# Is Bill Murray a jerk? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958 "2014-09-09T13:47:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/1 "2014-09-09T13:47:11Z")
At some point I read or heard something that left me with the impression that Bill Murray is a huge jerk. However, I’ve run into a lot of love for him on the internet and sites lauding him as an amazing person. Am I just not giving him a fair shake? Did I pick up some misinformation? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/2 "2014-09-09T13:48:20Z")
He’s running for mayor of my town, and I plan to vote for him. Perhaps you’re talking about the guy in the movies though. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/3 "2014-09-09T13:58:04Z")
I’ve heard that applied to Steve Martin, but never Murray. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/4 "2014-09-09T14:07:53Z")
I read somewhere that Bill Murray sometimes comes up behind strangers in New York City, covers their eyes and says “guess who”, and then tells them that no one will ever believe them. I don’t know if it’s even true, but I could see that rubbing some people the wrong way. But it sounded like he does it in a friendly way, which some people would find really awesome. I think he also didn’t get along with one of the actresses on _Charlie’s Angels_. > [@campp](#): > > I’ve heard that applied to Steve Martin, but never Murray. I’ve heard that Martin is just very, very private. For people who see him on the street, or in a restaurant, and want to pal around with the wild and crazy guy, that could come across as jerkish. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/5 "2014-09-09T14:10:49Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > At some point I read or heard something that left me with the impression that Bill Murray is a huge jerk. However, I’ve run into a lot of love for him on the internet and sites lauding him as an amazing person. Am I just not giving him a fair shake? Did I pick up some misinformation? I think he can well be both. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/6 "2014-09-09T14:18:02Z")
I certainly hope he’s a bit of a jerk. He’s more funny that way. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/7 "2014-09-09T14:26:24Z")
Maybe I’m conflating him with Chevy Chase somehow? ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/8 "2014-09-09T14:40:35Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Maybe I’m conflating him with Chevy Chase somehow? Odds are, you are thinking of Chevy Chase who has a storied reputation of being horrible. I heard about the Charlie’s Angels incident w/ Lucy Liu - during the course of filming, he told her that she couldn’t act, leading to her throwing a punch at him. In interviews years later, he seems to have put away any animosity for the actress. Also, there is a subset of people who are upset with him for stonewalling Ghostbusters 3, but that seems to be more of a criticism of him professionally, rather than that of a person. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/9 "2014-09-09T14:49:44Z")
It’s entirely possible he was a jerk in his heyday in the 80’s and he became nicer now almost 30 years later. He also has mostly made a career of playing jerks (Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Scrooged) ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/10 "2014-09-09T15:05:36Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I’ve heard that Martin is just very, very private. For people who see him on the street, or in a restaurant, and want to pal around with the wild and crazy guy, that could come across as jerkish. I find a lot of “this celebrity is a jerk” stories really just boil down to, “I saw a celebrity in some public place and they did want to stop and give me an autograph.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/11 "2014-09-09T15:09:44Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I’ve heard that Martin is just very, very private. For people who see him on the street, or in a restaurant, and want to pal around with the wild and crazy guy, that could come across as jerkish. Finally! I get to say it! … I see what you did there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JesterX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JesterX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JesterX)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/12 "2014-09-09T15:15:00Z")
The best measure of whether an actor/actress is a jerk is how much work they do. No matter how famous or powerful an actor gets, nobody wants to work with an asshole. So I could believe Steve Martin is a jerk because you don’t see him getting a lot of work. Whereas Bill Murray has worked consistently his entire career. There’s been a few stories on actors/actresses whose careers stalled or died because no one wants to work with them… Mike Meyers, Katherine Heigl, Val Kilmer, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/13 "2014-09-09T15:24:21Z")
Yeah, Chevy Chase has always been known for being an asshole. Bill Murray is just very very private. He doesn’t even maintain an office in Hollywood or have an agent. His agency merely has a fax number that they can use to fax him scripts and if he likes one he contacts them. Rather unusual for an A-list star. And I don’t know how or why he agreed to do Charlie’s Angels. I’ve never been able to sit thru it \*except \*for the parts he’s in (and he’s great) but it is so not the kind of movie he usually does (the Wes Anderson stuff is soooo his forte!). It was solely because of his refusal to do it that Ghostbusters 3 never got made. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/14 "2014-09-09T15:39:51Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I find a lot of “this celebrity is a jerk” stories really just boil down to, “I saw a celebrity in some public place and they did want to stop and give me an autograph.” Steve Martin hands out business cards with his signature which read: “This certifies that you have had a personal encounter with me and that you found me warm, polite, intelligent, and funny.” So, it’s right there in print, warm, polite, intelligent, and funny. Who would disagree with a document like that? It’s probably not a legal contract but it looks pretty good to me. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/15 "2014-09-09T15:40:57Z")
Well, depending on whether or not you believe (unsubstantiated, as far as I know) allegations in a divorce proceeding are true, it’s possible he’s a [jerk](http://gawker.com/394001/divorce-filing-contains-all-the-stuff-youd-rather-not-know-about-bill-murray). ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/16 "2014-09-09T15:51:31Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Rather unusual for an A-list star. I don’t think of Bill Murray is “A-list” in terms of his résumé, so I think it says something about his personality and the character of his work that he’s still such a well-known person. But perhaps I’m just underestimating how much work he does, and how prestigious it is. > [@JesterX](#): > > There’s been a few stories on actors/actresses whose careers stalled or died because no one wants to work with them… Mike Meyers, Katherine Heigl, Val Kilmer, etc. Do tell. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/17 "2014-09-09T15:52:43Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Well, depending on whether or not you believe (unsubstantiated, as far as I know) allegations in a divorce proceeding are true, it’s possible he’s a [jerk](http://gawker.com/394001/divorce-filing-contains-all-the-stuff-youd-rather-not-know-about-bill-murray). Find me one person who’s not described as a jerk in the divorce filings made by their spouse… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/18 "2014-09-09T15:58:01Z")
I rarely get involved in divorces, but in the half-dozen I’ve been roped into assisting over the years I found one couple (I advised the wife, but also knew the husband) who had just grown apart and had nothing bad to say about the other. They still found it difficult to just sign documents and such. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/19 "2014-09-09T16:01:32Z")
Ok, “one person” was a ludicrously low bar that took no time whatsoever to clear. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958/20 "2014-09-09T16:02:06Z")
He’s part owner of the St. Paul Saints baseball team and when they played their final game in their old stadium this year (new one being built for 2015) he showed up unannounced and was tearing ticket stubs at the gate thanking the fans for their support. Seems like a nice guy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bill-murray-a-jerk/697958.md?page=2)