Did Millie Bobby Brown File a Lawsuit Against Hopper?

Millie Bobby Brown did not file a lawsuit against David Harbour, who plays Hopper on Stranger Things. According to reporting first published by the U.K.’s Daily Mail on November 1, 2025, Brown submitted an internal harassment and bullying complaint about Harbour to Netflix before filming began on the show’s fifth and final season. No court case, arbitration, or formal legal action was filed by either actor.¹

A Workplace Complaint, Not a Court Case

The word “lawsuit” has circulated in online searches, but the matter never entered a courtroom. The complaint was a workplace grievance handled through Netflix’s internal process. Variety independently confirmed that Brown had filed a complaint of bullying and harassment and that the resulting investigation had been “resolved.”² Netflix declined to comment publicly on the matter.³

So if you searched for a filing, a docket, or a court date, there isn’t one. What exists is a reported internal complaint and the responses that followed.

What the Daily Mail Reported

The original report was written by Caroline Graham for The Mail on Sunday and relied on anonymous sources. It described a document containing “pages and pages of accusations” but stated the complaint did not include allegations of sexual impropriety.³ The complaint was reportedly filed before Season 5 filming began on January 5, 2024, in Georgia, and Netflix’s internal investigation lasted for months. During the shoot, which wrapped on December 20, 2024, Brown was reportedly accompanied on set by a personal representative.⁴

The timing drew attention. The Daily Mail story ran five days before the Season 5 world premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on November 6, 2025.² A Deadline source suggested the underlying incident may have originated “earlier in the series’ run” rather than immediately before Season 5, adding that it “was dealt with, and there haven’t been issues since.”⁵

How the Producers Responded

The show’s creative leadership addressed the story at the premiere without confirming specifics. Co-creator Ross Duffer told The Hollywood Reporter that he could not “get into personal on-set matters” but said the cast “are family” and that “nothing matters more than just having a set where everyone feels safe and happy.”⁶ Executive producer and director Shawn Levy described the media reports as ranging from “wildly inaccurate” to containing “so much noise,” and said the production had worked to “create a respectful workplace where everyone feels comfortable and safe.”⁷

What Millie Bobby Brown Has Said

Brown has addressed the situation publicly more than once. At the Season 5 premiere, she told The Hollywood Reporter that she and Harbour had “always been united” and that they “love this show with everything, and we value our friendship more than anything.”⁸ In a November 29, 2025, interview with Deadline, she was more direct: “Of course I felt safe. I mean, we’ve worked together for 10 years. I felt safe with everyone on that set.” She described Harbour as someone who pushed her to “bring my A-game” and said they had “a great relationship.”⁹

In a June 2026 email to Variety, Brown said the relationship had “became much more collaborative creatively” over time and that even with the series ended, “there’s still a lot of gratitude.”¹⁰

What David Harbour Has Said

Harbour did not respond in detail until a Variety interview published on June 10, 2026. He called the Daily Mail report “false” and described the underlying conflict as a “simple rupture-and-repair thing” between two people who had worked together for a decade. “You occasionally get in arguments, disagreements,” he said, adding that “once we cleared everybody out of the way and talked to each other, we’re fine.”¹¹

Harbour also disclosed that the media coverage triggered a serious mental health episode. He confirmed he “had a breakdown” and linked it to what he described as false reporting. Harbour has spoken publicly about living with bipolar disorder, and said he had been medicated for the condition since his mid-twenties but had struggled going on and off medications. Reports of “odd behavior” circulated online around the December 2025 holidays, and he subsequently dropped out of a Stranger Things finale event.¹² He said he was “embarrassed” and “ashamed” of the erratic behavior, and credited intensive psychotherapy started in 2026 with helping him stabilize.¹³ In a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Harbour again called the claims “false” and said the report “triggered a mental health episode.”¹⁴

Where the Situation Stands

Both actors reprised their roles in Stranger Things Season 5, which premiered in three parts beginning November 26, 2025.⁵ They appeared together at the premiere and gave separate interviews describing themselves as on good terms. No further legal action has been reported by either party. In his June 2026 Variety interview, Harbour said he and Brown are “working on several” new projects together, telling readers, “you’ll see more of me and Millie.”¹¹

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