Bill Murray has sparked backlash after grabbing Naomi Watts and kissing her during a TV interview.
The 74-year-old appeared on an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen with co-star Naomi Watts to promote their film, The Friend, which was released last month.
According to IMDB, the movie follows Iris (Watts), a novelist and creative writing teacher who "finds her comfortable, solitary New York life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor (Murray) dies by suicide and bequeaths his beloved Great Dane to her.
"The regal yet intractable beast, named Apollo, immediately creates problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones, his looming presence constantly reminding her of her friend's choice to take his own life.
"Yet, as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding to the animal, she begins to come to terms with her past, her lost friend, and her own creative inner life," the synopsis reads.
But it wasn’t the emotional story that had fans talking after their interview - it was Murray’s sudden and unexpected move during a live Q&A.
While responding to a question from a caller named Amina, who asked the 56-year-old actress to name her favorite on-screen kiss, Murray interrupted before Watts could answer.
The St. Vincent actor turned to his co-star, grabbed her face, and kissed her on the lips.
Watts appeared visibly taken aback by the unplanned kiss, which didn’t seem to be rehearsed. Meanwhile, Murray flashed a thumbs-up to the camera, seemingly satisfied with his surprise gesture.
"You’ve got lipstick on your face," the King Kong actress said to her co-star before asking: "Did I go red?" Murray merely stared down the barrel of the camera before declaring: "That was too easy."
The Ghostbusters star's impromptu PDA was met with disapproval on social media from viewers. "How disgusting and shameful!" one person slammed. Another blasted: "Gross," while a third commented: "That was uncalled for."
"Bill Murray's appearance on WWHL tonight was... something. Between calling Naomi Watts a little girl to grabbing & kissing her without notice. I've been a fan as long as I can remember but it was rough to watch," a fourth user on X (formerly Twitter) criticized.
One more person wrote: "I like Bill Murray movies too but you never force yourself upon a woman."
Watts has yet to speak out over the kiss, but has been active on social media and shared other clips from the interview on her Instagram story.
The host also posted a video from the program on his own Instagram page but offered no comment on the reaction, while Murray has not addressed the backlash publicly.
The Oscar-winning actress eventually circled back to answer the fan question after the impromptu kiss, revealing that her favorite on-screen smooch was with none other than her husband, Billy Crudup.
Th couple grew close while filming psychological thriller series Gypsy in 2017. They tied the knot in June 2023 before celebrating their connection in a second ceremony in Mexico last year.