Actor Bill Murray has strongly criticized journalist Bob Woodward's 1984 biography of comedy legend John Belushi, calling the book "completely inaccurate" and its reporting methods "criminal" and "cruel."
During a recent appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast, Murray expressed his deep disappointment with Woodward's book "Wired," which chronicled the life and death of his close friend and "Saturday Night Live" co-star Belushi.
Murray questioned the credibility of Woodward's sources, suggesting they came from "the outer, outer circle" of people who knew Belushi. "If he did this to Belushi, what he did to Nixon is probably soiled for me too," Murray remarked, referring to Woodward's famous Watergate reporting.
The "Ghostbusters" star painted a very different picture of Belushi, describing him as an incredibly generous person who helped launch numerous careers in comedy. "There's a lot of people that slept on John Belushi's couch. There's a lot of people that stayed for free at his house until they made it in New York. And I'm one," Murray revealed.
Murray disclosed that he had been approached to contribute to the biography but declined, saying the project "smelled funny" from the start. "It went exactly where I thought it was going. Even worse than I thought it was. Just the title alone, it was cold," he said.
The two comedians shared a deep professional connection, with Belushi recruiting Murray to The National Lampoon Radio Hour in 1974. Murray later joined Belushi on "Saturday Night Live" in 1976, replacing Chevy Chase. Notably, Murray's iconic role as Peter Venkman in "Ghostbusters" was originally written for Belushi before his untimely death in 1982 at age 33.
Despite the tragic circumstances of Belushi's passing from a drug overdose at the Chateau Marmont, Murray remembered his friend's talent with admiration, calling him "the best stage actor I ever saw."