Millie Bobby Brown

Millie Bonnie Brown^[4] was born on 19 February 2004^[5] in Marbella, Andalusia, Spain,^[6] the third of four children of British parents Kelly and Robert Brown, an estate agent.^[7] Her middle name is "Bonnie",^[8] but she changed it to "Bobby" when she began using a stage name.^[9] She was born with partial hearing loss in her left ear and gradually lost all hearing in that ear over several years.^[10][11] She moved with her family back to England when she was four, settling in Bournemouth. When she was eight, the family moved to Orlando, Florida.^[12] Brown says she grew up with "no money", and the financial insecurity of her upbringing has affected her relationship with money in adulthood, even after achieving success through Stranger Things as a child actor.^[13] By virtue of having grown up in the United States, Brown is bidialectal and naturally oscillates between an American accent and her native British accent depending on her environment.^[14]

Brown launched her own cosmetics and fashion brand, Florence by Mills, on 25 August 2019.^[7] The brand has been marketed toward Gen Z adolescent girls, and the products are intended to fit young people's skin.^[57] Brown later added fashion and clothing, only available online and not in stores.

She collaborated with Converse called "Millie By You", which launched on 11 July 2019. This was a customizable collection featuring classic Chuck Taylor styles with designs inspired by her love for the ocean and whales.^[58] In late 2019 she released a second Converse collaboration, also called "Millie By You", that included three new sneakers inspired by her love of DIY crafting.^[59]

Brown then became the face of Pandora's new Pandora Me collection in October of 2019. The brand announced a two-year partnership with Brown, who helped promote the line of customizable charms, bracelets, and earrings focused on self-expression. She also hosted "Pandora Me Charm Academy" events to celebrate the collection.^[60]

In early 2020, she collaborated with Vogue Eyewear to co-design a collection of sunglasses and eyeglasses inspired by the 1990s, her travels, and her personal aesthetic. Key features included pastel colors, interesting shapes, and '90s retro-chic materials. Some models came with a unique crossbody pouch.^[61]

Brown worked with Chips Ahoy on cookies inspired by Stranger Things as part of the promotion for the series' fifth season in 2025.^[62]

Brown has been dubbed a "Stream Queen" by some media outlets due to her predominantly appearing in content originally released on streaming services, mainly Netflix.^[63] Louis Chilton of The Independent wrote that while actors were often segregated based on medium such as film or television, "as the money and creative prestige migrated to television, the line between movie stars and TV actors has become more porous, and it was into this amorphous environment that streaming was born – meaning that there's never really been such a thing as a 'streaming actor'. Until Brown, that is".^[1]

Brown came into the public eye at age 12 after being cast in Stranger Things.^[64] At age 14, memes using homophobic quotes which were falsely attributed to Brown began circulating on social media, which Brown stated was one of the reasons she eventually deactivated her Twitter.^[65] In addition to online bullying, she has also faced social media users and articles sexualising her.^[64] In response, Brown captioned a 2020 Instagram post on her 16th birthday with the following comment: "There are moments I get frustrated from the inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualisation and unnecessary insults that have ultimately resulted in pain and insecurity for me."^[66] After Brown turned 18 in February 2022, her social media profiles began to be flooded by sexually explicit material from users.^[67]

In 2021, Brown began a relationship with actor Jake Bongiovi.^[68] In April 2023, she announced their engagement.^[69] On 27 May 2024, People reported that the couple had married in a private ceremony the previous weekend.^[70][71][72] Brown also announced that she had chosen to take her husband's last name.^[73] They live in the state of Georgia.^[74] In August 2025, Brown and Bongiovi announced that they had adopted a girl.^[75] Her close friend and Stranger Things co-star Noah Schnapp is her daughter's godfather.^[76]

As of August 2022, she has been an online student at Purdue University, studying health and human services.^[77]

On 3 March 2025, addressing media backlash over her appearance, Brown posted a video on her Instagram account criticising journalists, including multiple reporters from Daily Mail and former Great British Bake Off host Matt Lucas, for what she said was bullying and body shaming. Brown stated that as an adult, she should not be expected to continue looking like a child.^[78][79] The next day, Lucas posted an apology on Instagram for his comments.^[78][80]

• Brown, Millie Bobby (2023). Nineteen Steps. HarperCollins UK. ISBN 9780008530280.