Did David Harbour Skip the Stranger Things Press Tour? Fact-Checking the Millie Bobby Brown Complaint Rumors
Where is David Harbour? As Stranger Things Season 5 blitzes the promo circuit, an unverified report circulating on X links his conspicuous no-show to an alleged harassment complaint involving Millie Bobby Brown.
Stranger Things 5 just rolled out a month of press without one very familiar face, and the internet did what it does best: connected dots that probably are not connected. Here is what actually seems to be going on with David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, and that messy rumor cycle.
Why everyone started buzzing about Harbour being MIA
An X (formerly Twitter) account claimed on Nov. 5, 2025 that Harbour skipped the Stranger Things press tour because of an alleged harassment complaint from Millie Bobby Brown. Fans had already noticed he was missing from cast interviews over the last month, so the theory caught fire fast.
What people close to the situation are saying
According to E! News, a source with knowledge of the press plans says Harbour was never actually booked for the junket in the first place. The outlet also points to a much simpler reason for the absence: he is in production on Courteney Cox’s film Evil Genius. Deadline previously reported that Cox stepped in to direct the movie, which is about the infamous pizza bomber case, with Harbour starring alongside Patricia Arquette.
For anyone hoping to see him with the Hawkins crew regardless: he is reportedly set to join his co-stars at the Los Angeles Season 5 premiere on Nov. 6.
The allegation that lit the fuse (and what it does and does not say)
Daily Mail ran a story claiming Brown filed a complaint with Netflix ahead of the final season, accusing Harbour of bullying and harassment. The report says the streamer conducted an internal inquiry, the outcome of which has not been disclosed, and that the matter did not involve sexual misconduct. The piece leans on anonymous sources and describes the investigation as months long with lots of documentation.
The same report also says Netflix is steering clear of commenting and is intensely focused on positioning the finale as a major rollout:
'It will be a theatrical event. Nothing is going to overshadow this, not even the leading man's private life.'
Daily Mail further claims Harbour’s estranged wife, Lily Allen, supported him during the inquiry, which allegedly took place before they separated last December. Another detail from that reporting: Brown supposedly had a personal representative on set throughout Season 5 filming.
What Brown and Harbour have actually said about each other
Recent public comments do not line up neatly with the allegation narrative. In an interview with Empire Magazine, Brown spoke warmly about Harbour and their dynamic on set, describing a real-life bond that mirrored Eleven and Hopper’s relationship. Fans noticed they still follow each other on Instagram, which some are taking as a sign that nothing was truly broken between them.
Harbour, for his part, talked in 2021 on the podcast That Scene With Dan Patrick about feeling protective of Brown and worrying about how fame might affect her, comments later picked up by EW.
Quick reality check
This is one of those situations where half the discourse is speculation stacked on top of anonymous quotes. Harbour plays Jim Hopper, the former Hawkins police chief who adopts Brown’s Eleven, so any friction between those two would naturally grab attention. But so far, there is no official confirmation from Netflix about an investigation outcome, and E! News says Harbour’s press absence was a scheduling thing, not a last-minute pullout. Keep that in mind before turning rumor into canon.
Release plans and the bigger picture
Netflix is clearly treating the finale like a blockbuster rollout. The first half of Season 5 hits on Nov. 26, 2025, with the back half landing on Dec. 31, 2025, in a simultaneous theatrical and Netflix drop. That hybrid plan is unusual for a TV series and speaks to how massive they expect this finale to be.
Meanwhile, Harbour is staying busy beyond Hawkins. In addition to Evil Genius with Cox and Arquette, he is part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast, which means any off-screen drama could become a multi-studio headache if it lingers in the headlines.
Timeline at a glance
- Over the last month: Stranger Things press tour runs without Harbour
- Nov. 5, 2025: X post claims his absence ties to an alleged Millie Bobby Brown complaint
- Afterward: E! News reports Harbour was never confirmed for the junket and is filming Courteney Cox’s Evil Genius; Deadline had Cox directing the pizza bomber film with Harbour and Patricia Arquette
- Nov. 6, 2025: Harbour is reportedly set to appear at the Los Angeles Season 5 premiere
- Nov. 26, 2025: Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 premieres on Netflix
- Dec. 31, 2025: Season 5 Part 2 premieres simultaneously in theaters and on Netflix
Bottom line: there is a lot of chatter, some of it spicy, but the only concrete pieces right now are a busy shooting schedule, a splashy premiere plan, and a finale Netflix wants treated like an event film. We will see how much Harbour says, if anything, once that red carpet hits.