl Streep a jockstrap?”

The camera then panned to Streep in the audience as McElhenney said, “No! I'm so sorry, Meryl.”

Streep mouthed “Oh God” and pretended to be angry.

“The Bear” star Liza Colón-Zayas took home the award, making Emmy history as the first Latina to win in the category.

Fans on social media were divided about the joke.

“I don't know who wrote tonight's #EmmyAwards but the dialogue is soooooo embarrassing. They just compared Meryl Streep to a jockstrap. Yes, it's that bad,” said one viewer on X, formerly Twitter.

However, another viewer commented: “It was incredible how Meryl Streep reacted to being called a jockstrap.”

Streep also caused a stir at the Emmys with her alleged romance with 74-year-old Martin Short.

The duo looked comfortable as they sat next to each other during the ceremony and laughed the entire evening.

At the 2024 Golden Globes in January, Short and Streep first sparked rumors of a relationship. But shortly afterwards, the former “Father of the Bride” star's spokesperson put an end to the rumors.

Short's spokesman told E News at the time: “They are just very good friends. That's all.”

Short and Streep's characters from the hit Hulu series develop their own romance over the course of the third season.

Short is a widower and was married to Canadian actress Nancy Dolman from 1980 until her death from cancer in 2010, with whom he has three children: Katherine (40), Oliver (37) and Henry (34).

Sources told Page Six's colleagues in October that she and Don Gummer – whom she married in 1978 and with whom she has four children: singer-songwriter Henry Wolfe (44) and actresses Mamie Gummer (40), Grace Gummer (37) and Louisa Jacobson (32) – had been quietly separated for more than six years.

“Only Murders in the Building” earned 21 nominations at the Emmys, including best comedy series. Shorts co-star Selena Gomez was also nominated for her first acting Emmy for a primetime series, for best lead actress in a comedy series, but lost to “Hacks” star Jean Smart.

Steve Martin was also nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for “Only Murders in the Building,” but lost to “The Bear” lead Jeremy Allen White, despite Emmy presenters Dan and Eugene Levy pointing out that “The Bear” was not a comedy.