Allegations Against Bill Murray Resurface After His Movie Is Shut Down Due To ‘Inappropriate Behavior’ Complaint

Bill Murray is under fire after reports of inappropriate behavior on set recently resurfaced.

The reports came to light again after production on the film Being Mortal, which stars Murray, Seth Rogan, and Aziz Ansari as both an actor and director, was suspended on Wednesday after being halted for the previous three days.

Searchlight Pictures chose to suspend production after a complaint was filed the week before. 

“Late last week, we were made aware of a complaint, and we immediately looked into it,” the studio said in a letter to the film’s cast and crew.

“After reviewing the circumstances, it has been decided that production cannot continue at this time. We are truly grateful to all of you for everything you’ve put into this project.”

Insiders say that the complaint was not against Ansari. However, the studio did not confirm who it was against.

Bill Murray's misconduct allegations have resurfaced in the face of the recent reports.

News of the complaint prompted social media users to share poor set experiences with Murray in the past.

Bill Murray was accused of inappropriate behavior on the set of 'What About Bob?'

A Twitter user under the name @CBOwenII posted a screenshot of a 2003 story from the Baltimore Sun regarding an argument between Murray and producer Laura Ziskin on the set of the 1991 movie. 

RELATED: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard & The Myth Of The Perfect Victim

The user shared the screenshot along with a message that called Murray a “bully” in response to another user who speculated that Murray was the subject of the complaint. 

“Bill also threatened to throw me across the parking lot and then broke my sunglasses and threw them across the parking lot," Ziskin told the Baltimore Sun at the time. "I was furious and outraged at the time, but having produced a dozen movies, I can safely say it is not common behavior."

Kim Masters, an editor for the Hollywood Reporter, quoted the original tweet and added her own message, “I reported this in Keys to the Kingdom. Note that Laura Ziskin was a beloved, petite woman and Bill Murray was not.”

Ben Dreyfuss, whose father, Richard Dreyfuss, worked with Murray on "What About Bob?," responded to Masters’ tweets with his own recounts from when he was a child on the set.

He said that Murray had thrown Ziskin’s glasses into a week after she did not allow him another day off, and that Murray threw an ashtray at his father when the latter confronted him about his behavior.  

He added that it escalated to a point where Murray and his father had to be physically separated.

“Everyone walked off the production and flew back to LA and it only resumed after Disney hired some bodyguards to physically separate my dad and Bill Murray in between takes,” Dreyfuss tweeted.

Murray himself confirmed his disagreements with Richard Dreyfus in a 1993 interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“(Richard Dreyfuss and I) didn’t get along on the movie particularly, but it worked for the movie. I mean, I drove him nuts, and he encouraged me to drive him nuts.”

Lucy Liu accused Bill Murray of mistreatment on the set of Charlie’s Angels.

In a July 2021 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Liu recalled when she took a stand against Murray’s poor treatment of her and others on the set of the 2000 film. She said that Murray “hurled insults” at her while they were shooting a scene.

“Some of the language was inexcusable and unacceptable, and I was not going to just sit there and take it. So, yes, I stood up for myself, and I don’t regret it. Because no matter how low on the totem pole you may be or wherever you came from, there’s no need to condescend or to put other people down."

Liu added that coverage at the time painted her as the one who started the arguments and that she remembers the situation “very intimately.”

Fellow "Charlie’s Angels" star Drew Barrymore backed up Liu’s claims on an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show in October. She said that Murray’s remarks were general at first, but he later took issue with Liu in particular.

“And what you have to know is how much Lucy stood up for herself,” Barrymore said.

“And that was the great thing that came out of an unfortunate circumstance. She literally said, ‘I do not accept that kind of behavior from you’ and we all supported her and backed her up and we moved forward.”

Murray commented on his dispute with Liu in a 2009 interview with The Times of London. In the interview, Murray said that Liu’s lack of professionalism was what led to their disagreements.

“Look, I will dismiss you completely if you are unprofessional and working with me. … When our relationship is professional, and you’re not getting that done, forget it.”

Murray’s lawyers have not responded to the previous allegations.

Jonathan Alfano is a writer who focuses on news and entertainment topics. He majors in journalism at the University of Central Florida with a minor in sports business. Follow him on Twitter.