In the middle of his messy split from Lily Allen, David Harbour has found himself dragged into another storm—this time involving his Stranger Things co-star Millie Bobby Brown. Reports claim that Brown, 21, has accused Harbour of “bullying and harassment” right before filming for the upcoming Stranger Things Season 5.
According to the Daily Mail, Brown filed an official “harassment and bullying claim” before shooting began, with “pages and pages of accusations.” Sources said the internal investigation went on for months, and during filming, Brown even had her personal representative on set to make sure things stayed professional.
That’s where the shock comes in. Because if you go back to every interview, every red carpet moment, every podcast where David Harbour talked about Brown, it would definitely shock you. He had nothing but love, admiration, and that very dad-like protectiveness for her. Which now makes people wonder: was all that fatherly affection real, or just really good acting?
1. David Harbour Said He Felt “Protective” of Millie Bobby Brown
Whenever David Harbour talked about Millie Bobby Brown, there was warmth in his words. It always felt unmistakably genuine. It was like that of a dad trying not to cry while pretending he’s just got “something in his eye.” On That Scene with Dan Patrick, Harbour peeled back the curtain on his relationship with the Stranger Things star, saying it’s been something special since day one. He said,
Millie and I have always had sort of a special relationship because I knew her when she was so young. I knew her before any of this big fame hit.
But that’s not all. He has been protective of her ever since they met on set. He further said,
I have a real protective feeling for her. I have a real, like, worry. I worry about her and the fame and all that she has to struggle with. And I’ve just always felt this kind of deep fatherly affection for her.
But now, one can’t help but wonder if those words were truly sincere, or just Hollywood make-believe.
2 Times Winona Ryder Allegedly Shaded Millie Bobby Brown: What Happened Between the Stranger Things Co-stars
2. David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown Share a Classic Father-Daughter Kind of Bond
There’s something irresistibly sweet about the way David Harbour talked about Millie Bobby Brown. The Stranger Things duo played an adoptive father and daughter on screen. But off-screen, their bond felt just as warm. Harbour himself once joked that their dynamic felt like “a grumpy curmudgeon” constantly arguing with his overly curious teenage daughter. It all sounded like a sitcom waiting to happen. He said (via Yahoo! Entertainment),
She’s just wacky… we have an almost father-daughter relationship where like, she’s so precocious, and I’m such a grumpy curmudgeon, that it’s just us kind of arguing with each other.
He admitted that despite all the teasing and back-and-forth, there was a genuine affection beneath it. He said,
I care about her a lot and I think she’s making some good decisions and some bad decisions, and I’m very able to voice that to her and she’s very able to argue back with me.
Their bond was not just about advice and arguments — it was in the little moments too. Harbour’s favorite memories from Stranger Things season three weren’t about the Demogorgons or the big emotional scenes, but the quiet, funny mornings in the makeup trailer.
“It’s being in the makeup trailer together, in the morning, and just sort of going over the things that are happening with our lives,” he shared. And apparently, Brown did not shy away from poking into his love life either. “She’s very interested in my romantic life too, which I’m annoyed by to no end,” he added with mock exasperation.
It was the kind of father-daughter energy that spilled off the screen — her playful nosiness versus his gentle irritation. If Hopper and Eleven ever needed a real-world reference point, this was it. In Harbour’s words, “It’s really just that dynamic of like us as fake father and daughter, just like playing that up in real life.”
But now, with all the controversy swirling, these words feel like a well-rehearsed show.
3. He Hoped Millie Bobby Brown Would Grow Up in a “Better Hollywood”
David Harbour’s protectiveness toward Millie Bobby Brown did not just stop at giving advice or tolerating her curious questions. He had been vocal about wanting her to grow up in an industry that treats young stars better than the one he had known. Back in 2018, after bagging the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor, Harbour spoke candidly backstage. He talked about his concern for the then-13-year-old actress. He said (via People),
I’m hopeful she’ll get to grow up in a place where they’ll tell her stories more.
For Harbour, it wasn’t just a proud co-star moment. It gave us a glimpse into his fatherly side. He’s seen firsthand how fame can twist young lives, and all he really wanted was for her to keep her spark — the one that made her stand out in Stranger Things in the first place. “That’s where our power lies,” he added, “in the stories that we tell.”
In the end, David Harbour’s words about wanting Millie Bobby Brown to grow up in a “better Hollywood” sounded heartfelt and full of care. He wanted her to be protected, to thrive, to tell stories freely. But with everything that’s unfolded now, one has to ask, was he really giving her that experience?
4. David Harbour Praised Millie Bobby Brown as Exceptionally Talented
If there was one thing David Harbour had never held back on, it’s his admiration for Millie Bobby Brown. The Stranger Things actor has often spoken about her with a level of warmth. To him, Brown was something closer to family. He had even called her “gifted” and “incomparable.” He said (via Hollywood Life),
Millie, what I get from her is very personal. I have never had a daughter. I don’t have children, so what I get from her is this feeling of being a father … this protective feeling of love, of a protective love that isn’t romantic love and I rarely feel that in my life for things other than cats. So, to feel it for a young human being, to be that protective, that loving to someone is very special, so she gives me that piece of me which is very special!
It’s a rare confession in Hollywood — especially from someone known for playing a gruff, gun-toting police chief. But Harbour’s honesty about his emotions made it all the more endearing. The fact that he compared his paternal affection for Brown to his love for cats? That’s pure David Harbour energy — sentimental one second, hilarious the next.
He had often said that Brown brings out a softer side of him. Their chemistry on screen felt like no act. It was maybe rooted in a genuine connection. It showed the same father-daughter bond that their characters share. So, how did such heartfelt words turn into such heartbreaking allegations?
5. David Harbour Thought She Would Bring Home the Golden Statue
If David Harbour’s fondness for Millie Bobby Brown sounded touching, his faith in her future could rival that of the most devoted stage parent. The actor had been pretty vocal about how bright he thinks Brown’s future is, and he’s not wrong. When she was just 13, she wasn’t just acting — she was producing, starring, and completely rewriting the rulebook for what a teen actor could achieve. Harbour said (via Hollywood Life),
She has the potential to go very far. My hope with Millie has and is always that she will be an artist that when I am in the nursing home, she will bring me her Oscars.
Now, that line alone is both adorable and perfectly on-brand. You can almost picture Harbour, gray-haired and grumbling, surrounded by cat calendars in his nursing home, waiting for Brown to walk in with a golden statue. And honestly, it sounded exactly like something he’d do.
But beyond the jokes, there was a clear undercurrent of concern. Harbour’s protective instincts did not end on set — they extended to how Brown handled the overwhelming fame that has come with her success (via Hollywood Life).
I feel like the pitfalls are very deep in terms of this generation; this fame, this Instagram generation of constantly wanting to get likes… I never really grew up with that and the fact that there is somebody with eleven million followers or something like, that’s thinking about their persona to the world at thirteen or fourteen years of age is terrifying to me.
But now, with the recent bullying complaints against him, that golden dream feels tarnished.
So, what do you think about David Harbour’s comments? Was he being real, or just putting on his best performance off-screen, too? Let us know in the comments.
