Bill Murray's Dying Regrets at 74 — 'Ghostbusters' Icon Admits 'Stupid Things' and Monster Ego Will Haunt Him Forever After Sex Scandal
Bill Murray admits being peppered with compliments saw his ego become monstrous.
June 16 2025, Published 12:22 p.m. ET
Hollywood veteran Bill Murray has opened up about his biggest regrets, admitting: "I've done some stupid things."
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Ghostbusters star, 74, admitted "fame" was a big factor behind some of his erratic and, sometimes, controversial behavior.
Out Of Control Ego
Murray says being peppered with compliments saw his ego explode.
He says due to industry figures regularly lauding him, there was a time his ego grew out of control.
Murray said: "You have to have an ego to work with. You need it to get the work done.
"It's not important to try to change your ego, or to keep it in check, or dial it down. What's important is to watch it."
The star continued: "Your first brush with fame – it's not like it got any bigger but you lose control for a year or two. You make a lot of mistakes, you do a lot of stupid things and you allow people to fluff you up."
Sex Scandal Rocked Career
Murray admits he struggles to put his sex scandal to the back of his mind.
The actor's honesty comes after Murray opened up about the shocking sexual misconduct allegation that doomed his film Being Mortal from being released in 2022 and forever altered his public reputation.
In an interview published over the weekend, the actor admitted that the incident still haunts him to this day – even as he remained defiant about the investigation's outcome, which he said was not "justice."
When asked if he thought about the incident while playing a man accused of inappropriate conduct in his new film The Friend, he replied: "I don't go too many days or weeks without thinking of what happened in Being Mortal."
Fresh Controversy
Murray hit the headlines again recently for kissing co-star Naomi Watts during a chat show appearance.
Murray was again swept up in controversy as he promoted the new film when he grabbed his co-star Naomi Watts and kissed her unprompted while both appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
In the new interview, he shared his recollection of the circumstances leading up to the complaint about his behavior on Being Mortal, which was to be the directorial debut of its star, Aziz Ansari, before it was shelved.
The Kingpin star noted the film was shot at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and the cast and crew were "all wearing masks and we were all stranded in this one room listening to this crazy scene."
Before recounting his alleged behavior, he prefaced it by saying: "I dunno what prompted me to do it. It's something that I had done to someone else before, and I thought it was funny, and every time it happened, it was funny."
Murray explained that, while wearing a mask, he gave the unnamed female crew member – who was also masked – a kiss. "It wasn't like I touched her, but it was just, I gave her a kiss through a mask."
He added: "And she wasn't a stranger," and said the two were having lunch multiple times a week before the incident.
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Murray says he felt 'barbecued' in the aftermath of the complaint against him.
Murray, who described feeling "barbecued" in the aftermath of the complaint against him, described interventions by HR and subsequent arbitration that he felt were prejudiced against him.
"It turned out there were pre-existing conditions and all this kind of stuff," he said.
Murray added: "I'm like, what? How was anyone supposed to know anything like that? There was no conversation, there was nothing. There was no peacemaking, nothing.
"It went to this lunatic arbitration, which, if anyone ever suggests you go to arbitration: Don't do it. Never ever do it. Because you think it's justice, and it isn't."
