NEED TO KNOW
- Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour were both absent from a Stranger Things finale event in New York City on Dec. 18, despite both being previously confirmed to attend
- A spokesperson for the Paley Museum confirmed to PEOPLE that Brown, 21, could not attend “due to a recent injury,” while Harbour, 50, would miss the event “due to a scheduling conflict”
- The panel moderator mentioned the two stars’ absences during the cast discussion
Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour‘s absences from a Stranger Things finale celebration did not go unnoticed.
Brown and Harbour were both originally slated to attend the Paley Museum’s Stranger Things: The Final Season Celebration in New York City on Thursday, Dec. 18, but they both pulled out of their scheduled appearances prior to the event.
Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Maya Hawke, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Jamie Campbell Bower and the Duffer brothers were all in attendance for a panel discussion moderated by Collider’s Perri Nemiroff.
Nemiroff kicked off the discussion by acknowledging the two stars who were missing. “Before we begin our conversation today, we just want to acknowledge that, clearly, the full ensemble could not be here tonight,” she said.
“So, for all the ones who are not with us on stage, they send their regards and thanks for being here.”
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Brown, 21, pulled out of the event two days after she missed a scheduled appearance on Good Morning America. She explained in a pre-recorded video that played during the morning show that she “took a fall” as she showed her arm in a sling, and therefore was unable to make it. “Hey, everyone at GMA, I’m really sorry I couldn’t be there with you guys,” she said.
The injury was also why she could not attend the Paley Museum event, as a spokesperson told PEOPLE, “Unfortunately, due to a recent injury, Millie can no longer attend the carpet or discussion.”
The spokesperson said that Harbour, 50, would not be in attendance “due to a scheduling conflict.”
His absence came after a Dec. 17 report from TMZ that he acted erratically at a gastropub in Encinitas, Calif., the weekend before. PEOPLE has reached out to Harbour’s representative for comment.
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Harbour and Brown’s absences from the event come after they made headlines before Volume 1 of season 5 premiered in November, as the Daily Mail reported that Brown had filed a bullying and harassment complaint against her costar.
The outlet reported the unnamed source’s claims that she filed the complaint before production began on season 5, and that it included “pages and pages of accusations,” which allegedly prompted an investigation that “went on for months.”
At the L.A. premiere of season 5, following the report, Brown and Harbour were laughing and smiling together and had nothing but lovely things to say about each other.
“I’ve obviously had a really special bond with David because we have a father-daughter relationship, and we do every scene together,“ Brown told Entertainment Tonight of their onscreen dynamic as Eleven and Hopper.
“It’s been so special to have him along the journey for me,” she said.
Volume 1 of Stranger Things season 5 is now streaming on Netflix. Volume 2 drops Dec. 25, followed by the finale on Dec. 31, at 8 p.m. ET.