The Brooklyn townhouse had a custom-built Finnish sauna and a kitchen so green it felt like a forest. If you’re a fan of celebrity home tours, you probably remember David Harbour and Lily Allen showing off that eclectic "weird" house in 2023. They looked solid. Happy, even.
Then it all fell apart.
Fast forward to 2026, and that same house is sitting on the market with a massive price cut. It’s funny how fast the narrative changes in Hollywood. One minute you’re the internet’s favorite "unlikely couple," and the next, there’s a brutal divorce album detailing everything that went wrong behind closed doors. Honestly, the split between the Stranger Things star and the "Smile" singer is one of those breakups that actually matters because it wasn't just about two famous people—it was about a blended family, a move across the ocean, and some pretty heavy personal battles.
The Raya Meet-Cute and the Vegas Elvis
It started on an app.
Lily and David met on Raya, that exclusive dating app for people who are more famous than us. It was 2019. At the time, David was basically the world’s dad thanks to Jim Hopper, and Lily was living a relatively quiet life in London. Their third date was apparently the clincher. David later told GQ that he looked at her and realized he was in trouble. He was falling for her. Fast.
They didn't waste time. By September 2020, they were in Las Vegas. An Elvis impersonator married them. They ate In-N-Out burgers on the sidewalk afterward, Lily in a vintage Dior dress. It felt punk rock and authentic. For a while, it seemed like the actor and the pop star had cracked the code. David, who had never been married and didn't have kids, suddenly became a stepfather to Lily’s daughters, Ethel and Marnie. He talked openly about how he never wanted kids until he met them. He fell for the "pre-made family" just as hard as he fell for Lily.
Why things turned sour in 2025
Marriage is hard. Marriage under the spotlight while one person is filming the final season of a massive Netflix show in Atlanta and the other is trying to restart a music career is harder.
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Rumors started swirling in late 2024. People noticed Lily was back on Raya. Then, in February 2025, the official confirmation hit: they were separated after four years. But it wasn't just a quiet "we grew apart" statement. It got messy.
In October 2025, Lily released her first album in seven years, West End Girl. If you haven't heard it, it's basically a lyrical autopsy of their marriage. She didn't hold back. The songs talk about a "sleepwalking" marriage, feelings of betrayal, and some pretty direct accusations of infidelity. There’s a specific track called "Madeline" that fans are convinced is about a woman David was allegedly seeing.
Lily has described the album as "autofiction." That’s a fancy way of saying it’s inspired by real life but has some artistic license. Still, the impact was real. Public perception of David took a massive hit. He hasn't directly fired back—mostly because he’s been dealing with his own stuff.
David Harbour’s 2026: A Year of "Rest and Recharge"
If you’re wondering where David has been lately, he’s been laying low.
Starting 2026 has been rough for him. He recently dropped out of a major movie called Behemoth, where he was set to star alongside Pedro Pascal and Olivia Wilde. He’d already filmed some scenes, but he walked away. His team says he’s prioritizing his mental health and taking a "rest and recharge" year.
He’s been open about this. In a recent talk, he mentioned undergoing "intense psychotherapy." David has been public about his bipolar disorder diagnosis since he was 25, and it seems the combination of the Stranger Things finale and the "bitter" divorce just became too much. He told Esquire that he’s learning to accept his "mistakes" and "slip-ups" as part of his journey.
He isn't looking for new roles right now. He’s basically vanished from the red carpet circuit to focus on himself.
What about the kids?
This is the part that most people get wrong. You’d think a "bitter" divorce means nobody talks.
Actually, it’s the opposite.
Despite the "cheating sex addict" labels on the album (yeah, it gets that intense), David is still in contact with Ethel and Marnie. Lily recently did an interview with The Observer where she said she "stays out of it." The girls have their own phones. They text David. He was even spotted with them at Universal Studios in Florida late last year, wearing a Super Mario t-shirt and looking every bit the doting stepdad.
Lily moved back to the UK with the girls. She’s been honest about how "humiliating" it is to be dating in her 40s again, but she’s also admitted that this split taught her a lot about the pain she might have caused in her first marriage to Sam Cooper. It’s a weirdly mature take for a celebrity breakup.
Where they stand now
The Brooklyn townhouse is almost gone. They’ve slashed the price by nearly $700,000 to get it sold. Lily is prepping for her West End Girl tour starting in March 2026. David is, presumably, still in his "rest" phase, avoiding the "unnecessary hate" that follow his brief link to a New York model right after the split.
It's a cautionary tale about the "honeymoon phase" and the reality of blending lives when both people have massive, complicated careers.
Next steps for following the story:
If you want to understand the full narrative from Lily's perspective, listen to the tracks "West End Girl" and "Madeline." They provide the specific details about the "open marriage" arrangements and the moment trust broke down. For David’s side, keep an eye on his upcoming interviews regarding his mental health advocacy, as he seems to be pivoting away from blockbuster acting toward more personal, wellness-focused projects for the remainder of 2026.