Hugh Laurie forced to publicly apologise for ‘drunk and upset’ messages about House

The British actor Hugh Laurie has been forced to apologise for sending “drunk and upset” messages.

The House star, 66, found himself replying to journalist Janet Murray after she critiqued the formula of Hugh’s hit noughties medical drama, House. After Janet revealed she was met with trolls following Hugh’s scathing reply, the Night Manager star shared a public apology. 

Taking to X on Monday, Hugh penned: ‘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. 

He continued: “If it’s any comfort, I got it in the neck too. I’m a thin-skinned [expletive], apparently, even though it wasn’t my skin. I was sticking up for the writers who I adored. Obviously, I shouldn’t have cited Bach/Kahlo/Moore – asking for trouble – and would have done better to go for the 10,000 blues songs written around the same 12-bar chord structure.  I’ve listened to most of them and will keep doing so.  Because we love what we love.”

What happened?

Hugh’s “drunken” words were in response to Janet’s review of the series, which read: “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 gets diagnosis wrong again. Gets threatened with being fired.  Patient nearly dies again. 

“Hugh Laurie has last minute leftfield idea. Gets diagnosis right. Doesn’t get fired. Eight seasons of this?”

Hugh replied: “Thanks for your critique, Janet.  We actually tried a couple of episodes where House (Hugh Laurie) (please put the brackets in the right place) gets it right the 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.

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“One could apply your trenchant analysis to other art forms:  JS Bach wrote 30 Goldberg variations on the same chord structure; Frida Kahlo painted 50 portraits of herself;  Henry Moore, what??

“The point is, or was, variations on a theme;  if all you see is hospital, medical blah blah, then it wasn’t meant for you. Nonetheless, I look forward to your first novel!”