Millie Bobby Brown tells Jay Shetty of cast double standards
On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Millie Bobby Brown said she faced far more scrutiny than her male Stranger Things costars. The 22-year-old argued headlines tore her down over looks and outfits while the boys got career praise. She called the unequal treatment insane and said she still holds some resentment.
Key Takeaways
- Brown spoke on the July 13, 2026 episode of On Purpose with Jay Shetty.
- She said female Stranger Things stars faced harsher looks-based scrutiny than the boys.
- Critics once said she looked like a “60-year-old woman” when she was about 15.
- She admitted holding “a bit of a resentment” over unequal treatment, without framing it as a pity party.
- Brown said she feels protective of young girls entering the industry.
The Enola Holmes 3 star, now 22, was thrust into fame at 12 as Eleven. In her chat with Jay Shetty, she framed public perception as one of the hardest parts of growing up on camera. For more strange celebrity headlines, browse Bizarre News & Florida Man on BlasterPost.
What did Millie Bobby Brown tell Jay Shetty?
Brown said, “Women don’t win because we don’t get to win. We don’t get to just be in peace. It’s crazy scrutiny.” She grew up on a show with four boys and stressed she was not dismissing their experiences.
“I grew up on a show with four boys… but what the girls got on that show… was the scrutiny and pressure that gets put on you was insane,” she said, per USA Today.
She never heard carpet-style commentary about male castmates’ clothes, hair, makeup, or quotes. Their headlines, she said, focused on career wins—praise she agreed they deserved. “But I do, too,” she added. “My headline shouldn’t be tearing me down—and other young girls down.”
Why does the Stranger Things double standard matter?
Brown said she feels “very protective” of girls coming up in Hollywood. Later she told Shetty, “I do hold a bit of a resentment” because she does not feel she received the same treatment, then clarified, “It’s not a pity party.”
That gap—career glory for the boys versus appearance policing for the girls—is why the interview landed as more than a vent. It is a firsthand account of how early fame can skew differently by gender, even on the same hit Netflix set.
How did critics attack Millie Bobby Brown’s looks and age?
On the same Jay Shetty episode, Brown recalled that around age 15 people said she “looked like a 60-year-old woman.” Heels drew “who does she think she is?” jabs; a suit brought claims she looked “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,” she said, according to People.
In March 2025 she also posted a message to “bullies,” arguing the public seemed to want her frozen as Season 1 Eleven. She refused to apologize for growing up or to shrink for unrealistic expectations—the same fight she revived with Shetty in 2026.