What to Know
After the final season of Stranger Things finally dropped in its entirety on Netflix, fans had mixed reactions overall. The fact that, spoiler alert, no one major was killed off did bother some viewers, but others rejoiced in that 45-minute epilogue of sorts that showed us how everyone’s story ended. For me, there were plenty of tears, but the good kind. One thing that got the internet forums and comments going, though, was some fans’ critiques of Eleven star Millie Bobby Brown‘s appearance in the finale and final season.
On different social media platforms, including TikTok, some Stranger Things fans made posts or commented on other posts about the show to share their thoughts on Millie’s facial features, expressions, and alleged fillers that the actress had done prior to filming the last season. Millie, who was 20 years old during the filming of Season 5, responded to some of these comments in an Instagram post she made months prior to the finale.
Millie Bobby Brown’s response to Stranger Things fans talking about her face is important.
Although Millie’s response to critics talking about her change in appearance from earlier seasons of Stranger Things to the final season was posted in March 2025, before Season 5 premiered in November 2025, it still stands. One user shared it on Reddit amid all of the backlash and hate Millie received from fans when they began discussing her appearance in the final season.
Millie posted a video and spoke about the public scrutiny over her appearance and why it’s not OK.
“I want to take a moment to address something that I think is bigger than just me, something that affects every young woman who grows up under public scrutiny,” she said. “I think it’s necessary to speak up about this. I started in this industry when I was 10 years old. I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can’t seem to grow with me. Instead, they act like l’m supposed to stay frozen in time, like I should still look the way I did on Stranger Things Season 1. And because I don’t, I’m now a target.”
She then quoted specific articles she read where her appearance was talked about at length, including one where a headline said she is “aging badly” and another where the title asked “what has Millie Bobby Brown done to her face”? She accused the writers of those articles, and others like them, of bullying.
It’s the same bullying that fans of the show have done.
“The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, it’s disturbing,” she added. “The fact that some of these articles are written by women? Even worse. We always talk about supporting and uplifting young women, but when the time comes, it seems easier to tear them down for clicks. Disillusioned people can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman on her terms, not theirs. I refuse to apologize for growing up. I refuse to make myself smaller to fit the unrealistic expectations of people who can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman. I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress, or how I present myself. We have become a society where it’s so much easier to criticize than it is to pay a compliment.”
Although Millie’s post about the way she is criticized came out before she received even more hate for her appearance in the Stranger Things finale, it bears repeating now. In one TikTok about a user’s opinion about Millie’s face in the final season, they said that they “can’t believe” Millie was permitted to get Botox while filming. In the comments, other users poked fun at the way Millie looks.
Another video on TikTok sparked a discussion about alleged “lip fillers” Millie had before filming began for the last season of the Netflix series. Millie’s response to these sorts of comments that came about even before the last season premiered show that she sees it all, hears it all, and, like any other human being who isn’t even under the spotlight, she is forced to listen to what other people think of her.
