David Harbour Accused of Bullying Millie Bobby Brown on ‘Stranger Things’ Set Ahead of Final Season

Trouble in Hawkins, Indiana? That’s what reports suggest as Stranger Things gears up for its long-awaited finale. David Harbour, 50, reportedly sparked a Netflix investigation into alleged bullying and harassment of the show’s breakout star, Millie Bobby Brown, 21.

The internal probe comes just as filming for the eighth and final season—Netflix’s $400 million production—is underway. According to The Mail on Sunday, Brown filed a “harassment and bullying claim” before cameras rolled in January 2024. The report stresses that “the allegations did not include claims of sexual impropriety.”

“There were pages and pages of accusations,” a source told The Mail. “The investigation went on for months.”

Harbour plays Jim Hopper, the gruff ex-police chief who adopts Brown’s Eleven. Their complex father-daughter relationship drives much of the series’ emotional core, and they share significant screen time. But the alleged on-set tensions reportedly led Brown to have a personal representative present during shooting for the final season.

The news comes amid Harbour’s personal struggles, including the end of his marriage to British singer Lily Allen. Allen’s new album, West End Girl, has been dominating streaming conversations for its candid exploration of betrayals during their four-year marriage.

“Lily supported him throughout it all,” the Mail source said. “It was a brutal time.” The workplace allegations are not believed to be related to the marriage breakdown.

Brown, who skyrocketed to fame on Stranger Things, has since starred in Enola Holmes and Damsel. She married fellow actor Jake Bongiovi, son of Jon Bon Jovi, in 2024. The couple now live on a Georgia farm, run an animal sanctuary, and adopted a baby girl in August.

Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things has turned its ensemble cast—including Winona Ryder, Finn Wolfhard, Joe Keery, and Natalia Dyer—into household names. Season 4 drew a record-breaking 286 million viewing hours in its first three days.

The final season will premiere in three waves: the first four episodes drop on November 26, three more over Christmas, and the two-and-a-half-hour finale will release in theaters and on Netflix on New Year’s Eve.

Neither Netflix nor Harbour’s representatives responded to The Mail’s requests for comment.