David Harbour Breaks Silence on Ex Lily Allen's Scathing “West End Girl” Album: 'It Wasn't My Experience'

Brenton BlanchetWed, June 10, 2026 at 4:21 PM UTC

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David Harbour; Lily AllenCredit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Lia Toby/Getty -

David Harbour is speaking out about ex Lily Allen's breakup-themed album

The Stranger Things alum was asked about West End Girl in an interview with Variety

"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 said

David Harbour is speaking out about ex Lily Allen's West End Girl album over seven months after its release.

In a new cover story with Variety, published on Wednesday, June 10, the Stranger Things alum directly responded to a question about the album — which is largely about the breakdown of a marriage — and said "it was 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," Harbour, 51, told the outlet.

"I can't really say that much more," he added, "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."

David Harbour attends the Nov. 6, 2025 premiere of 'Stranger Things' season 5 in HollywoodCredit: Charley Gallay/Getty

Elsewhere in the story, while speaking on the topic, Harbour reiterated that "stories are complex."

"That's why I say I respect her creation of art to channel her experience. It wasn't my experience," he said. "... My ability to use my experience comes through in the creation of [HBO limited series DTF St. Louis]. I want to make things that make people feel safer. My particular talent is in allowing people to feel like they're not alone."

PEOPLE confirmed that Allen, 41, and Harbour had separated after four years of marriage in February 2025. The pair wed in 2020. Allen is mom to daughters Marnie, 13, and Ethel, 14, with ex-husband Sam Cooper.

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On Oct. 24, she released her fifth studio album, inspired by the breakdown of her marriage with Harbour. She said after the fact that some of the songs were written "in character" and the lyrics "could be considered auto-fiction," per an interview with Perfect Magazine.

Lily Allen and David Harbour on Dec. 14, 2023Credit: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty

Title track "West End Girl" features a man doubting her talent when she was tapped for a play, while the song "Pussy Palace" finds Allen's character discovering that their apartment was a place for affairs.

She also sings of a partner's apparent infidelity on "4chan Stan." Speaking with Interview magazine on Oct. 28, Allen was asked if she was on a "revenge tour," which she said it "isn't."

Lily Allen's 'West End Girl' album coverCredit: Nieves Gonzalez

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"I mean, I wrote this record in 10 days in December and I feel very differently about the whole situation now," she said of her split from the Stranger Things actor. "We all go through breakups and it's always f---ing brutal. But I don't think it's that often that you feel inclined to write about it while you're in it."

She confirmed in a press release for the LP that its lyrics were a mix of fact and fiction.

"I've tried to document my life in a new city and the events that led me to where I am in my life now," she said at the time. "At the same time, I've used shared experiences as the basis for songs which try to delve into why we humans behave as we do, so the record is a mixture of fact and fiction."

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”