Amal Clooney jokes to Meryl Streep that they’ve ‘both been married to my husband’ George Clooney

Amal Clooney couldn’t resist ribbing Meryl Streep for her past connections to her husband George Clooney this week.

The 42-year-old human rights lawyer was honored by the 71-year-old actress, who presented her with the 2020 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award during an online ceremony on Thursday.

After accepting the award, Amal joked that she and Meryl had a special relationship because they had both been married to George.

Having a laugh: Amal Clooney, 42, poked fun at Meryl Streep on Thursday for having been married to her husband George Clooney, 59, in the film Fantastic Mr. Fox; Amal and George shown in May 2019

‘You are an inspiration as a woman, as an artist, as a press-freedom advocate,” Amal told Meryl. 

‘I know I can’t ever hope to win the number of awards that you’ve won, but it does occur to me that we have something special in common, which is that we’ve both been married to my husband.

‘And honestly, the fact that you did it as Mr. and Mrs. Fantastic Fox just makes that so much less awkward,’ she joked.

Amal, who was born in Lebanon before settling in the UK at age two, has worked in New York City, London and The Hague as a human rights lawyer, and has represented high-profile clients including Julian Assange and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad. 

Sharing him: 'It does occur to me that we have something special in common, which is that we've both been married to my husband,' Amal joked to Meryl, 71, after winning a press freedom award; shown in 2012

Sharing him: ‘It does occur to me that we have something special in common, which is that we’ve both been married to my husband,’ Amal joked to Meryl, 71, after winning a press freedom award; shown in 2012

Husband and wife: George starred in the 2009 Wes Anderson film Fantastic Mr. Fox as the eponymous character, while the three-time Oscar winner voiced his wife, Mrs. Fox

Husband and wife: George starred in the 2009 Wes Anderson film Fantastic Mr. Fox as the eponymous character, while the three-time Oscar winner voiced his wife, Mrs. Fox

George, 59, starred in the 2009 Wes Anderson film Fantastic Mr. Fox as the eponymous character, while the three-time Oscar winner voiced his wife, Mrs. Fox. 

The two A-listers only recorded dialogue for the film, which consisted primarily of stop-motion animation.

However, rather than having the dialogue recorded separately in sound booths, Anderson recorded the actors outside in nature to match the locations pictured in the movie, so Meryl and George may have acted with each other.

The family-friendly comedy was based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name and featured numerous Anderson regulars, including Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman.

The film was nominated for two Academy Awards and was a critical success, though it disappointed at the box office.

Family friendly: The comedy was based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name and featured Anderson regulars Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe and Owen Wilson

Family friendly: The comedy was based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name and featured Anderson regulars Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe and Owen Wilson

George and Amal were later engaged in April 2014, after first meeting the year before when a mutual friend introduced them.

The couple had a wedding ceremony on September 25 in Venice, Italy, but they didn’t officially marry until two days later at Venice’s city hall. 

After being named GQ‘s Man of the Year this month, George admitted that his life had been empty before he met his future wife.

The high-profile couple later welcomed their twins Ella and Alexander, three, in 2017.

‘For 36 years, I was the guy that if some kid popped up and started crying, I’d be like, “Are you f***ing kidding me?” And now suddenly I’m the guy with the kid, you know?’ he said of his new domestic life. 

Love birds: George and Amal married in Venice in September 2014; pictured in May 2019

Love birds: George and Amal married in Venice in September 2014; pictured in May 2019

Growing family: The high-profile couple later welcomed their twins Ella and Alexander, three, in 2017; pictured in March 2019 in London

Growing family: The high-profile couple later welcomed their twins Ella and Alexander, three, in 2017; pictured in March 2019 in London

‘I was like, “I’m never getting married. I’m not gonna have kids,” I’m gonna work, I’ve got great friends, my life is full, I’m doing well.

‘And I didn’t know how un-full it was until I met Amal. And then everything changed. And I was like, “Oh, actually, this has been a huge empty space”…

‘I’d never been in the position where someone else’s life was infinitely more important to me than my own. And then tack on two more individuals, who are small and have to be fed…’ he admitted. 

In the same interview, George revealed that his first thought was of his two young children after he suffered a devastating motorcycle crash in Italy in 2018.

‘… My kids were like a year old, and mostly it was just the thought that this was it and that I wasn’t gonna see them again,’ he said.

Family first: In a recent interview with GQ, George admitted the first thing he thought about after a motorcycle crash in Italy was his two young children; shown in 2017

Family first: In a recent interview with GQ, George admitted the first thing he thought about after a motorcycle crash in Italy was his two young children; shown in 2017

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