Millie Bobby Brown has revealed the dark side of child stardom after joining Stranger Things aged 11.
The actress, who will turn 21 on February 19, shot to fame playing Eleven in the Netflix series, with the fifth and final season set to air in 2025.
In a candid interview with Vanity Fair, Brown said she has missed out on friendships due to her unconventional upbringing, and had to cope with the trauma of being sexualized from a young age and constant social media scrutiny.
Brown’s reported third season salary for Stranger Things – approximately $250,000 an episode – as well as a claimed $10million upfront salary for Enola Holmes 2 in 2022, the highest salary ever for an actor under 20, has also ignited reaction online.
She said she ‘always felt protected by her parents and by Netflix too’ but says contracts she signed as a child ‘should never have been leaked.
‘It just puts children in a really dangerous situation I think everybody’s a little bit too lax about the way that children are brought up in the industry. I grew up with a lot of eyes on my parents, but I feel that those were the people that protected me the most.’
Millie Bobby Brown has revealed the dark side of child stardom after joining Stranger Things aged 11 – pictured March 2024
The actress, who will turn 21 on February 19, shot to fame playing Eleven in the Netflix series, with the fifth and final season set to air in 2025 – she is pictured 2016 aged 12 with Noah Schnapp, Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine
In a candid interview with Vanity Fair , Brown said she has missed out on friendships due to her unconventional upbringing, and had to cope with the trauma of being sexualized from a young age and constant social media scrutiny
The star said due to her whirlwind rise to fame, she struggles to connect with people her own age.
‘I don’t have many friends, because of who I am…I didn’t go to school, so I don’t have the best social skills when it comes to people my own age and friendships. I struggle with that quite a bit. I missed out on a few things. But I’m working through them’, she said.
The actress was also affected by online trolls which ‘warped her own body image’ – and on her 18th birthday, her Twitter was flooded with sexually explicit material. causing her to delete social media from her phone.
She said: ‘I was like, “Oh my goodness, this is making me feel horrible about myself. ” I deleted it because I was becoming way too obsessed with the idea of becoming someone else.
‘I never wanted to be famous. That was never my thing. I just love acting.’
The star is married to Jon Bon Jovi’s son Jake Bongiovi, 22, and opened up about how she knew he was her soulmate.
She said: ‘We talked about our political views, what kind of family we want to build, the kind of home we want to live in, the kind of relationship we’re looking for, the kind of careers we want. It’s such an important decision, and we wanted to make sure we were making the right one. I knew I was. It always felt right with him.
‘Loving someone and being in love are two different things…I think I loved a lot of people I was with, like I loved my friends. But he is the first man I’ve ever loved and been in love with. If we’re not fully invested, then what’s the point? We have to be, and we always have been.’
Millie Bobby Brown’s controversial friendship with Drake was a topic of conversation on social media following Kendrick Lamar’s diss track performance at the Super Bowl.
Brown’s reported third season salary for Stranger Things – approximately $250,000 an episode has also ignited reaction online
She said she ‘always felt protected by her parents and by Netflix too’ but says contracts she signed as a child ‘should never have been leaked – pictured 2016 aged 12
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Millie Bobby Brown's controversial friendship with Drake resurfaces after Kendrick performance
The rapper and actress created a minor controversy when the Stranger Things star revealed that they were in close contact when she was just 14 years old and he was 31 during an interview that was released in 2018.
Drake’s feud with Kendrick came into the spotlight once again following Kendrick’s Super Bowl half time show, where he included his 2024 hit track Not Like Us, a song that sensationally accuses the Champagne Papi of being a ‘certified pedophile’ over his alleged interactions with younger women.
Various X users refreshed people’s memory about Drake and Millie after Kendrick’s show made waves.
‘it was a moment from Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance. It’s referencing a song called “Not Like Us”, stemming from Millie Bobby Brown texting Drake when she was 14 getting romance advice about boys,’ one posted.
‘I thought it was about drake talking to millie robert brown? i like when kendrick said boom boom bap and wop wop wop wop pdf file, squabble squabble. Hot dog hot dog hot diggity dog,’ one person posted.
‘Wait, they’re text each other? This is weird,’ one wrote along with their imaginings of their text conversation.
Back in 2018, Millie told Access at the Emmys that she and Drake text each other and have even told one another that they miss each other.
The star was paid a reported $10million upfront salary for Enola Holmes 2 in 2022 the highest salary ever for an actor under 20 – pictured with Henry Cavill and Louis Partridge in the film
Millie is married to Jon Bon Jovi’s son Jake Bongiovi – pictured 2022
Brown’s controversial friendship with Drake recently resurfaced following Kendrick Lamar’s diss track performance at the Super Bowl
Fans brought up the relationship after Kendrick’s Super Bowl half-time show, where he ended the concert with Not Like Us, a song that sensationally accuse Drake of being a ‘certified pedophile’ and pursuing minor
‘We just texted each other the other day and he was like, “I miss you so much,” and I was like “I miss you more,”‘ she said, adding, ‘He’s great.’
Brown said that the In My Feelings artist gives her advice with how to deal with boys: ‘About boys, he helps me.’
The Spain-born actress called the Toronto native a ‘great friend and a great role model,’ adding, ‘I love him; I met him in and he’s honestly so fantastic.’
The Netflix star said that she hoped to catch him in concert later that fall.
She also opened up to W magazine earlier that same year about her relationship with the rapper, as a picture they took together while both working in went viral.
She told the magazine that since their first meeting, they now ‘talk all the time.
The controversial friendship was brought up by fans on X in light of Kendrick’s diss track performance
‘He invited me to his concert,’ she said. ‘And now we talk all the time. I ask his advice.’
The Godzilla: King Of The Monsters actress is married to to Jake Bongiovi, who she has been in a relationship with since 2021.
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EXCLUSIVE
Drake's real feelings revealed after Kendrick Lamar's underwhelming Super Bowl 2025 halftime show
The rapper subsequently received much criticism for what many described as ‘fostering an unhealthy connection’ to the performer.
Millie subsequently issued a statement to defend her friendship with Drake on her Instagram Story, and wrote via Entertainment Tonight: ‘Why you gotta make a lovely friendship ur headline.’
The performer went on to express that she was grateful to be able to speak about any topic she pleased with the rapper.
Back in 2018, Millie told Access at the Emmys that she and Drake text each other and have even told one another that they miss each other; pictured October 2024
Kendrick and Drake’s feud seemed to come to a head last year when they exchanged a total of eight diss tracks between March 26 and May 4; pictured November
‘I’m lucky to have people in the business extend their time to help me further my career and offer their wisdom and guidance. I’m very blessed to have amazing people in my life.’
She concluded: ‘It’s nice to have people understand what I do. Now get back to talking about real problems in this world other than my friendships.’
Drake also appeared to address the speculation on his track ‘Another Late Night’ last year, taking a more pointed approach.
Drake with Brown back in 2017
‘Weirdos in my comments talkin’ ’bout some Millie Bobby, look / Bring them jokes up to the gang, we get to really flockin’ / Or send a finger to your mama in some FedEx boxes / Open up that s***, it’s jaw droppin’, really shockin’, ayy,’ he sang.
Kendrick and Drake’s feud seemed to come to a head last year when they exchanged a total of eight diss tracks between March 26 and May 4.
The most famous of which was released last May, with Not Like Us seeing Kendrick sensationally accuse Drake of being a ‘certified pedophile’ and pursuing minors.
Drake denied the allegations in his rebuttal track The Heart Part 6, saying his was ‘not a name you gon’ see on no sex offender list’.
He also took legal action, filing a federal defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group for spreading the ‘false and malicious narrative’ that he is a pedophile, TMZ reported on January 15.