Millie Bobby Brown Was Underestimated Her Entire Childhood. Becoming a Mom Is When She Stopped Trying to Prove Everyone Wrong

· Thought Catalog
Cindy Ord / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Gossip

By https://thoughtcatalog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/max-AsJirOOLN_s-unsplash.jpg?w=48 January Nelson

Updated 15 minutes ago, July 5, 2026

“Being a female child actor, there was a lot of pressure, a lot of scrutiny on the way I looked, and I constantly felt underestimated by everyone. And for so long, I was trying to prove everyone wrong. But actually, I feel like I came to a realization after having my daughter. I don’t actually care. I think I cared for a really long time, but I actually don’t anymore.” — Millie Bobby Brown

A then-12-year-old Millie Bobby Brown smiles during the BUILD Series at AOL HQ in New York City on August 31, 2016, wearing denim overalls over a white tee. Photo by Michael Loccisano / Getty Images.

Millie Bobby Brown has been in the public eye since she was 12, when Stranger Things made her one of the most recognizable child actors in the world. She’s 22 now, promoting the third Enola Holmes film and doing advocacy work with UNICEF.

At London’s Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on November 13, 2025, Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp appear at the Stranger Things 5 UK special screening. Photo by Kate Green / Getty Images.

She told The Independent that the scrutiny started early and never really let up. Years of commentary on the way she looked. A constant sense of being underestimated by nearly everyone around her. In 2025 she spoke out against tabloid coverage of her appearance, calling it bullying and saying the press seemed to want her frozen in time.

At the New York City premiere of Enola Holmes 3 on June 25, 2026, Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi appear together on the red carpet. Photo by Roy Rochlin / Getty Images.

The criticism didn’t stop. She just stopped organizing her life around it. She and her husband, Jake Bongiovi, welcomed a daughter through adoption in 2025, and she points to becoming a mom as the moment that shift finally happened.

At the New York City premiere of Enola Holmes 3 on June 25, 2026, Millie Bobby Brown makes an appearance. Photo by Roy Rochlin / Getty Images.

For years the whole project was changing other people’s minds about her. Now she says she doesn’t need them changed.

Thank you for reading. You can find Thought Catalog on Facebook, and read more over on our website.

Cindy Ord Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
A then-12-year-old Millie Bobby Brown smiles during the BUILD Series at AOL HQ in New York City on August 31, 2016, wearing denim overalls over a white tee. Photo by Michael Loccisano Getty Images.
At London's Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on November 13, 2025, Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp appear at the Stranger Things 5 UK special screening. Photo by Kate Green Getty Images.
At the New York City premiere of Enola Holmes 3 on June 25, 2026, Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi appear together on the red carpet. Photo by Roy Rochlin Getty Images.
At the New York City premiere of Enola Holmes 3 on June 25, 2026, Millie Bobby Brown makes an appearance. Photo by Roy Rochlin Getty Images.
Read more Gossip.
About the author