When Millie Bobby Brown was rapidly rising to international fame as a result of her groundbreaking role as Eleven in Netflix’s popular TV show Stranger Things, the young actress worried quite a few fans.
In 2018, when Stranger Things had just released its second season, 15-year-old Millie disclosed that she had developed a steady friendship with rapper Drake, who was 31 years old at the time.
Highlights
- Drake responds to Millie Bobby Brown grooming claims in new album.
- Millie Bobby Brown's friendship with Drake stirred online controversy.
- Drake addressed the backlash in his song lyrics explicitly for the first time.
The questionable revelation was unveiled after the One Dance rapper had invited the teen actress to one of his concerts in Australia the previous year.
Millie Bobby Brown has previously defended her friendship with Drake, but now it is the rapper who has made a statement
Image credits: milliebobbybrown
In an interview with W Magazine, Millie said: “He was such a fanboy and I was such a fangirl! Honestly, we text all the time now.
“He helps me with everything, just like life lessons.
Drake invited Millie to his concert in Australia, back in 2018
Image credits: milliebobbybrown
“He's amazing. He's a great human being, and we went to dinner afterward and we had dinner the next day and we met in Sydney.”
The British actress, who was born in Spain, further revealed a few months later during an interview with Access Hollywood at the 2018 Emmy Awards that the Canadian rapper was a “great friend and a great role model”.
“He was such a fanboy," Millie said of Drake
Image credits: milliebobbybrown
She said: “We just texted each other the other day.
“He was like, ‘I miss you so much.’ I was like, ‘I miss you more.’”
Millie went on to admit that Drake would often send her text messages with some guidance “about boys.”
15-year-old Millie publicly became friends with 31-year-old Drake
Image credits: milliebobbybrown
When she was asked to explain this type of exchange further, Millie responded, “That stays in the text messages.”
The 17-year-old gap between Drake, who was well into adulthood, and Millie, who was still considered a child, made quite a few fans and Stranger Things viewers uncomfortable.
The actress, who was catapulted to fame because of her role as Eleven on Stranger Things, said she and Drake texted
Image credits: milliebobbybrown
As their unconventional friendship received a lot of backlash online, Millie ended up taking to her Instagram account to post a story in defense of the award-winning music artist.
She wrote: “Why u gotta make a lovely friendship ur headline? U guys are weird.
“I’m lucky to have people in the business extend their time to help me further my career and offer their wisdom and guidance.
Due to backlash, Millie was forced to defend her friendship with Drake on Instagram
Image credits: milliebobbybrown
“I’m very blessed to have amazing people in my life.
“U don't get to choose that for me.
“It’s nice to have people who understand what I do.
Millie revealed that she and Drake would text that they "missed" each other
Image credits: milliebobbybrown
“Now get back to talking about real problems in this world other than my friendships... jeez.”
Despite never explicitly referring to the negative headlines surrounding his friendship with Millie during that time, Drake did come out with a track in 2020 that featured an allusive lyric.
The actress also said that the rapper would share tips about boys
Image credits: milliebobbybrown
In When To Say When, Drake raps: “Michael Jackson sh*t, but the palace is not for kids.”
Rap Genius explained that in the line, Drake compares his $100 million dollar Toronto mansion dubbed “The Embassy” to Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.
Drake made innuendos about the backlash in a 2020 track
Image credits: champagnepapi
“Jackson first purchased the property in 1988 for a disclosed amount of money,” the online hip-hop encyclopedia elaborated.
They said: “He often invited children to visit and stay at the Ranch—which would eventually result in the infamous child molestation accusations against Jackson, which claimed he assaulted children inside of the home.”
The rapper went on to address the controversy in his newest album For All The Dogs
Image credits: champagnepapi
Nevertheless, Drake finally decided to opt out of innuendos for his new 2023 album, For All the Dogs.
In his track Another Late Night, which features rapper Lil Yachty, Drake raps: “Weirdos in my comments talkin' 'bout some Millie Bobby, look/ Bring them jokes up to the gang, we get to really flockin'/ Or send a finger to your mama in some FedEx boxes /Open up that sh*t, it's jaw droppin', really shockin', ayy.”
One of his new tracks includes the lyric: "Weirdos in my comments talkin' 'bout some Millie Bobby"
Image credits: champagnepapi
“Drake references English actress and model Millie Bobby Brown, who shot into superstardom portraying Eleven in Netflix’s supernatural drama, Stranger Things,” Rap Genius explained.
It added: “In 2018, Millie shared that Drake was a big endorser of her work, and they keep in good contact, even getting advice about boys.
“This stemmed into an online talking point about grooming and bred memes as the internet generally found it weird and predatory that Drake, 31, would communicate as familiarly as he was with Millie, 14.”
Drake revealed that he has now planned a brief hiatus from music
Image credits: champagnepapi
According to the website, this lyric is the first time Drake has explicitly mentioned the controversy, as “he dictates that he and his friends will get violent if the topic is brought up, further backing up how absurd he thinks this is.”
Last week (October 6), the dad-of-one confessed that following the release of For All the Dogs, he had planned on taking a brief hiatus from music in order to focus on his health, namely an undisclosed issue with his stomach.
"I got some other things I need to do," Drake said in a recent interview
Image credits: champagnepapi
He said on his show Table for One on SiriusXM’s Sound 42: “I probably won't make music for a little bit.
“I'm gonna be honest, I got some other things I need to do for some other people that I made promises to, but I probably won't make music for a little bit.
“I'm gonna be real with you. I need to focus on my health first and foremost and I’ll talk about that soon enough.”
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Millie is soon to be married to Jake Bongiovi
Image credits: MissKilahMarie
“I need to get right. I have a lot of other things that I would love to focus on.
“So I'm gonna lock the door in the studio for a little bit.
“I don't even know what a little bit is. Maybe, maybe a year or something, or maybe a little longer.”
Meanwhile, Millie has been keeping busy planning a wedding with her fiancé - and the son of rock star Jon Bon Jovi - Jake Bongiovi, running a pit bull rescue, as well as promoting her debut novel, Nineteen Steps.
Fans were divided regarding their controversial friendship
Image credits: MissKilahMarie
Image credits: Tingus_McMingus
