'I Had a Breakdown': 'Stranger Things' Star David Harbour Reveals He Struggled With His Mental Health Following Millie Bobby Brown 'Bullying' Claims
David Harbour has admitted the allegations he 'bullied' co-star Mille Bobby Brown led him to have a mental breakdown.
June 10 2026, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
David Harbour has revealed the drama surrounding reports that his Stranger Things co-star, Millie Bobby Brown, claimed he was a "bully" on set caused him to have a mental breakdown, RadarOnline.com can report.
Rumors of tension between the co-stars swirled last year following a bombshell report that claimed she'd filed a harassment complaint against him before filming Season 5 of the hit Netflix series.
'I Do Suffer From Some Confusing Stuff'
Harbour has been open about his battles with bipolar disorder.
Late last year, Harbour was caught on video bizarrely snatching a man's hat at an Encinitas, California bar and running off with it, taunting the man to "f---ing get me."
Looking back on his behavior then and other times, the 51-year-old offered a simple explanation: "I had a breakdown," he told Variety. "I do suffer from some confusing stuff – it's confusing as hell.
"I think a lot of people have a friend or a brother or a co-worker that deals with mental health stuff, and they're probably pretty confused when that person gets depressed or gets manic or has an episode."
Millie Bobby Brown Bullying Claims
The actor, here with Brown, was caught on video snatching another man's hat at a bar.
Harbour has always been honest about his struggles with bipolar disorder, which could have been made worse by the anxiety of working on a fast-paced Hollywood set.
"Under times of extreme stress, that can cause somewhat erratic behavior, and it’s embarrassing, and I’m ashamed of it," the New Avengers star continued. "It’s not something I choose, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy."
As Radar reported, Harbour, who plays ex-police chief Jim Hopper and the adoptive father of Brown's character Eleven on the show, was reportedly the subject of an internal inquiry after the British actress filed a formal complaint.
A source claimed at the time, "Mille 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 insider also claimed Brown filmed the series finale, accompanied by a personal representative she had on the set with her.
Harbour and Brown both disputed the accusations.
But the results of that investigation were never made public, and both Harbour and Brown dispute the hearsay that there was any real beef between them.
Harbour was even spotted earlier this year at Brown's 22nd birthday celebration in New York. And he has teased the father-daughter duo working together again in the future.
"You’ll see more of me and Millie," he said. "10 years wasn’t enough. There is a special bond there. I love her. She loves me.
Millie Bobby Brown Shares Her Thoughts
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Harbour was at her 22nd birthday in February.
It seems the sentiment is indeed shared by Brown, who said in a statement: "Obviously, I changed so much from Season 1 to Season 5, and David was there through all of it.
"Over time, our relationship became much more collaborative creatively. When you work with someone for that many years, we could really push each other emotionally in scenes."
She added, "Even though the series has ended, there’s still a lot of gratitude. Getting to share that experience with him for so many years is something I’ll always remember and value."
