Bill Murray has come under fire for kissing his co-star Naomi Watts on the mouth during a live interview.
The pair appeared on Andy Cohen’s Bravo show Watch What Happens Live to promote their new film, The Friend, on Monday night.
During a Q&A segment with fans, Watts, 56, was asked about the best kiss of her career.
Before she could answer, Murray, 74, grabbed her face, tipped it back, and kissed her on the mouth.
The Mulholland Drive star appeared taken aback and shook her head while hiding her face in her hands as the audience shrieked, with Cohen laughing and saying: “So good.”
Murray stared straight at the camera with a deadpan expression and gave a thumbs up, before Watts said laughing, “You’ve got lipstick on her face,” and asked: “Did I go red?”
The Lost In Translation actor - who previously starred with Watts in the 2014 dramedy St Vincent - said with a straight face: “That was too easy. That was way too easy.”
Watts then answered the question, saying: “Well, of course, it’s Billy Crudup, my husband.”
The Impossible actress married The Morning Show star Crudup in 2023 after they met on the thriller series Gypsy in 2017. They had a second ceremony in Mexico last year.
Viewers were left “horrified” by Murray’s seemingly unrehearsed kiss and shared their criticism on Reddit.
“Ummmm thats gross wtf lol.” one wrote, and another added: “His smug face and Andy laughing… beyond gross,.”
“I saw it in shock. So disrespectful wtf?” a third posted.
“How gross and horrifying. Andy saying ‘yes’ and ‘so good’, ugh just awful,” someone else raged.
Watts and Murray have not addressed the moment or the backlash publicly. The Standard has contacted Murray’s representative for comment.
Murray - who was linked to singer Kelis in 2023 - is no stranger to controversy and has faced multiple accusations of misconduct over the years.
In April 2022, a “much younger” female crew member filed a complaint that accused Murray of straddling her while on the set of Being Mortal, leading to production being suspended.
She was reportedly “horrified” by the Groundhog Day actor’s behaviour and “interpreted his actions as entirely sexual”.
He is believed to have paid a $100,000 settlement to her.
The actor later told CNBC the incident was “difference of opinion,” adding: “I did something I thought was funny and it wasn’t taken that way.”
In January, Lucy Lui opened up about her on-set clash with Murray while filming the 2000 action movie Charlie’s Angels.
In a 2021 appearance on the Asian Enough podcast, Liu claimed that Murray had “hurled insults” at her during a rehearsal for a recently rewritten scene, describing his language as “inexcusable and unacceptable.”
Liu explained that she refused to remain silent during the incident, stating: “I wasn’t going to just sit there and accept it. So yes, I stood up for myself, and I have no regrets.”
In a recent interview with The Guardian, the Kill Bill actor shared that her reaction to Murray’s alleged remarks felt instinctive, driven by a natural response to “injustice.”
She told the outlet: “I really didn’t think about it. I would have done that in any situation. I think when I sense something is not right, I am going to protect myself.”
