You’ve probably seen the photos. Maybe you were scrolling through X (formerly Twitter) or TikTok and saw a picture of a smiling Millie Bobby Brown with a caption so outlandishly hateful it felt like a glitch in the Matrix. It’s one of the weirdest corners of internet history. One minute she’s the lovable Eleven from Stranger Things, and the next, she’s the face of a massive, ironic, and honestly pretty cruel "homophobic" meme campaign.
It’s been years since this first exploded in 2018, yet Millie Bobby Brown pride searches still spike every June. People are genuinely confused. Is she an ally? Is she secretly hateful? Or is the internet just doing that thing where it eats its own for no reason?
The truth is a lot more nuanced than a rainbow emoji. It’s a story about how "stan culture" can weaponize irony until the person on the other side—in this case, a literal child at the time—gets crushed under the weight of the joke.
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The 2018 Twitter Meltdown: When Memes Go Rogue
To understand the Millie Bobby Brown pride controversy, you have to go back to 2018. Millie was 14. Let that sink in. Fourteen. At an age when most of us were trying to figure out how to cover a zit, she was the target of a hashtag called #TakeDownMillieBobbyBrown.
It started in a way that feels very "2010s internet." Users, many of whom actually identified as LGBTQ+, began photoshopping fake, ultra-violent homophobic slurs over her selfies. The "joke" was supposed to be the juxtaposition. Millie was known for being incredibly sweet, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and a vocal supporter of GLAAD. The meme creators thought it was hilarious to imagine this "pure" girl saying the most vile things imaginable.
"I saw Millie Bobby Brown at the airport and she told me she hated my pride flag then broke my iPhone," one fake tweet read.
It was satire. But satire is a dangerous game when it involves a teenager.
The memes didn't stay inside the "stan" circles. They went viral. People who didn't get the joke—including actual homophobes and concerned parents—thought these quotes were real. It got so bad that Millie deactivated her Twitter account. She basically vanished from the platform because the digital noise became a physical weight.
Why the Millie Bobby Brown Pride Connection is Actually Supportive
Despite the trolls, Millie’s actual track record is the polar opposite of the memes. She didn't just post a rainbow square once and call it a day. She’s been doing the work since she was barely old enough to be on a red carpet.
- The GLAAD Pin: Way back at the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards, Millie showed up wearing a bright blue ampersand pin. That wasn't just a fashion choice. It was the symbol for GLAAD’s "Together" movement, which advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and intersectional equality.
- The "Schnapper" Moment: When her co-star and best friend Noah Schnapp came out as gay in 2023, the world watched for her reaction. Noah later shared that Millie was one of the first people he told. Her response? "Oh, Schnapper, you told me finally!" It was casual, loving, and exactly what a real ally sounds like.
- Milliestopshate: She even launched a secondary social media account specifically dedicated to fighting cyberbullying. It’s kinda ironic that someone so focused on kindness became the face of a "mean" meme, right?
The 2025 "Cure" Hoax: Why It Won't Die
You’d think we’d be over this by now. But no. In late 2025, a parody account reignited the fire by claiming Millie donated $1 million to the LGBTQ+ community to "find a cure."
It’s the same old trick.
The post got hundreds of thousands of likes. People were arguing in the comments, some outraged and others laughing. It shows how "sticky" misinformation is. Once the internet labels you with a specific meme, it’s like trying to wash off permanent marker with a damp paper towel. It just smudges.
Millie is 21 now. She’s married to Jake Bongiovi. She’s a business mogul with Florence by Mills. Honestly, she seems to have reached a point where she just ignores the noise. And who can blame her? When you've been "canceled" for things you never said before you even had a driver's license, you probably develop a pretty thick skin.
What Most People Get Wrong About Celebrity Allyship
We tend to demand that celebrities be perfect avatars for our causes. If they don't say the exact right thing at the exact right time, we turn on them. With the Millie Bobby Brown pride saga, the internet did the opposite: it invented a villainous persona for her because her actual persona was "too perfect."
It’s a weird form of tall poppy syndrome.
The reality is that Millie has consistently used her platform to support the LGBTQ+ community, even when that community’s online fringe was making her life a living hell. That’s a level of grace most adults don't have.
How to Navigate Celebrity Rumors Like a Pro
If you see a wild headline about a celebrity and "pride," do these three things:
- Check the Source: Was it a "parody" account? Sites like Drop Pop or random X handles are usually looking for engagement, not accuracy.
- Look for Video: In the age of AI and Photoshop, a screenshot means nothing. If there isn't a video of them saying it or a verified post on their official grid, be skeptical.
- Consider the History: Does this align with what they’ve done for the last five years? People change, sure, but massive shifts in character usually have a paper trail.
If you’re looking to support the causes Millie actually cares about, skip the memes and check out GLAAD or UNICEF. They deal with the real-world issues that celebrities like Millie are trying to highlight behind the scenes.
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The next time a "homophobic Millie" meme pops up in your feed, just remember: it’s a relic of a weird internet experiment that went too far. She’s still the girl with the ampersand pin, just trying to navigate a very loud, very strange world.
Next Steps for You
- Fact-check your feed: Take five minutes to unfollow "parody" news accounts that spread misinformation.
- Support the real work: If you're passionate about Pride, look into local LGBTQ+ youth centers that need the kind of advocacy Millie has championed since 2017.
- Practice digital empathy: Remember that behind every viral meme is a human being—sometimes a very young one.