Bill Murray's Controversial Kiss with Naomi Watts: A Look Back

During a recent live broadcast, actor Bill Murray (74) faced backlash after forcibly kissing actress Naomi Watts (56). In an interview with The New York Times published on April 5, 2025, he discussed an incident from the filming of 'Being Mortal' in 2022, stating, "I didn’t touch her. I just kissed her while wearing a mask." He expressed that the experience still haunts him and has taught him a lesson.

In April 2022, Murray was accused of sexual misconduct by a young female crew member, leading to a settlement of over $100,000 in October of the same year. Reports indicated that he had kissed the crew member on the lips while both were wearing masks, following COVID safety protocols, after allegedly climbing onto a prop bed.

The incident prompted an internal investigation, resulting in the indefinite suspension of a project being produced by Searchlight Pictures, a subsidiary of Disney.

Murray reflected on the incident, admitting, "I don’t know why I did that. I thought it was funny, and I had done similar things before with others." He maintained that he did not physically touch her, emphasizing that they had shared lunches together during the week, suggesting a level of familiarity.

He added, "I thought I knew her, but I didn’t. I thought it was lighthearted and fun. I still think it’s funny to kiss someone while wearing a mask. It’s just silly."

Recently, while promoting his new film 'The Friend' on 'Watch What Happens Live', Murray unexpectedly kissed Watts during a Q&A segment after a viewer asked her to recommend her favorite on-screen kiss. After the kiss, he gave a thumbs-up to the camera.

Watts responded to Murray, saying, "You have lipstick on your face," and asked if her face had turned red. Murray smiled at the camera, remarking, "The answer is too easy."

Despite Watts handling the situation with composure, many viewers condemned the act as public sexual harassment, with comments such as "disgusting," "she must feel so sorry to have to act okay after that," and "he just humiliated her live on air."

Murray is known for his roles in the 'Ghostbusters' series, 'Lost in Translation', 'What About Bob?', and 'Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania'.