Bill Murray faces growing claims of bad behavior, mistreating co-stars

Following an explosive report this week that Bill Murray paid out more than $100,000 to settle a claim of alleged sexual misconduct on the set of his latest film, “Being Mortal,” more people who have worked with the actor have come forward with stories about how he was rude, cruel or unprofessional on film or TV sets.

Those coming forward include Seth Green and Rob Schneider, who, in separate interviews Thursday, talked about how the 72-year-old comedy legend was mean and angry with cast members when he guest-hosted “Saturday Night Live.” Murray first became famous as an “SNL” cast member from 1976 to 1980, but has returned to host the late-night sketch comedy show five times in the early 1980s to 1999.

Green named Murray as the rudest celebrity he’s ever met when asked that question Thursday on the Good Morning Mythical talk-and-comedy YouTube show, Entertainment Tonight reported. Green explained how Murray manhandled him in a disturbing way when he was a child actor appearing on “Saturday Night Live.”

Green said the comedy star picked him up and dangled him by his ankles over a trash can when he saw the boy sitting on the arm of a chair “and made a big fuss about me being in his seat,” ET reported. It’s not clear what year this alleged incident happened, although Murray twice hosted “SNL” in 1981 and 1987.

“I was like, ‘That is absurd. I am sitting on the arm of this couch,’” Green recalled, according to ET. “‘There are several lengths of this sofa. Kindly, (expletive) off.’ And he was like, ‘That’s my chair.’”

Green said his mother, who was on the set, suggested that he give up his seat “since he’s the Bill Murray,” ET said.

“And I go, ‘Are you this much of a jerk? You’re this rude to tell a 9-year-old to get out of your … what is this power play?’” Green recalled. That’s when, Green said, the disagreement became physical.

“He picked me up by my ankles, he dangled me over a trash can and he was like, ‘The trash goes in the trash can,’” Green recalled, according to ET. “And I was screaming, and I swung my arms wildly. … He dropped me in the trash can and the trash can falls over. I was horrified. I ran away, hid under the table in my dressing room and just cried.”

Green said he had “never been so embarrassed in my life” and wanted to pull out of performing on the show before then-cast members Eddie Murphy and Tim Kazurinsky offered him a pep talk, ET reported. Green said they came into his dressing room and likened Murray to male genitalia and said “everybody knows” Murray is like that. They said Murray was probably nervous about hosting the show.

“‘You be a pro, right?’” Green recalled Murphy and Kuzurinsky saying, according to ET. “The show must go on. You be a pro. You’re a pro, right?’” Green pretended to wipe away tears and said, “I was like, ‘I am a pro. I’m a pro.’”

Green’s account of Murray being rude to “SNL” cast members echo what former “SNL” star Schneider said on SiriusXM’s Jim Norton & Sam Roberts show Thursday, the New York Post reported. In his comments, Schneider also recalled how Murray was difficult to work with, mainly because the “Ghostbusters” star “hated us on ‘Saturday Night Live’ when he hosted. Absolutely hated us. I mean, seething.”

Schneider, who joined “SNL” in 1988 as a writer and was a full-time cast member from 1990 to 1994, said on the radio show that Murray was “super nice to fans” when he hosted in February 1993, but he “wasn’t very nice to us,” the Post reported.

Schneider claimed Murray especially loathed Adam Sandler and the late Chris Farley, who were on the show at the time, the Post reported. “He hated Chris Farley with a passion,” said Schneider. “Like he was just seething looking at him.”

The idea of Murray being mean to a child actor or “seething” with anger at co-stars certainly doesn’t match the public image that has grown up around the star over the years. Eriq Gardner, a writer for the the industry outlet Puck, noted this week that Murray has attained the status as a sort of “secular saint,” known to the general public for his humor, ironic detachment and cross-generational appeal. On the other hand, reports increasingly show that Hollywood insiders have gotten to know Murray in another way, with the icon gaining a reputation for being difficult with co-stars, directors, strangers and intimate partners.

Earlier this week, Gardner revealed details in Puck about Murray’s allegedly inappropriate behavior on the set of his new film, “Being Mortal,” which led to the production being halted in April. Murray allegedly became particularly friendly with a young female staffer and even felt that she had been flirting with him, Gardner reported. At one point, when the two were near a bed that was part of the production, “Murray started kissing her body and straddling her,” Gardner said.

Perhaps Murray’s move was “an unclear bit of physical comedy,” but it was unannounced, Gardner reported. The woman alleged she couldn’t move because Murray outweighed her. She also said he kissed her on the mouth, though the two were wearing masks, due to COVID safety protocols.

Murray later admitted in an interview with CNBC that he engaged in behavior on the set of “Being Mortal” that he thought was “funny, and it wasn’t taken that way,” Deadline reported.

Indeed, the woman interpreted his actions “as entirely sexual,” Gardner reported. She was “horrified” and filed a complaint, as did another staffer who witnessed the incident, Gardner added.

Murray tried to remedy the situation by engaging the staffer in mediation and paying her a settlement “just north of $100,000,” Gardner said. Both Murray and the woman reportedly hoped to resume production on “Being Mortal,” which was directed by Aziz Ansari and which was based on the non-fiction book about end-of-life care by Atul Gawande. However, production is yet to resume, perhaps because studio executives at Disney are averse to controversy, Gardner said.

Unfortunately for Murray’s public image, the Puck report followed another story last week  about Geena Davis’ new memoir, in which the Oscar-winning actor also had a story to share about Murray being “vile.” For Davis, her negative experience with Murray occurred when they worked together on the 1990 film “Quick Change,” as she recalled in her book, “Dying of Politeness.”

Davis explained to the Times UK that her professional relationship with Murray got off to a bad start when they first met in a hotel suite. Davis said Murray insisted on using a massage device called The Thumper on her despite her refusal.

Later, Davis said, when she and Murray were filming on location, Murray tracked her down in her trailer and began screaming at her for being late, even though she was waiting for her wardrobe, the Times reported. He continued to scream at her as she hurried onto the set and even after she arrived on set —  in front of hundreds of cast, crew, curious passers-by.

“That was bad,” Davis told the Times. “The way he behaved at the first meeting … I should have walked out of that or profoundly defended myself, in which case I wouldn’t have got the part.”

Following an explosive report this week that Bill Murray paid out more than $100,000 to settle a claim of alleged sexual misconduct on the set of his latest film, “Being Mortal,” more people who have worked with the actor have come forward with stories about how he was rude, cruel or unprofessional on film or TV sets.

Those coming forward include Seth Green and Rob Schneider, who, in separate interviews Thursday, talked about how the 72-year-old comedy legend was mean and angry with cast members when he guest-hosted “Saturday Night Live.” Murray first became famous as an “SNL” cast member from 1976 to 1980, but has returned to host the late-night sketch comedy show five times in the early 1980s to 1999.

Green named Murray as the rudest celebrity he’s ever met when asked that question Thursday on the Good Morning Mythical talk-and-comedy YouTube show, Entertainment Tonight reported. Green explained how Murray manhandled him in a disturbing way when he was a child actor appearing on “Saturday Night Live.”

Green said the comedy star picked him up and dangled him by his ankles over a trash can when he saw the boy sitting on the arm of a chair “and made a big fuss about me being in his seat,” ET reported. It’s not clear what year this alleged incident happened, although Murray twice hosted “SNL” in 1981 and 1987.

“I was like, ‘That is absurd. I am sitting on the arm of this couch,’” Green recalled, according to ET. “‘There are several lengths of this sofa. Kindly, (expletive) off.’ And he was like, ‘That’s my chair.’”

Green said his mother, who was on the set, suggested that he give up his seat “since he’s the Bill Murray,” ET said.

“And I go, ‘Are you this much of a jerk? You’re this rude to tell a 9-year-old to get out of your … what is this power play?’” Green recalled. That’s when, Green said, the disagreement became physical.

“He picked me up by my ankles, he dangled me over a trash can and he was like, ‘The trash goes in the trash can,’” Green recalled, according to ET. “And I was screaming, and I swung my arms wildly. … He dropped me in the trash can and the trash can falls over. I was horrified. I ran away, hid under the table in my dressing room and just cried.”

Green said he had “never been so embarrassed in my life” and wanted to pull out of performing on the show before then-cast members Eddie Murphy and Tim Kazurinsky offered him a pep talk, ET reported. Green said they came into his dressing room and likened Murray to male genitalia and said “everybody knows” Murray is like that. They said Murray was probably nervous about hosting the show.

“‘You be a pro, right?’” Green recalled Murphy and Kuzurinsky saying, according to ET. “The show must go on. You be a pro. You’re a pro, right?’” Green pretended to wipe away tears and said, “I was like, ‘I am a pro. I’m a pro.’”

Green’s account of Murray being rude to “SNL” cast members echo what former “SNL” star Schneider said on SiriusXM’s Jim Norton & Sam Roberts show Thursday, the New York Post reported. In his comments, Schneider also recalled how Murray was difficult to work with, mainly because the “Ghostbusters” star “hated us on ‘Saturday Night Live’ when he hosted. Absolutely hated us. I mean, seething.”

Schneider, who joined “SNL” in 1988 as a writer and was a full-time cast member from 1990 to 1994, said on the radio show that Murray was “super nice to fans” when he hosted in February 1993, but he “wasn’t very nice to us,” the Post reported.

Schneider claimed Murray especially loathed Adam Sandler and the late Chris Farley, who were on the show at the time, the Post reported. “He hated Chris Farley with a passion,” said Schneider. “Like he was just seething looking at him.”

The idea of Murray being mean to a child actor or “seething” with anger at co-stars certainly doesn’t match the public image that has grown up around the star over the years. Eriq Gardner, a writer for the the industry outlet Puck, noted this week that Murray has attained the status as a sort of “secular saint,” known to the general public for his humor, ironic detachment and cross-generational appeal. On the other hand, reports increasingly show that Hollywood insiders have gotten to know Murray in another way, with the icon gaining a reputation for being difficult with co-stars, directors, strangers and intimate partners.

Earlier this week, Gardner revealed details in Puck about Murray’s allegedly inappropriate behavior on the set of his new film, “Being Mortal,” which led to the production being halted in April. Murray allegedly became particularly friendly with a young female staffer and even felt that she had been flirting with him, Gardner reported. At one point, when the two were near a bed that was part of the production, “Murray started kissing her body and straddling her,” Gardner said.

Perhaps Murray’s move was “an unclear bit of physical comedy,” but it was unannounced, Gardner reported. The woman alleged she couldn’t move because Murray outweighed her. She also said he kissed her on the mouth, though the two were wearing masks, due to COVID safety protocols.

Murray later admitted in an interview with CNBC that he engaged in behavior on the set of “Being Mortal” that he thought was “funny, and it wasn’t taken that way,” Deadline reported.

Indeed, the woman interpreted his actions “as entirely sexual,” Gardner reported. She was “horrified” and filed a complaint, as did another staffer who witnessed the incident, Gardner added.

Murray tried to remedy the situation by engaging the staffer in mediation and paying her a settlement “just north of $100,000,” Gardner said. Both Murray and the woman reportedly hoped to resume production on “Being Mortal,” which was directed by Aziz Ansari and which was based on the non-fiction book about end-of-life care by Atul Gawande. However, production is yet to resume, perhaps because studio executives at Disney are averse to controversy, Gardner said.

Unfortunately for Murray’s public image, the Puck report followed another story last week  about Geena Davis’ new memoir, in which the Oscar-winning actor also had a story to share about Murray being “vile.” For Davis, her negative experience with Murray occurred when they worked together on the 1990 film “Quick Change,” as she recalled in her book, “Dying of Politeness.”

Davis explained to the Times UK that her professional relationship with Murray got off to a bad start when they first met in a hotel suite. Davis said Murray insisted on using a massage device called The Thumper on her despite her refusal.

Later, Davis said, when she and Murray were filming on location, Murray tracked her down in her trailer and began screaming at her for being late, even though she was waiting for her wardrobe, the Times reported. He continued to scream at her as she hurried onto the set and even after she arrived on set —  in front of hundreds of cast, crew, curious passers-by.

“That was bad,” Davis told the Times. “The way he behaved at the first meeting … I should have walked out of that or profoundly defended myself, in which case I wouldn’t have got the part.”