Millie Bobby Brown Shares How Sabrina Carpenter Helped Her Deal With Public Criticism

The actress revealed the anecdote with ‘British Vogue’ for the publication’s December 2025 issue.

Millie Bobby Brown, Sabrina Carpenter / Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images and Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic/Getty Images

British Vogue's December cover star is Millie Bobby Brown, the publication disclosed earlier this week to their 8.4 million Instagram followers.

On the front page image, the 21-year-old actress—who skyrocketed to stardom with the 2016 debut of Netflix’s Stranger Things—posed in a baron field with luscious emerald greenery. Contrasting the monochromatic rural backdrop, which sat under the magazine’s sage-colored title, Brown repped a knitted Alexander McQueen mini dress in a cherry red hue. Her warm, cinnamon brown waves moved with the breeze as she started at photographer Sebastián Faena’s camera lens.

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In her cover story, the British actress detailed her near decade-long stint on the five season television series before the first installment of Stranger Things season debuts on Nov. 26. She also delved into with her relationship with her husband, Jake Bongiovi, and their daughter. Brown also touched upon the negative aspects of life in the spotlight—specifically, when that spotlight found its way into her life before she even reached her teenage years.

“For some reason people can’t seem to grow up with me. Instead, they act like I’m supposed to stay frozen in time… And because I don’t, I’m now a target,” Brown said in an Instagram video, the publication reported. In person, she told the outlet, “I respect journalism ... I understand that there’s paparazzi, even though it’s invasive, even though it feels like sh** to me—I know that’s your job … But don’t, in your headline, slam me at the get-go. It is so wrong and it is bullying, especially to young girls who are new to this industry and are already questioning everything about it.”

Sabrina Carpenter and Millie Bobby Brown / Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Images

What shifted the actress’s mindset? Brown recalled a particular moment with the outlet at the Brit Awards in March, that still sticks with her to-date.

Before presenting Sabrina Carpenter with the show’s Global Success award, it was a behind the stage interaction that Brown took to heart. She told the publication that while she was “crying” mid-glam before stepping behind the podium—distinctly because of heavy media scrutiny regarding her own change in appearance.

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At the time, her film, The Electric State, had spent under a week in theaters, and its leading lady was sporting a blonde bombshell in its wake. Brown said Carpenter shared a sentiment on her own mindset regarding external opinions, following a comforting embrace with the sobbing actress.

"Truly, always, her mentality is very much like ‘F---- ’em’, which I knew inside of me, but when you hear someone else say it, you’re like, ‘Yes! That’s it!’” Brown continued in the interview. The 26-year-old singer-songwriter—who released her latest album, Man's Best Friend, in August before picking up on her Short n’ Sweet Tour in October—isn’t much older than Brown. She also has roots in childhood acting, with a three-season stint on Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World. The series aired from 201 4 to 2017, and hit televisions when Carpenter was only 15.

Read Brown’s full cover story here.

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