Stranger Things fans have wondered how controversies surrounding star David Harbour could affect the release of the Netflix series’ fifth season.
The hit sci-fi show is set to end this year after season 4 saw a gate to the Upside Down tear through Hawkins, placing the whole town in danger.
But drama has surrounded the release of the eagerly anticipated episodes, most notably around Jim Hopper star Harbour, 50.
His breakup with ex-wife Lily Allen is back in the spotlight following the release of her latest album, West End Girl, in which she accused him of cheating and gaslighting, as well as cheating with a woman she dubbed ‘Madeline’.
The Mail on Sunday then revealed that his Stranger Things co-star, Millie Bobby Brown, accused the star of ‘bullying and harassment.’
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When will Stranger Things season 5 be released?
Netflix has announced that the last season of Stranger Things will be released in three parts on November 26, December 25, and December 31.
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First, four episodes are dropping on November 26 for volume one.
Volume two will follow with three episodes on Christmas Day, and then one final episode will premiere on New Year’s Eve for volume three.
A source has commented that despite the recent news stories surrounding the cast, nothing will dampen the celebration of the final season of the beloved show.
‘It will be a theatrical event,’ a Netflix source told the Daily Mail. ‘Nothing is going to overshadow this, not even the leading man’s private life.’
The insider continued: ‘Netflix will never comment on an internal investigation, but the fact they’ve not denied it speaks volumes.
‘Stranger Things helped put Netflix on the map. Millions of fans around the world have been anticipating the finale. No one wants anything to take attention away from that.’
What did Millie Bobby Brown accuse David Harbour of?
It has been reported that Brown, 21, filed a harassment and bullying claim before filming of the final season of Stranger Things began.
The Mail on Sunday claims that Harbour faced an internal inquiry after Brown allegedly complained about his behaviour towards her.
A source told the outlet: ‘Millie Bobby Brown filed a harassment and bullying claim before they started shooting the last season. There were pages and pages of accusations. The investigation went on for months.’
The publication said that the outcome of the investigation is unknown.
It was also reported that Harbour was ‘supported throughout it all’ by his partner at the time, Allen.
What did Lily Allen say about David Harbour on West End Girl?
Allen’s most recent album, West End Girl, saw her accuse her ex-husband of several infidelities and open up on their failed marriage.
In songs including Madeline and Tennis, Allen accused her ex-husband of cheating, gaslighting, lying, and contemplated whether he was a ‘sex addict’.
American costume designer Natalie Tippett has stepped forward as the woman behind the moniker.
It’s been reported that Natalie and David met in the US during shooting for Netflix movie We Have a Ghost in 2021 and struck up an affair soon after.
In the song Madeline, Lily suggested she and her estranged husband had an open marriage, so long as it was discreet and not based on emotional connection.
She sings: ‘How long has it been going on? Is it just sex or is there emotion?/ He told me it would stay in hotel rooms, never be out in the open/ Why would I trust anything that comes out of his mouth?’ I’m not convinced that he didn’t f**k you in our house.’
The chorus then explained: ‘We had an arrangement/ Be discrete and don’t be blatant. There had to be payment/ It had to be with strangers/ But you’re not a stranger, Madeline.’
She also sings in Pussy Palace that she ‘found a shoebox full of handwritten letters from brokenhearted women wishing you could have been better’ in an apartment owned by Harbour in New York, which she sings was evidence of a ‘double life’.
Allen also sings about finding a bag full of ’sex toys, butt plugs, and lube inside’.
Speaking to British Vogue ahead of the album’s release, Allen explained how she struggled with suicidal thoughts and her sobriety at the height of their split.
‘The feelings of despair that I was experiencing were so strong,’ she told the magazine.
‘The last time that I felt anything like that, drugs and alcohol were my way out, so it was excruciating to sit with those [feelings] and not to use them.’
In January, Allen checked herself into a trauma treatment facility, where she spent several weeks addressing what she called her ’emotional turmoil’ through therapy methods including shadow work and inner child exploration.
Explaining her decision to seek help, she said: ‘I wanted to die. I’ve been into those places before against my will, and I feel like that’s progress in itself. That’s strength. I knew that the things I was feeling were too extreme to be able to manage, and I was like, “I need some time away.”’
It’s believed they parted ways in December, and she was later spotted on the celebrity dating app Raya.
It then emerged that Allen had discovered Harbour had been back on dating apps while they were still together, with a source claiming that he had been in a three-year-long secret relationship.
Metro has reached out to representatives of Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, and Netflix for comment.
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