Christine Baranski and musician King Princess have sparked a wave of speculation after being photographed holding hands at the Broadway reopening of Mamma Mia.
The 75-year-old actress and the 26-year-old singer-songwriter appeared together on the red carpet earlier this week, drawing attention from fans and the press.
King Princess, whose real name is Mikaela Mullaney Straus, fuelled the frenzy by sharing photos from the event on her Instagram account on Wednesday.
One image showed Baranski in a silver suit with her arm around the performer, who wore a newspaper-print blouse and black trousers.
Adding to the intrigue, King Princess captioned the post with the phrase: “Love is Love,” alongside a rainbow emoji.
However, representatives for Baranski dismissed the rumours, telling Page Six that suggestions of a romance were “pure speculation.”
“Christine and King Princess are strictly friends and nothing more. They have never been in a relationship, nor are they now,” the spokesperson confirmed.
Representatives for King Princess have not yet commented publicly on the claims.
Despite the clarification, fans appeared thrilled by the possibility of a relationship between the two women.
“I don’t know if this is a joke, but I love it either way,” one Instagram user wrote in response to the post.
“How does it feel to live every queer person’s dream?” another asked, while a third commented, “Please let this be real. The gays need a win.”
The pair are understood to have met in 2024 while working together on Nine Perfect Strangers. Baranski has previously spoken warmly about the friendship that began on set.
Recalling their first meeting, she told Interview Magazine in May: “We sat at the bar, ordered our martinis, and suddenly we’re talking about our grandmothers who deeply affected and influenced our lives. I think that’s where we profoundly bonded.”
While romance may not be in the picture, Baranski said she considered the friendship one of the greatest gifts of her career.
“She’s a wildly talented young woman who’s so opinionated, deeply funny and witty. We’ve curiously bonded and wanted to remain friends. That’s a great gift,” the actress said.
Baranski was married to British actor Matthew Cowles from 1983 until he died in 2014.
King Princess, meanwhile, has been previously linked to actress Amandla Stenberg and creative director Quinn Wilson.
