A Look At Millie Bobby Brown's Relationship History
Millie Bobby Brown is no stranger to relationships that make headlines, even though she's still a teenager. While some fans of her nostalgia-tinged Netflix series "Stranger Things" might find her onscreen romance with co-star Finn Wolfhard convincing and endearing, the two have never had anything more than a working relationship.
In 2016, Brown told Interview that she experienced her first kiss at the same time as her "Stranger Things" character. She said of locking lips with Wolfhard for the sake of Eleven and Mike's story, "It was definitely strange." And while the young couple's preternaturally strong bond made the moment inevitable, knowing that it was something her character wanted didn't make shooting the scene any easier for Brown. "I felt really bad afterwards," she recalled.
While Brown clearly had no romantic feelings for Wolfhard, she did find a different kind of love while filming "Stranger Things." She and Noah Schnapp have even agreed that they would make great platonic partners. "We said if we're not married by 40, we will get married together," Brown said in an interview with MTV News. Thankfully, Brown also has someone in her corner who can help her avoid dating the human equivalents of Demogorgons; she told Access Hollywood that "Search & Rescue" singer Drake gives her advice about guys. But based on Brown's relationship history, it's doubtful that she and Schnapp will ever live out that rom-com plotline, and she won't be needing to call Drake's love help hotline anymore.
The relationship that surprised Ariana Grande
In late 2017, Millie Bobby Brown started dating Jacob Sartorius, a former Musical.ly star who parlayed his social media success into a music career. But to some "Stranger Things" fans, the "Sweatshirt" singer's main claim to fame is being the boy who gave Brown a very meaningful teddy bear. Brown shared a photo of herself cuddling the plushie on Instagram in January 2018 and captioned it, "Thanks for the bear." Sartorius confirmed fans' suspicions that a romance was brewing between the two by replying, "[Of] course." They'd already been spotted vacationing at Disney World together on New Year's Eve, so their relationship was clearly getting serious.
A few days later, Brown shared a photo on her Instagram Story that was taken on New Year's Eve. She was snuggled up next to Sartorius, and three heart emoji expressed what she was feeling. A number of sweet social media exchanges and loved-up pics followed, including a since-deleted May 2018 snapshot of Brown and Sartorius kissing on the beach. In response to it, Ariana Grande hilariously wrote, "I wasn't even allowed to leave my house til I was 20." Yes, Brown was only 14, but she was used to playing a character with near-nil parental supervision. And what better argument for leaving the house to go on a date than "At least I don't have to worry about being chased by drooling Demodogs every time I step out the door"?
Millie Bobby Brown gave her ex a sweet shout-out
Millie Bobby Brown and Jacob Sartorius weren't even old enough to legally drive when they ended their seven-month relationship in July 2018, but they displayed a level of maturity that some of Hollywood's dueling divorcees could learn a lot from. The exes both announced their split on their Instagram Stories, with Brown writing, "The decision with Jacob and I was completely mutual. We are both happy and remaining friends."
In October 2018, Brown wished Sartorius a happy 16th birthday in a post on her Instagram Story, proving that her previous statement wasn't the usual post-breakup lip service that we've heard from so many supposedly amicable celebrity exes. Or maybe her social media message wasn't just a gesture of goodwill; it did include a photo of a smiling Brown resting her head on Sartorius' shoulder and the words, "Love u." She also joked, "Ur so old now ahhh."
The following January, Brown posted a since-deleted photo on Instagram in which she had on a T-shirt that Sartorius had been spied wearing before. This ignited rumors that the exes had secretly rekindled their romance. They never confirmed whether they did or did not briefly reconcile, but in 2021, Brown indicated that she was interested in catching up with her former flame by publicly reaching out to him. In response to one of his Instagram Live videos, she commented, "What's up!!"
Her rumored romance with Romeo Beckham
Before David Beckham and Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham's oldest son, Brooklyn Beckham, helped the power couple continue building their dynasty of fame by marrying Nicola Peltz, the parents' second-oldest son, Romeo, got his own shot at scoring a big matrimonial win for Brand Beckham when he captured the heart of Millie Bobby Brown.
Unlike the unabashedly affectionate lovebirds Brookyln and Peltz, Romeo and Brown kept their romance under the radar. According to The Sun, Brown first became acquainted with the Beckham clan at a 2016 UNICEF gala, where she and David co-presented an award. At the same event, she told E! that she would like Eleven's future on "Stranger Things" to somehow involve Romeo. However, replacing her character's '80s love interest, Mike, with the footballer would require gaining access to a time machine and traveling to the future.
In September 2018, Brown wished Romeo a happy birthday on her Instagram Story and referred to him with a rather unromantic term of endearment. "Love ya brooooooo," she wrote. But the following March, a source told The Sun that the teens were more than just friends. "It's early days but they make a very sweet couple," the insider said. "Posh has given it the seal of approval as she is a big fan of Millie's." Brown and Romeo never confirmed their rumored relationship, and according to a post on Romeo's Instagram, he started dating model Mia Regan in May 2019.
The actor's relationship with a rugby star
It became evident that something was going on between Millie Bobby Brown and Joseph Robinson, the son of rugby legend Jason Robinson, when Brown suddenly took a keen interest in Joseph's athletic career. After Joseph shared an Instagram post about scoring a contract with the Wigan Warriors in December 2019, Brown reacted to it with an enthusiastic "yessss!" She also started stocking up on supportive girlfriend sports gear, including a Warriors jersey. "Things you didn't expect to see in 2020 ... [Millie Bobby Brown] is a Warrior," she wrote on her Instagram Story the following month.
Brown successfully ingratiated herself with her boyfriend's dad, as evidenced by a photo that Jason shared on Instagram. In it, Brown is flashing a beaming smile while dining with a group that includes Joseph. The photo was taken in November 2019 when Brown vacationed in the Maldives, which is where she and Joseph reportedly first met, per the Daily Mail.
Joseph and Brown erased any doubt that they were dating with a January 2020 Snapchat photo of the rugby player with his arms around the actor's waist. But seven months later, they decided to go their separate ways. Distance and professional obligations were reportedly contributing factors to their split, with a source telling The U.S. Sun, "Millie has become a huge star overnight and Joseph's rugby career is really on the rise, so perhaps it just wasn't the time for them to have a romance."
Hunter Echo claimed he 'groomed' the TV star
While filming an Instagram Live video in 2021, TikTok star Hunter "Echo" Ecimovic made a number of offensive remarks about Millie Bobby Brown. Echo was 20 and Brown was 16 at the time of their rumored relationship, so some of Echo's followers accused him of taking advantage of someone who was under the age of consent in California. He just smiled and said, "Yeah, I groomed her."
Echo's rambling responses to his appalled viewers' comments became obscene when he started talking about his purported sexual encounters with Brown. However, he made it clear that he didn't view their relationship as inappropriate and attempted to defend his actions. "I was living at Millie's house for eight months," he stated. "Her mom and dad knew about everything." Echo even suggested he deserved sympathy, saying, "I got tricked. I got taken advantage of, if anything." It's unclear how serious he was about this claim because he then added, "She used her powers on me," and began imitating the movements Brown's "Stranger Things" character Eleven makes when she uses her telekinetic abilities.
Echo started singing a slightly different tune after Brown's reps denied his claims and told TMZ, "We are taking action to ensure that he stops this behavior once and for all." But when he responded to the outrage his comments caused, Echo only said that filming the livestream was a mistake and expressed no remorse over his treatment of Brown.
How the actor healed after escaping a toxic situation
In a 2022 interview with Allure, Millie Bobby Brown revealed that she realized her relationship with Hunter Echo was toxic long before the TikToker spoke about her in a vulgar and demeaning manner during his Instagram livestream. She said that she's proud of herself for walking away, and she found that filming the fourth season of "Stranger Things" was a welcome distraction after enduring something so painful. "I felt very vulnerable," Brown said. "Also, no one on the set knew I was going through this. So it was kind of nice to be able to just deal with that myself ... Then it was harder when the whole world knew." She also described how she felt after Echo's video went viral, saying, "When you get publicly humiliated this way, I felt so out of control and powerless."
Brown has always been outspoken about the difficulties she's faced growing up in the public eye. In addition to having her life thrust under the media microscope, she's had to endure endless barrages of inappropriate messages on social media. When she turned 16, she wrote on Instagram, "There are moments I get frustrated from the inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualization, and unnecessary insults that ultimately have resulted in pain and insecurity for me. But not ever will I be defeated." She echoed this sentiment in her Allure interview, saying that part of her healing process was realizing her own self-worth and inner strength.
How Millie Bobby Brown met Jake Bongiovi
"Stranger Things" is set in the '80s, so it's not surprising that a Bon Jovi song is featured on the show's soundtrack. But fans couldn't have predicted that Eleven would end up dating Jon Bon Jovi's look-alike son when they heard "Runaway" in a Season 2 episode. In an interview with Wired, Millie Bobby Brown said that she met Jake Bongiovi via Instagram. "We were friends for a bit," she recalled, "and then, what can I say?" In June 2021, Bongiovi shared a photo that possibly captured a moment from their pre-dating days. He and Brown were inside a car and he was making a kissy face at the camera. But while he described Brown as his "bff" — not his boo — his caption did include an emoticon heart.
Two weeks later, the Daily Mail published photos of Brown and Bongiovi looking like more than friends while walking hand-in-hand in NYC. They were joined by Brown's cute pet pooch, Winnie, who wasn't hitching a ride on a steel horse, but in the tote slung over Bongiovi's arm.
In November 2021, the couple took their lovefest to London, which is where Brown made their relationship Instagram official. She shared a blurry photo of Bongiovi embracing her and kissing her on the cheek while they took in a breathtaking view from high up in the air. The couple was inside one of the pods on the London Eye, the city's famous observation wheel.
Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi's festive lovefest
After going public with their romance, Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi got busy living out a real-life Hallmark holiday movie. In December 2021, Bongiovi shared an Instagram photo of the couple gazing adoringly at each other while standing in front of the brightly lit Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Days later, they gave fans a glimpse of their own tree as they posed cheek-to-cheek. Brown later told Seventeen that one of her Christmas presents that year was Olivia Rodrigo's "Sour" record on vinyl, and she was totally obsessed with the tearjerker "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back." She quipped, "I think my boyfriend's gonna kill me if I listen to it around him anymore."
But Brown and Bongiovi were still going strong a year later when the holiday season started creeping up again. In mid-November, Brown shared an Instagram Reel of the couple decorating their towering Christmas tree in their PJs. They also dressed one of their dogs in a red plaid onesie. Brown gave the cute clip even more of a festive mood by setting it to Mariah Carey's inescapable seasonal classic "All I Want for Christmas Is You." The post captured the attention of the Queen of Christmas herself, and she had something to say about the couple's jumpstart on making their space jolly and bright for the holidays. "Living for this!!!! (But it's soooo early!!!)," Carey wrote in the comments.
Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi's fun-filled dates
Don't ever accuse Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi of giving love a bad name; the couple makes being in a relationship look like an absolute blast. For Brown's 18th birthday in February 2022, the pair played dress up. Brown went blonde to match her beau, and she took to Instagram to reveal that she was getting in touch with her inner Barbie. Bongiovi, meanwhile, did his best Ken smize. The following month, Brown and Bongiovi walked their first red carpet as a couple at the BAFTA Awards — and they did it again at the "Stranger Things" Season 4 premiere in May 2022.
Later that month, the lovebirds jetted off to Barcelona, where they went sightseeing and snapped a few photos to share with their Instagram followers. Brown posed in front of the La Sagrada Familia, and during a trek to the beach, Bongiovi revealed what song was on his mind while he was soaking up the sun with his ladylove. "Alexa play late night talking by Harry Styles," he wrote.
The couple's summer of love continued the following month in Sardinia. Per Page Six, they were photographed chilling on a boat and packing on the PDA during their romantic Italian getaway. When the weather got a bit cooler, the couple enjoyed a Disney World date. In October 2022, Hollywood Life shared photos of the pair hanging with some Stormtroopers at the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge park.
Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi's engagement announcement
We're just guessing Millie Bobby Brown wanted to scream "It's My Life!" at the large number of concerned Twitter citizens who managed to get "She's 19" trending on April 11, 2023. Brown and Jake Bongiovi had just taken to Instagram to share photos of what looked like a post-proposal celebration on the beach; Brown was looking very bridal in a white lace dress and rocking one hell of a rock on her ring finger. Meanwhile, Bongiovi simply captioned his slideshow, "Forever." The apparent engagement posts totally flayed a lot of minds, and Twitter was flooded with suggestions that Brown was making a mistake by getting engaged at age 19.
But the "Stranger Things" star didn't look like she'd care about their opinions in the blissful photo that she shared, and she quoted Taylor Swift when revealing just how ready she is to spend the rest of her life with Bongiovi. "I've loved you three summers now, honey, I want 'em all," she wrote. Her use of the "Lover" lyric earned her the blessing of Swift herself, who liked Brown's post.
According to Hollywood Life, the couple also has the approval of Bongiovi's parents. "A lot of people believe that Jake and Millie are just experiencing young puppy love and that it won't last," a source said, "but Jake's parents know that it can last because they were the same ages as Jake and Millie when they started dating in 1980."