Millie Bobby Brown has spoken out after receiving cruel remarks about the way she looks, opening up about the abuse during a recent podcast appearance.
The 21-year-old, who rose to international prominence through Stranger Things after landing the role at just 11, has spent much of her adolescence and early adulthood in the public eye while building a career that has also included film roles, business ventures and family life.
Because she grew up in the spotlight, Brown said she has had to learn early how to cope with relentless scrutiny from strangers online and in the media.
While appearing on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose Podcast, released on July 13, Brown described how brutal it was to face appearance-based comments as a teenager in the spotlight.
“I think I was like 15 when people started saying, like, I looked like a 60-year-old woman and what am I wearing?
“And I would wear a big heel, and people would say, oh, my goodness, who does she think she is?”
She explained that the criticism came regardless of what she chose to wear or how she presented herself.
“I would wear, you know, a suit and people would, like, rip me apart for looking too old. I’ve realized, [the haters are] all just walking contradictions.
“None of you actually have an opinion. You’re all kind of like robots.”
Brown also discussed the effect those experiences had on her, saying life in the entertainment industry forced her to develop ways to cope with constant scrutiny.
She added that protecting young performers has become a personal priority for her.
Brown has spoken before about the emotional toll of online abuse. In a 2025 interview with Allure, the Stranger Things star described how difficult it was to be targeted while still figuring out her identity, and said she had to seek therapy to deal with the bullying.
She said: “It’s really hard to be hated on when you don’t know who you are yet.
“So it’s like, ‘What do they hate about me? ’Cause I don’t know who I am.’ It’s almost like, ‘Okay, I’m going to try being this today.’ [And then they say], ‘Oh, no, I hate that.’
“‘Okay. Forget that. I’m going to try being this today.’ ‘Oh, my God! I hate when you do that.’
“Then you just start shutting down because you’re like, ‘Who am I meant to be? Who do they need me to be for them?’
“Then I started to grow more, and my family and friends really helped.
“It helped to be able to understand that I don’t need to be anything they said that I need to be. I just have to develop within myself. That’s what I did.”
In 2018, Brown became UNICEF’s youngest-ever Goodwill Ambassador at 14, using the role to advocate for children’s rights worldwide.