Bill Murray Defends John Belushi Against Bob Woodward’s ‘Wired’

LOS ANGELES, CA — Bill Murray is coming to the defense of his long-time friend and fellow Saturday Night Live alum John Belushi. During a recent appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Murray criticized journalist Bob Woodward for his portrayal of Belushi in the 1984 biography “Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi,” claiming it was “completely inaccurate.” Murray suspects that Woodward’s sources were drawn from “the outer, outer circle” of people who knew Belushi.

Murray expressed his disbelief, stating, “If he did this to Belushi, what he did to Nixon is probably soiled for me too. I can’t take it. You could have two sources and everything like that, but the two sources that he had, if he had them for the ‘Wired’ book, were so far outside the inner circle that it was criminal, cruel.”

He suggested that Woodward’s criticism of Belushi may come from a place of jealousy, pointing out that, in his view, Woodward is “the third most famous person from Wheaton, Illinois,” behind only Belushi and professional football player Red Grange. Murray said, “Belushi made people’s careers possible. Mine would be one of them. 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. He died in an unfortunate way, but man, he was still the best stage actor I ever saw.”

Murray revealed that he was approached to contribute to Woodward’s biography, but he had reservations from the start. “It smelled funny from day one,” he said. “I didn’t want to have anything to do with it. It went exactly where I thought it was going. Even worse than I thought it was going. Just the title alone, it was cold.”

The actor clearly articulated his disdain for the biography, indicating he has no intention of revisiting it. “You’d have to hold me down and burn my feet to make me read more of it,” he remarked, referring to the minimal pages he managed to read. “In those five pages I read, he tore down my friend. If that much to me was disturbingly ugly and irresponsible to report, I can’t imagine…”

Murray praised Belushi as a theatrical force, stating, “He was absolutely magnetic. You couldn’t take your eyes off him.” Reflecting on their professional relationship, he noted that Belushi was instrumental in Murray’s career, helping him transition from the Second City comedy troupe to New York’s performing scene.

After Belushi’s untimely death from a drug overdose in 1982, “Wired” was met with strong criticism from individuals close to the late comedian, including his widow, Judy Belushi, and director Steve Rash. Judy Belushi had initially collaborated with Woodward but later expressed her regret regarding the book’s portrayal of her husband, saying, “The man in Wired is not the man I knew. It’s a bunch of people’s opinions and memories put forth as facts.”

Murray’s defense of Belushi resonates with many fans and peers who remember the impact of Belushi’s work and his legacy. A representative for Woodward did not immediately respond to requests for comment.