Tragic Details About Millie Bobby Brown's Life As A Child Star

Millie Bobby Brown's life looks like a fairytale from the outside. She gained notoriety after landing the role of Eleven on "Stranger Things" at just 12 years old; she's married to the love of her life, Jon Bon Jovi's son Jake Bongiovi; and Brown is a multi-millionaire who knows how to splurge. But underneath the glitz and glam of this child star's lavish lifestyle lie tragic details.

Though acting has afforded Brown the life and career most could only dream of, her passion stems from a tragically dark place. "I enjoyed being different people because I always struggled with self-identity and knowing who I was," she told Allure in 2022 about why she wanted to act. "Even as a young person, I always felt like I didn't quite belong in every room I was in," she added, suggesting she may also have dealt with imposter syndrome. That led to her feeling isolated and misunderstood, so she wanted to play characters people could relate to. "I also struggle with loneliness a bit. I always felt quite alone in a crowded room, like I was just one of a kind, like nobody ever really understood me," she said. But that's far from the only harsh card life has dealt this star.

On Millie Bobby Brown's 16th birthday in 2020, she shared a disturbing Instagram post explaining she'd been repeatedly sexualized by the media and social media users since she rose to fame. "The last few years haven't been easy ... 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," she captioned her video upload, which displayed several negative headlines about her.

Just under two years later, Brown shared on "The Guilty Feminist" podcast that the sexualization without her consent had only gotten worse as she neared her 18th birthday. "Definitely seeing a difference between the way people act and the way the press and social media have reacted to me coming of age," she confessed. "It's gross, and it's true. And so, I think it's just a very good representation of what's going on in the world and how young girls are sexualized," she continued, but sadly admitted it was nothing new for her.

The way Brown was treated even caught the attention of former child star Mara Wilson, who appeared in "Matilda" and "Mrs. Doubtfire." In a 2017 piece for Elle, Wilson recalled her horror after seeing a grown man tweet a photo of Brown with the caption, "[Brown] just grew up in front of our eyes." Wilson wrote, "I felt sick, and then I felt furious. A 13-year-old girl is not all grown up. And even if she had been what we consider grown up, that is not newsworthy."

Not only has Millie Bobby Brown's evolution involved inappropriate sexualized comments as a child, but she was also relentlessly bullied. In 2018, the hate got so bad the child star deleted her account on X, formerly Twitter, after the hashtag #TakeDownMillieBobbyBrown trended. But, sadly, nasty comments weren't just something she dealt with online. Brown was also bullied at school, and she told Glamour U.K. in 2019 she had to transfer to get away from it. "It created a lot of anxiety and issues that I still deal with today. I have dealt with situations both in real life and online that are soul-breaking, and it genuinely hurts reading some of the things people have said," she said.

In 2022, she elaborated on the tragic, lasting effects the vicious comments had on her. "It's really hard to be hated on when you don't know who you are yet. 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?'" she told Allure. The constant negativity became so overwhelming that Brown told Glamour in 2023 that she was worried for up-and-coming child stars and had learned to close herself off and put up boundaries for protection. "The only people that are allowed are the people that I open the gate for," she said. "And yes, it's sad. There are trust issues."

When Millie Bobby Brown was just 16, her grandmother Ruth died after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Brown opened up about the pain she was feeling, writing, "Loss is something so complex and I go thru spells where I cant stop crying and then I laugh about all the memories and then sit quiet and try to comprehend what happened" (via People). She also touched on the tragic way Ruth passed and the difficult time leading up to her death, writing, "Alzheimer's is evil. Its cruel. Taking away someone's ability to remember memories and then how to function like a human being. It's so hard to sit there and watch." Making Ruth's death even more devastating, Brown was unable to spend a lot of time with her in person in her final months due to COVID-19-related restrictions.

In 2023, Brown further opened up about her heartache on the podcast "Women's Hour" after writing the novel "Nineteen Steps," which was inspired by Ruth's life. "Losing her was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through, and I don't know if I necessarily healed from it fully," she said, admitting if she hadn't become an actor, she'd have worked in a care home for the elderly.

Millie Bobby Brown's family did everything they could to help her realize her dream of becoming an actor — but it came at a serious price. The family relocated from England to Hollywood to give the "Enola Holmes" star the best chance of being discovered. They sold their possessions and became so broke they borrowed money from her manager. However, Brown's dreams impacted her family beyond finances, too, as her sister decided to leave the States and move back to the U.K. "It was very hard. There were lots of tears along the way," Brown told Daily Mail in 2016. "It was tears, tears, tears. We went through tough times," she shared. All of the Browns eventually moved back to England after Millie failed to score a big role but were forced to live with family members because they had so little money left. "I was devastated," the Florence By Mills founder recalled. Brown has also admitted she got so many rejections she almost quit acting before her "Stranger Things" gig.

Fortunately, she landed the job that made her a household name soon after returning to the U.K. and went on to become rich beyond her wildest dreams. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the actor has a net worth of $14 million as of 2025 and reportedly earned $300,000 per episode of the Netflix hit.

Millie Bobby Brown landed her first acting gig at 9 years old and left school for TV sets, so she wasn't able to spend quality time with kids her own age. That had a tragic effect on her lifestyle. "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," she told Vanity Fair in February. She also touched on not experiencing big milestones, such as proms or hanging out with friends after school. "I missed out on a few things. But I'm working through them," she said.

Not having a normal childhood also impacted her adult friendships. Or lack thereof. "I don't have many friends because of who I am," she said. Brown also got candid with Glamour in 2023 about how platonic relationships didn't come naturally to her. "Yes, I have issues with having friends. I don't have a lot of friends," she said.