David Harbour has spoken publicly for the first time about Lily Allen’s revealing album West End Girl, which chronicles the breakdown of their marriage. The Stranger Things actor, who separated from the singer in early 2025 after marrying in 2020, addressed the record in a new interview with Variety.
The couple filed for divorce months after their separation. Allen’s album details infidelity and emotional manipulation, with the singer describing it as “a mixture of fact and fiction”. The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis called it “an act of unstoppable personal exorcism”.
Harbour said he respects Allen’s right as an artist to use her experiences. “It was weird,” he said. “I do believe that it is the privilege of every artist to use their experience to create art, and so I respect her for doing that.” He declined to comment further, citing his value of privacy. When asked if he wanted to challenge the album’s claims, he stated: “Stories are complex and that’s why I say I respect her creation of art to channel her experience. It wasn’t my experience.”
Allen told Vogue that the album combines truth and fiction: “There are things that are on the record that I experienced within my marriage, but that’s not to say that it’s all gospel. It is inspired by what went on in the relationship.” She has since embarked on a concert tour and is in talks to create a play based on the songs.
Harbour also addressed tabloid reports that his Stranger Things co-star Millie Bobby Brown filed a bullying and harassment claim against him. He denied lasting tension, describing a “simple rupture-and-repair” after talking directly. Harbour will next appear in Violent Night 2.
