David Harbour addresses cheating allegations as he admits Lily Allen's album was 'weird'
David Harbour has addressed Lily Allen's cheating allegations for the first time.
After four years of marriage, the Stranger Things star and the 'Smile' singer parted ways in early 2025, which was followed by accusations of infidelity in Allen's West End Girl.
Throughout the album, there seems to be mention of a breakdown in a relationship as her character reluctantly accepts the conditions of an open marriage.
"We had an arrangement, be discreet and don't be blatant / There had to be payment, it had to be with strangers," she sings, adding: "Is it just sex or is there emotion?"
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Allen then referenced returning home to 'a shoebox full of handwritten letters from brokenhearted women'.
In the final two songs, she goes on: "I will not absorb your shame, it's you who put me through this.
"I can walk out with my dignity if I lay my truth out on the table."
Harbour addresses allegations
Speaking to Variety, Harbour said he found the whole album 'weird'.
“I do believe that it is the privilege of every artist to use their experience to create art, and so I respect her for doing that,” he added.
“I can’t really say that much more, because it’s my private life. In spite of the fact that a lot of people don’t allow me a private life — I value it. And I also value the lives of the people that I interact with privately. I just won’t speak about that.”
He went on to say that 'stories are complex' and 'that’s why I say I respect her creation of art to channel her experience'.
Lily Allen explains what West End Girl is about
In an interview about the album, Allen told The Perfect Magazine that 'if what you’re doing isn’t provocative, what’s the f**king point?'.
"And if it’s not scary, what’s the point? I’m not here to be mediocre," she added.
"My gift is my pen and my writing and the way that I observe the world. It’s not singing, really, and it’s not certainly not dance routines, and it’s not whatever else it is that other artists might have going in their favour.
"My strength is my ability to tell a story. And so I’m going to lean into that. I have to. It’s all I have."
She continued to point out that 'none of this album or anything around it, apart from the sexy photos, has been approached with commercial success in mind'.
David Harbour and Lily Allen relationship timeline
January 2019 - Harbour and Allen are first romantically linked after they attend the BAFTA Tea Party together. Allen later reveals they first started texting via exclusive dating app Raya.
October 2019 - Allen seemingly confirms the relationship, sharing a zoomed-in photo of Harbour’s bicep on Instagram with the caption: “Mine.” Later that month, they make their red carpet debut as a couple at The Skin Cancer Foundation's Champions for Change Gala.
November 2019 - Allen is spotted with what looks like an engagement ring, sending the rumour mill into overdrive.
September 2020 - Allen and Harbour are married in Vegas, in a ceremony officiated by an Elvis impersonator.
October 2020 - Allen confesses in an interview with The Sunday Times that she’d like to have children with Harbour.
February 2023 - Allen and Harbour feature in a now iconic Architectural Digest tour of their home, showing off their - shock, horror - carpeted bathroom.
December 2024 - Allen is seen without her wedding ring on her Miss Me? podcast
January 2025 - Allen says on her podcast: “I’ve been quite wrapped up in myself and victimhood lately and I’m ready to move on.”
February 2025 - It’s confirmed that Allen and Harbour have split
April 2025: Harbour is asked about his divorce in a GQ interview. He responds: “Oh boy. I'm protective of the people and the reality of my life. There's no use in that form of engaging [with tabloid news] because it's all based on hysterical hyperbole.”
October 2025 - Allen releases West End Girl, which she says was written and recorded over 10 days. Many believe it chronicles the breakdown of her marriage.
Topics: Celebrity, David Harbour, Lily Allen
Anish Vij