Meryl Streep's Hilariously Apt Description Of Stanley Tucci's Sexuality Is Going Viral—And Fans Are Obsessed

The legendary Meryl Streep proved she’s firmly in the Stanley Tucci fan club while hilariously praising her The Devil Wears Prada co-star’s “elegant heterosexuality” during his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The Oscar winner delivered a speech that doubled as both a heartfelt tribute and an affectionate roast, with her comments about Tucci’s sexuality instantly sending fans into a frenzy online.

Streep joked that Tucci has officially transcended “national treasure” status:

"You can't even call Stanley a national treasure anymore because I've just been around the world, and truly, the affection hurled at him globally, he's just marinating in it.”

The ceremony also arrives during a major moment for the franchise, as the long-awaited sequel pulled in $77 million domestically across the U.S. and Canada and $233.6 million worldwide during its opening weekend.

Streep continued praising Tucci’s signature charm:

"And it's impossible not to love Stanley Tucci. Urbane, sly, funny, b**chy, and generous and curious and so elegant."

But the speech fully entered viral territory when Streep delivered a line about Tucci’s sexuality that sounded both oddly specific and instantly iconic.

She jokingly praised Tucci’s “undeniable heterosexuality”:

"Stanley has an elegance to his heterosexuality. His undeniable heterosexuality, which is formidable. Not that heterosexuality is better than any other kind of sexuality."

"It's just that elegance—real, unforced, natural, unstyled elegance—is sometimes harder for straight men."

As Streep addressed a crowd that also included Dwayne Johnson, Matt Damon, and Robert Downey Jr., she thoughtfully added, "I'm not looking at anybody here, or intending any slight."

She later shifted back to Tucci’s acting career, praising his ability to disappear into every role while still maintaining an unmistakable emotional warmth.

Streep praised Tucci’s range as an actor:

"His soulfulness is evident in the most elevated characters and also in the lowdown characters. It's a thing he can't lose, no matter if it's a priest or a prosecutor or a pervert or Puck or Paul Child, he always finds something true and surprising in every man that he plays. He transforms character acting into leading man material."

Of course, Streep also couldn’t resist lovingly dragging one of Tucci’s most recognizable personality traits: his elite-level complaining.

The Oscar winner joked that Tucci approaches grievances with theatrical precision, comparing his ability to complain to the late Nora Ephron while admitting even she couldn’t compete with his “world-class whining.” If there were an Olympic category for dramatically expressing inconvenience while still looking impossibly chic, Tucci would probably take gold.

Streep wrapped up the speech on a more emotional note:

"I've known you longer as a friend than as a scene partner, and we've been through some rough times together and some great times, and I love you deeply, and I've adored working with Stanley. I've done it often. And I am ready to go again, as the actress said to the bishop. Whenever you raise your elegant little finger. Love you, Stanley."

You can view her full speech below:

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Streep and Tucci first worked together in 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada, where Tucci played fan-favorite fashion editor Nigel Kipling opposite Streep’s iconic Miranda Priestly. The pair later portrayed husband and wife in Nora Ephron’s 2009 film Julie & Julia.

Tucci later responded to Streep’s remarks during the ceremony:

"Meryl, thank you so much for those incredibly kind things you've said. More than kind.”

Naturally, social media immediately latched onto Streep’s description of Tucci’s “elegant heterosexuality,” with fans praising both the phrasing itself and the decades-long friendship between the two actors.

You can view the reactions here:

Earlier in the ceremony, Streep also briefly addressed Emily Blunt, another frequent collaborator and fellow The Devil Wears Prada star.

Streep praised Blunt during the ceremony:

"God, Emily, I feel like I birthed you, really. I'm so proud of you. And everything the fellas said is absolutely true. I can't wait to work with you again.”

Blunt has now appeared alongside Streep in four major films, including Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns, and now The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Blunt later returned the affection while joking about how intertwined their lives have become. Her sister, Felicity Blunt, has been married to Tucci since 2012—meaning even outside Hollywood, the Stanley Tucci fan club remains very much a family affair.