Millie Bobby Brown has responded to criticism over photos showing her carrying her own bags and luggage while out with husband Jake Bongiovi, saying the reaction says more about public expectations than her relationship.
During an appearance on Kylie Kelce’s Not Gonna Lie podcast released on 10 June 2026, the Stranger Things star pushed back against comments suggesting her husband should have been the one handling everything.
“When did women become incapable of holding their own bags, car seats, and stuff?” she said.
“This stems from me holding all of my suitcases and bags and my kids, and people are like, ‘your husband doesn’t hold a single thing.’ Because I’m three miles ahead. I have been planning this all night.”
Brown said the backlash clashes with the kind of messaging women usually hear about self-sufficiency and empowerment, arguing that people often want women to be independent in theory while still judging them through more traditional expectations in practice.
“We’re all about empowering girls. And like, you got it. You don’t need a man,” she said.
“But then when I’m like, okay, I can carry my own things, people are like, where’s your husband? And I’m like, I can also do it on my own.”
She also defended Bongiovi, saying snapshots from a single moment don’t reflect who he is behind the scenes.
“Nobody knows my husband. My husband is the most polite, sweet, like will do anything for me. But he also knows I’m capable.”
Kelce said she understood the situation, explaining that strangers often assume she needs assistance when she’s carrying things.
“If I needed help, I’d ask for it,” Kelce said. “The first person I’m asking? My husband.”
Brown said she still values traditional courtesy, but not when it tips into treating women as fragile.
“I enjoy the idea of chivalry. I don’t want it to be dead. I want there to be a degree of politeness and catering to your woman and whatever,” she said. “But at the same time, don’t act like I’m broken or dainty. I’m not.”
The comments are the latest example of Brown publicly pushing back on scrutiny around her personal life, as the actor has repeatedly addressed the intensity of online commentary that has followed her transition from child star to adult performer, producer and now parent.
Brown, 21, and Bongiovi, the son of Jon Bon Jovi, were first linked in June 2021 after he shared a selfie with her on Instagram.
They later confirmed the relationship publicly, became engaged in April 2023, and married in a private family ceremony in May 2024.
The pair later held a bigger celebration in Italy later that year, with Brown’s Stranger Things co-star Matthew Modine officiating.
In August 2025, they announced that they had adopted a baby girl, writing on Instagram: “We are beyond excited to embark on this beautiful next chapter of parenthood in both peace and privacy.”
Since then, Brown has occasionally shared small glimpses of family life while keeping most details private, reflecting the couple’s effort to draw a clearer line between their public profiles and their home life.
Jon Bon Jovi has previously spoken warmly about the couple and their relationship.
“Millie is wonderful. Jake is very, very happy,” he told Andy Cohen back in 2023.
So while online observers may have focused on who was carrying what, Brown’s comments suggest she and Bongiovi are perfectly comfortable with how their partnership works, and far less concerned with outdated internet assumptions than the people making them.