The carefully constructed public image of David Harbour is facing an unprecedented threat as his flagship series, Stranger Things, approaches its final episode. The actor, who found global fame as Police Chief Jim Hopper, is now at the centre of a perfect storm of personal and professional scandals that could define his career long after the show concludes.
The Unravelling of a Public Persona
David Harbour's troubles began in earnest with the October release of his ex-wife Lily Allen's brutally honest album, West End Girl. The 40-year-old songstress, after years of presenting a happy marriage, used the album's 14 tracks to detail Harbour's infidelity and the painful breakdown of their four-year open relationship. The couple had originally met on the exclusive dating app Raya.
One particularly explosive moment on the album sees Allen asking 'Who the f**k is Madeline?' regarding one of Harbour's alleged extracurricular partners. In a remarkable piece of investigative journalism, The Mail on Sunday's Editor-at-Large Charlotte Griffiths exclusively revealed the identity of ‘Madeline’ as costume designer Natalie Tippett.
Just weeks after the album's release, another damaging revelation emerged. Harbour had faced an internal inquiry after his 20-year-old co-star Millie Bobby Brown allegedly complained about his behaviour towards her. Charlotte Griffiths revealed that Millie Bobby Brown has accused him of bullying her, though the matter had been successfully kept quiet for approximately two years.
The End of Protection?
Speaking on The Daily Mail's new entertainment show The Insiders, Charlotte Griffiths, a self-professed Lily Allen 'superfan', provided a stark analysis of Harbour's precarious position. She pointed to a crucial line in Allen's album where the singer states 'I've been protecting a lot of your secrets'.
This, Griffiths suggests, hints at information beyond the already-public infidelity and bullying allegations. More significantly, she questions whether the powerful industry forces that have shielded Harbour will continue to do so now that their primary motivation is disappearing.
'The people at Netflix were of course really invested in Stranger Things and they really wanted the final season to go without a hitch,' Griffiths stated on The Insiders. 'So of course they've been using all their might behind the scenes to protect him but with the final season over, that obligation no longer exists so I wonder if there's more to come?'
Irreparable Damage to a Family-Friendly Brand
The context of these scandals is particularly damaging given the nature of the show that made Harbour famous. Griffiths was quick to emphasise this point, noting, 'Don't forget Stranger Things is more or less a kids' show, it stars children, the stars of it are child stars who have grown up'.
This dissonance between the actor's on-screen role as a protective father figure and the off-screen allegations of betrayal and bullying creates what Griffiths describes as 'irreparable damage' to his reputation. The timing could not be worse, with the final season of the global phenomenon set to conclude in December.
As the safety net of Netflix's PR machine is potentially withdrawn with the show's end, the entertainment industry is watching closely. The question now is not just about what has already been revealed, but what other secrets might emerge once the streaming giant's incentive to protect its star vanishes completely.
