Millie Bobby Brown has fans spiraling after she casually dropped a bombshell about her legally changed name during a new interview with her Stranger Things castmates.
During a now-viral YouTube Q&A uploaded on Monday, November 24, the reveal unfolded as she chatted with her co-star and best friend, Noah Schnapp.
Fans were left enraged, especially since the change ties back to her husband, Jake Bongiovi, who’s already been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks.
Highlights
- Millie Bobby Brown recently surprised fans by revealing her legally changed name during a viral ‘Stranger Things’ interview segment.
- After previously clearing up the mystery of her real middle name, which is not “Bobby” as many believed, Millie has now unveiled her updated full name.
- Her revelation sparked intense backlash, with critics calling it a “bad business decision” given her influential public persona.
“Changing your… name as a well known celebrity feels like a bad business decision,” one social media user complained after the reveal.
It marked the first time Millie Bobby Brown publicly acknowledged her newly changed name
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Millie and Noah, joined by co-stars Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo, appeared for a special Stranger Things: Quiz On Me! segment on VT’s official channel.
The cast was quizzed on everything from the Netflix blockbuster to fun personal trivia about one another.
During Brown and Schnapp’s round, one question was directed at Noah to test how well he really knows the 21-year-old actress.
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The host asked, “Noah, what is Millie’s full name?”
The question doubled as a trick, especially given the lingering confusion among fans after Millie revealed earlier this year that “Bobby” isn’t her middle name, but simply a professional stage name.
However, the twist was that this wasn’t the only point of confusion. Brown had already publicly revealed that her legal middle name is “Bonnie.”
This marked the second time Brown surprised fans with a name-related revelation, as she had previously cleared up the mystery surrounding her middle name
Image credits: Getty/Phillip Faraone
During an interview with her The Electric State co-star Chris Pratt in March, she explained why her legal middle name differed from her stage name, saying, “[It’s] just for s**ts and giggles. I’ve never told anyone that, [but] you heard it here first.”
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Hence, the question left Noah visibly confused for a few seconds as he tried to recall the correct answer.
He first jokingly guessed, “Millifer,” followed by “Millie Bonnie Brown,” which was her legal name before she changed it.
Millie immediately fired back by asking him what her real full name is “now.”
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During the segment, the Abe star had a chaotic guessing session with options ranging from “Millie Bonnie Brown Bongiovi” to “Millie Bonnie Bobby Bongiovi Brown,” before Millie finally stepped in to clarify her actual name.
“Drop the Bobby. Drop the Brown. It’s just Millie Bonnie Bongiovi,”she explained, even sharing a nickname for her new name, “Millie Bon Bon.”
The latest name reveal ignited strong and harsh reactions from fans of the Enola Holmes alum, with many calling her decision “weird”
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Millie adopted “Bongiovi,” her husband Jake Bongiovi’s last name, after their marriage last year.
The young couple also adopted a baby girl earlier this year, announcing the news on Instagram.
Given that the new name directly ties back to her husband, fans reacted brutally online, with much of the criticism aimed directly at Jake.
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One user on X posted a cropped clip of the reveal with the caption, “changing your last name for your useless husband in big 2025 we are in hell.”
Several commenters echoed the sentiment, with one writing, “I agree that women shouldn’t change their name for their husbands who do nothing for them.”
However, they jokingly added that, given Jake’s father is legendary rock star Jon Bon Jovi, the last name is an “asset.”
“It’s just Millie Bonnie Bongiovi,” revealed the 21-year-old actress, confirming she had legally adopted her husband Jake Bongiovi’s last name
They continued, “But in her defense, her husband’s last name is bongiovi and that is his best asset. Imagine having a rock legend as your father in law.”
Another critic chimed in, “[She] erased her big famous last name for some unknown fraud.”
“Especially as a celebrity like isn’t your name your brand essentially?”
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The backlash toward the 23-year-old model first ignited during a lunch outing with Millie, their daughter, and Noah on November 13.
As they arrived at The Ivy Soho Brasserie in London, Jake was seen signaling to his wife, who was tightly holding their infant daughter against her chest, to lead the way into the restaurant as photographers swarmed around them.
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This prompted Brown to raise her voice at the crowd, warning, “I am holding my baby, do not play with me right now.”
Fans were quick to call Jake’s behavior “passive,” with some even dubbing Millie a “married single mum.”
“Her husband simply smiled at the paparazzi. It’s shameful that your friend does more for you than your husband.”
Jake has recently been weathering a wave of online criticism, with one of the couple’s recent outings sparking concerns about their relationship
Image credits: Getty/JB Lacroix
While the Damsel star has not addressed the controversy outright, she shared an Instagram carousel days later featuring a photo of herself looking visibly distressed as she pushed a stroller, while another snap showed Jake lounging on an adult-sized BabyBjörn bouncer.
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Whether meant as a sarcastic nod to the discourse surrounding their marriage and parenting dynamics, or as a subtle call-out of her husband, the post only fueled the conversation further.
One user bluntly commented, “She’s not helping the man with those allegations I’m crying.”
“Women still have choices, and she CHOSE to change her name. There's nothing wrong with her choice,” expressed one supporter
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