Highlights
- Bill Murray’s reputation for being difficult on set and behaving however he wanted has been well-known throughout his career.
- Murray’s second wife, Jennifer Butler, filed for divorce and made serious allegations against him.
- Murray’s reputation took a hit after the divorce.
From Bill Murray’s behavior on the set of What About Bob? to his dislike of SNL cast members, the actor has always had a reputation for being difficult. Even at the height of his fame, he was known for behaving however he wanted. For example, Murray was mean on the set of Groundhog Day.
When the actor wasn’t filming the comedic films that made him successful, he got divorced twice. After his first marriage to Margaret Kelly ended, Murray married Jennifer Butler. Bill Murray’s second wife shared some terrible things about their relationship when she filed for divorce. Here’s everything to know about Butler’s allegations against Murray.
Inside Bill Murray And Margaret Kelly’s Divorce And The Accusations Against Him
Bill Murray and his first wife Margaret Kelly were married from 1981 to 1996. According to The Daily Mail, Kelly and Murray divorced because he was unfaithful.
Murray met Jennifer Butler, who would become his second wife, on the set of Groundhog Day. Murray’s performance as Phil is one of his most famous, and Butler worked as a costume designer. Murray and Butler were married from 1997 to 2008.
While many would say that being unfaithful is one of the worst things that someone can do in a marriage, the story of Murray and Butler’s marriage is even sadder than that.
According to Nicki Swift, after Murray and Kelly split up, Murray’s marriage to Butler eventually ended for some terrible reasons. Butler filed for divorce and accused Murray of several things, including harming her physically, being unfaithful, being addicted to sex, and using substances. Nicki Swift noted that Murray didn’t say anything about these accusations.
The Daily Mail reported that according to the divorce filing, Butler also wanted a restraining order. She said that when Murray would go on trips, he would have the intention of cheating on her.
Facts About Bill Murray’s Six Kids (According to People):
- four kids with Jennifer Butler
- Lincoln Murray (19, born 2005)
- Cooper Murray (26, born 1997)
- Caleb Murray (30, born 1993)
- Jackson Murray (28, born 1995)
- two kids with Margaret Kelly
- Luke Murray (38, born 1985)
- Homer Murray (41, born 1982)
Bill Murray’s first wife Margaret Kelly doesn’t seem to have accused him of the same things that the actor’s second wife Jennifer Butler did. However, fans know that Murray did cheat on Kelly with Butler. It sounds like according to Butler, he continued that behavior when they were married.
At the time of the divorce, Jennifer Butler doesn’t seem to have given any interviews about the situation. It’s possible to assume that she wanted to focus on her four children. She also might have been given advice not to talk about the divorce in any public forums.
However, Bill Murray did discuss his divorce from Jennifer Butler in a 2008 interview with The Associated Press.
He explained, “That was devastating. That was the worst thing that ever happened to me in my entire life.”
Murray continued to The Associated Press:
“I was just dead, just broken. When you’re really in love with someone and this happens — I never had anything like this happen. It’s like your faith in people is destroyed because the person you trusted the most you can no longer trust at all. … The person you know isn’t there anymore.”
Murray’s reputation definitely changed for the worse after his divorce from Jennifer Butler. According to Nicki Swift, there are many people in Hollywood who have commented on his actions.
People who have accused Bill Murray of terrible behavior (according to Nicki Swift):
- Harold Ramis didn’t like shooting Groundhog Day with Murray
- Rob Schneider said when Murray hosted SNL, he was mean
- Murray yelled at Seth Green (who was 9) for sitting in a certain chair at SNL
It was definitely shocking to learn about Jennifer Butler’s allegations against Bill Murray. At the time of their divorce, which was finalized in 2008, he had been working steadily and starring in movies ranging from Get Smart to Broken Flowers and The Darjeeling Limited.
While Murray kept acting after his divorce and starred in some of the most popular movies of his career, including 2014’s St. Vincent, various reports kept coming out about the way that he was acting on movie sets.
|
Facts About Jennifer Butler And Bill Murray’s Divorce (According to People) |
|---|
|
based on the prenup, Murray had to give Butler $7 million |
|
Murray would give Butler child support |
|
the couple split their property: Murray got the homes in Massachusetts, New York and California |
|
Butler kept living in their Sullivan’s Island and Hemet, California houses |
|
Butler got primary custody of their four children |
Did Bill Murray Date After Divorcing Margaret Kelly And Jennifer Butler?
Bill Murray wasn’t linked to anyone after his two marriages broke up. According to The Mirror, some thought that he dated Gilda Radner, but the stars didn’t say that they were together.
According to E! News, in 2014, he was interviewed on The Howard Stern Show and talked about not being in a relationship. He said that he would like to have a plus one for events and also mentioned his children.
Murray said, “I’m not sure what I’m getting done here. I have kids that I’m responsible for. I don’t think I’m lonely.”
In June 2023, people began hearing that Kelis and Bill Murray were dating. The stars didn’t say that they were together. According to Entertainment Weekly, when someone asked if Kelis would confirm or deny the romance on Instagram, she said, “lol no babe, I wouldn’t bother at all.”
In August 2023, according to The U.S. Sun, Murray and Kelis’s alleged relationship was over. A source explained that this was because of their schedules.
In recent years, Bill Murray doesn’t seem to have said anything further about his divorce from Jennifer Butler. She tragically passed away in January 2021. The cause of death wasn’t shared and to this day, no one is sure what happened to her.