Hugh Laurie Admits to Being ‘Slightly Drunk’ After Reacting to Criticism

Hugh Laurie recently confessed to being ‘slightly drunk’ after engaging with criticism of his show ‘House’ on social media. The incident began when British journalist Janet Murray shared a screenshot of her article on UnHerd, titled ‘What I learnt from my online fight with Hugh Laurie.’ The article stemmed from Murray’s review of ‘House,’ the show Laurie starred in from 2004 to 2012.

Murray’s criticism led to significant trolling on social media, prompting Laurie to apologize via a lengthy tweet. He wrote: ‘I’m sorry if people have been having a go at you because of my tweet. Not at all the plan. I was very slightly drunk and already upset about something that had nothing to do with you.’

Laurie continued, explaining his intentions were to defend the writers he adored. He humorously mentioned he received criticism too, even though he was defending others. He acknowledged the mistake in referencing prolific artists like Bach, Kahlo, and Moore, stating it might have been better to stick to blues songs that follow a familiar pattern.

Janet Murray accepted Laurie’s apology, responding, ‘Thank you. ‘Having a go’ is probably an understatement,’ but clarified that she holds ‘no hard feelings.’

The exchange between Murray and Laurie began on June 6. Murray had initially posted her thoughts on the first season of ‘House,’ stating, ‘Late to the party, but I’ve started watching Season 1 of House. Same narrative every episode: Patient has mysterious illness. Hugh Laurie (House) gets diagnosis wrong. Patient nearly dies. Hugh Laurie has last minute leftfield idea. Gets diagnosis right. Doesn’t get fired.’

Laurie responded jokingly to Murray’s critique: ‘Thanks for your critique, Janet. We actually tried a couple of episodes where House gets it right first time, but they were only 6 minutes long. NBC weren’t happy. Then we tried some where House never gets it right and the patient dies. The audience wasn’t happy.’

After exchanging comments over several days, Laurie and Murray seemed to have resolved their differences amicably.

Beyond ‘House,’ Hugh Laurie is renowned for his comedic pairings with Stephen Fry, such as in ‘A Bit of Fry & Laurie’ and ‘Blackadder.’ He is also celebrated for his multifaceted career as an actor, comedian, writer, musician, and producer.