Millie Bobby Brown has grown up so fast. She had to, out of necessity. She has stage parents and she is the sole provider for her family. She’s been working for a decade or longer and she’s only 19 years old. For years, she’s been desperate to carve out her own life, away from her stage parents, which has led her into a couple of pretty awful relationships with really toxic douchebags. But for the past year (maybe longer?), she’s been with Jake Bongiovi, son of Jon Bon Jovi. He’s 20 years old. They just got engaged:
Stranger things have happened! Millie Bobby Brown took to Instagram on Tuesday morning seemingly announcing her engagement to boyfriend Jake Bongiovi.
The 19-year-old Stranger Things star posted a sweet black and white photo of herself grinning with Bongiovi, the 20-year-old son of on Bon Jovi, hugging her from behind while a large diamond ring was on display on her ring finger.
Brown captioned the pic with the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s song “Lover,” writing, “I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, I want ’em all”
I mean… they’re way too young. But God bless, honestly. I hope they make it, I hope they’re happy and I hope they find a way to take care of each other. The fact that he’s a nepo baby is actually giving me some hope, in general. Like, I know Jon Bon Jovi didn’t raise a scrub. Jake’s been around fame and the industry all his life. But yeah – two kids who are too eager to grow up. We were the same at that age too, don’t forget.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.
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- Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi arrive for the 75th EE British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall, London, UK,Image: 669449193, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: James Shaw / Avalon
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- Jake Bongiovi and Millie Bobby Brown on the red carpet for the EE British Academy Awards 2022 at Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, London, United Kingdom.,Image: 671245436, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: To licence this image, email info@sidetrack.london for more information., Model Release: no, Credit line: Cat Morley / Avalon
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- MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA – OCTOBER 27: American actor Jake Bongiovi and girlfriend/British actress Millie Bobby Brown wearing Louis Vuitton arrive at the World Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘Enola Holmes 2’ held at The Paris Theater on October 27, 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States.,Image: 733704251, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jake Bongiovi, Millie Bobby Brown, Credit line: Jordan Hinton / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA – OCTOBER 27: American actor Jake Bongiovi and girlfriend/British actress Millie Bobby Brown wearing Louis Vuitton arrive at the World Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘Enola Holmes 2’ held at The Paris Theater on October 27, 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States.,Image: 733704287, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jake Bongiovi, Millie Bobby Brown, Credit line: Jordan Hinton / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA – OCTOBER 27: British actress Millie Bobby Brown wearing Louis Vuitton arrives at the World Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘Enola Holmes 2’ held at The Paris Theater on October 27, 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States.,Image: 733704317, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Millie Bobby Brown, Credit line: Jordan Hinton / Image Press Agency / Avalon
To be fair, Jake’s dad married his high school sweetheart.
Y’know, my initial reaction was along the lines of “Well bless their hearts. I wanted to marry the first guy I loved, too!” Which is of course reductive.
And then you remind me that I work with quite a few quality dudes who married really young, and they worship their wives and families.
So, no one-size-fits-all. I should be less judgy and just wish them well!
It’s impossible to hear the news without reacting with kneejerk cynicism but of course, you’re right that not every young marriage is somehow doomed.
Also, it bodes well that his dad is JBJ, who has always seemed like such a good, solid dude. All in all, I hope these crazy kids make it.
Wasn’t Winona Ryder engaged to Depp when she was 19? Maybe they will get married, maybe they won’t.
I was engaged at 19 to my first boyfriend who was 21 and I was his first girlfriend. (Two late bloomers! 😆) We’d been dating less than six months. We did wait until I was 21 and we’d be finishing college. It’s 31 years and three kids later and we’re still just as happy and in love—more so even because shared life experiences deepen the connection.
But if one of my kids had done the same I think I’d have had a coronary! But you just never know what that magical combination is. A couple could be together years before marrying and immediately split. Another could elope after a few weeks and be happy for decades.I don’t think there’s a ‘right’ way.
So congrats and best wishes to them both.
I hope they make it! My husband and I were teens when we got together and it’s been a few decades now!
Hubby and I were 21 and 19 when we married and it lasted 62 days shy of 50 years (he passed), it can work.
I totally agree, it does bode well that he has JBJ as a role model. This is the loving family she never had and I truly root for them!
Yeah but to be even more fair, he married his high school sweetheart when he was 28 years old. And their first child was born when they were both in their 30s. Not the same situation at all.
Look I’m all for wishing these kids well, and there are exceptions, but we all know the reality is this is incredibly unlikely to last. Sigh….have fun kids; pre-nup and don’t rush children.
Hey if this starts or speeds the process of her family no longer living off of her, that’s a net positive.
I didn’t realize that about her family. I wonder if that’s a big part of why she’s getting married, to make that separation more complete and final.
The Bon Jovis sound like they’re really down to earth, family-oriented people. I wish these two well and hope she gets the family support and love from them.
See also: Beckham, Brooklyn.
I don’t think anyone getting engaged at 22 is a good idea, but his parents got engaged at that age, and they’re still together, so I understand why he did it.
Regarding MBB, I really like this match for her. Her parents sound like the worst, so getting into a family that DOESN’T want anything from their kids is much healthier. I also like that he’s her age. The ingredients are there for a relationship with someone old like Scott Disick.
Considering how many predators seemed to be lurking around her, I’m relieved she’s with a guy her age. It is young. I married at that age and it’s too young, in retrospect; without the pressures of fame or wealth, it was still tough getting through sometimes. But we leaned on each other. It’s been sixteen years since we got together and I wish for the same happiness for anyone taking that dive too young. Sometimes it works out. They look great. <3
Some of the predators her parents let into the house like that awful youtuber who dated her when she was underage and then said horribly sexually explicit things about her. I wonder what her relationship with her parents is now. This was such a classic case of the child bankrolling the whole family and growing up too fast.
Jon bonjovi and his wife have been together forever and have the reputation of being good people. Hopefully she finds a stable loving family in them.
Anyway congrats to them. She looks so happy and pretty in the pics.
“We’ve gotta hold on to what we’ve got
It doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not
We got each other, and that’s a lot for love
We’ll give it a shot”
Whoa, we’re half way there
Oh-oh, livin’ on a prayer”
💯
They should be their first dance!
Good for them. If you manage to find your person at 19, more power to you.
They’re very cute and the optimism is endearing. I, too, was deeply and irrevocably in love with someone at 19, but even in the midst of it, I knew I would never marry him. It was truly a case of: you’re only young once, why not fall for someone who is definitely not The One? Just saying, Mille…there are many who experience that intense love without expecting it to last forever.
I will say though, having that experience allowed me to have a great, mature love with my now-husband, who I met at 26 and married 5 years later. Any relationship that provides a benchmark for—or improves—your picker is a good relationship.
Your last sentence! That’s an amazing perspective. Going to have to try to internalize that myself. Thanks!
He’s gorgeous. That’s all I’ve got. Best of luck to the two. They’re gonna need it.
Cosign. He looks a lot like JBJ. And…they are adorable. That’s all.
Starter marriage
Congratulations to them. I just think that Millie has wanted to be an adult since she was a little girl. I know MOST teens are like this but actually seeing bits of her life has been concerning. I do hope that they are very happy together.
She has been an adult since she was a girl–she was the sole supporter of her family as a child. She was the breadwinner. At least now she has control over her own money and choices.
That’s largely my takeaway, she had to be an adult when she was a child without the independence of actually being legally adult. I completely understand her embracing being able to make her own independent choices now.
Part of me wants to say she should wait much longer because their brains aren’t fully developed, and the misogynistic public has been circling the skies over this young woman for years. But that’s also not a great way to live life- always putting things off because misogynists are watching you and something could go wrong. Hopefully things work out well for them. Maybe they will.
An engagement post using Taylor Swift lyrics about Joe Alwyn.. ouch bad timing lol.
So glad she’s with someone her age and with their own money. I hope she’s happy and safe and over the course of time, away from her stage parents.
Jon married super young as well to Jake’s mother. They were high school sweethearts. He probably sees his parent’s marriage as a positive example of young marriage and young love. Which it is. I wish them the best and congrats. He seems like a decent kid and Millie is looking for stability in her life.
He and Dorothea were 27 when they married, so not super young. I remember it and will admit to being a bit heart broken. Lol
@fhmom Same! I was so disappointed because I knew he was meant to marry me lol. Also, him & Dorthea actually broke up for a while earlier in his career, that’s when he briefly dated Diane Lane before they got back together. Millie & Jake make a really cute couple and I wish them the best.
I remember it too. I had just been to a Bon Jovi concert the night before. I was bummed…you know, as if I actually had a chance. LOL And I was actually married at the time.
I can’t imagine my child marrying Jon Bon Jovi and having to act normal at family functions. I’m pretty chill around celebrities, but I would totally dork out if I were around him. And it’s not that I’m a huge fan anymore, he just does something to me.
They had been together since they were teens.
This is a great story. Jon had the fame, money and women and settled with the one who probably grounded him with unconditional love.
This is a sweet match. I agree that a nepo baby is a good thing for MBB. He understands fame and isn’t using her. Who knows what will happen? Mazel tov to them.
They may be young but they also won’t have the same economic pressures that often weigh down marriages of couples of similar ages. Plus I think having Jon in her orbit as a person who knows a thing or two about navigating superstardom at a young age and forging a lasting career in entertainment has been good for MBB
Yea this is like Brooklyn and that Peltz girl getting married young. Even if they have kids they don’t have to worry about things normal people do.
His dad is a MENSCH, working behind the scenes for the poor a LOT (my girlfriend works at his pay-as-you-can restaurant), and his parents stayed married despite countless girls throwing themselves at him, so I’m guessing & hoping Jake was raised with some strong values, not just indulged as many nepo babies are. My hubby and I married young; my fingers are crossed for them! I just wish she’d had a chance to go to college, but maybe she will down the line…
When I was 14, my cousin got his girlfriend pregnant. He was 18, she was 16. My parents said it was the only way they could get themselves married. She dropped out of high school, they moved to a small apartment near the farms where they’d grown up. Fifty years later, they’re grandparents. He owns a successful boxing gym. She’s an attorney. And they are as mad for each other now as they were then.
Combined, MBB and JB have grown up around a lot of love, stability, exploitation, and privilege. Wishing them all good things, and decades of happiness.
Wow. That is some impressive story. I’d love to read their story.
Yeah they’re too young. I was two years older at 21 and I think I was too young. But the particular circumstance of MBB and the Bon Jovi son makes me understand why they want, and probably need, the commitment of marriage. So congrats kids!
Engaged at 19 is a lot of way too early imo but some folks make it work. Wishing them the best.
Good for her and congrats. He looks soo much like his dad.
It’s sad that she seems to think these relationships are a way to get out of under her parents control – it’s a bit like Britney who did that. In this case he seems to come from a stable home where he hasn’t been treated like the family cash cow for years.
Millie could have a long career but she needs to take control on her career and finances – she needs to surround herself with people who understand the business. Having family run things has NEVER worked out well for ANYONE. I fear that at some stage we are going to be getting stories about her father and how he’s mismanaged her finances. There’s been rumours about him and his behaviour over the years – her success went to his head.
When I saw this, all I could think was “hope his family’s lawyers handle the prenup.” AKA there will be a financial reckoning about what is her’s and her family’s involvement in her money from now on.
Even if they never get married, the Bon Jovi lawyers getting things in writing would be wonderful for her.
Oh, yes. The Bongiovi family lawyers’ first priority will be protecting Jake’s interests (which are largely “what he might inherit from his father”). But I would not be surprised if Jon quietly asks them to make sure that Millie is covered too, in the guise of “I don’t want anyone getting something that should be going to my future grandchildren”.
Agreed their first priority would be to protect Jake which despite appearances might actually have more to loose than her. The Bonjovis wouldn’t want the Browns trying to manage their son’s current or future assets.
The odds aren’t great for people married under 20, but she’s definitely well ahead of most adults her age in experience, so that may offset her youth. The fact that they’ve kept it mostly quiet and aren’t performative is also a good sign. Speaks of maturity toward how they approach their relationship.
I wish them luck! They’re a cute couple, and she’s more than earned the right to a supportive partner. Her family put a lot of stress on her.
I got “oops” pregnant, engaged and married at 19. I was way too young… divorced by 25 so I doubt this will last. My daughter was 27 when she got married and I’m glad she waited.
The difference with these two is that they are rich so they have a lot higher chance of making it than a poor young couple. She has also been an adult most of her young life. I hope she finally gets the loving family she’s always wanted.
Best of Luck to this young couple.
Maybe they both want to be together, out of the spotlight.
So young…I hope this doesn’t go as most early celebrity marriages do. Maybe they will just stay engaged for a while and not rush to a wedding? And I hope it’s real love, not just an escape route from her family.
Now that I have all my cynicism out of the way, they look cute together, his family seems pretty stable, and she certainly has way more life experience than most 19 year olds. I know at least 3 couples who married their high school sweetheart and are still going strong 15-20 years later, so I guess sometimes it works.
I thank Bon Jovi probably set a good example for his kid in terms of how to be a good partner, person and family man. He’s someone who seems pretty down to earth and gives back to the community. That doesn’t mean his 20-year-old son is ready for marriage, but it helps.
One of our closest “couple friends” met in high school. It was at a boarding school, so she at least had some experience living away from home at a young age (he was a day student) and was pretty mature and grounded. Still is.
They have been together since they were 16. They have a really good marriage and three great kids in their 20s, who are close with my kids. In a way they grew up together. It worked out for them, but they might be the exception.
Anyway, I wish these two kids the best. And if it doesn’t work out, may their split be an amicable one.
On a shallow note….that young man has gorgeous eyes!
Does anyone know what he does? I know he’s young, but does he go to school or does he work at anything? Or is he another Brooklyn Beckham?
He’s done a few small acting roles but mostly seems to have a life outside the industry. Even if he’s not planning to go into it full time, I imagine he moves in those circles by merit of who his father is. You figure plenty of the kids meet due to Hollywood friendships.
My gut reaction was “Run, Millie!” but I’ve never heard a bad word about his dad. Like others have said, he has his own money and she has hers. I can understand them wanting to lock this down. I’d still probably just date for a while if I was them, but I’m not! Life is short, go for it. I hope they’re happy, even if it ends up not being forever.
They’re young, but that’s not always a negative. She seems pretty well-adjusted, he comes from about as down-to-earth a celebrity family as you could ever get… they seem cute together! Congrats to them!
Her 19 isn’t the average 19. She’s been working full time for years and has had to handle a lot of pressures and hurdles your average high school kid hasn’t. It also seems, although of course I don’t know her family personally, that she has raised and taken care of herself a lot. So yeah this isn’t the typical straight outta graduation rush to the altar, although those can lead make lasting loving marriages.
Plus the $$$ helps.
Congratulations to her and to Jake.
I was sort of relieved to see the same take that I had:
Yes, of course it’s probably way too young, but man, it seems like she’s been through a lot, her family seems so toxic, and thankfully this guy IS a seasoned “nepo-baby” because at least he has his own money, isn’t trying to nab hers, grew up in the same industry, and has a wealth of every kind of support. I hope it works out for them.
I really hope these two make it work. Having Jon Bon Jovi as an in law would be a HUGE positive influence.
As a Gen-Xer, I could never have Jon bon Jovi as an in-law cuz I’d want to hit that at every family gathering. But it’s probably fine for a 19 year old.
I’m actually not going to hate on this at all. Sometimes you meet your person and that’s it for you. They have money which relieves a lot of stress and he has a very solid example of a marriage to look at with his parents. I wish them the best.
Age is relative. This is way too young for normal people. Kids need a chance to go out into the world and figure out who they are away from their families, but these two kids may have already been through that emotional/psychological growth. Do I think this marriage will last forever? Probably not, but it might be a good partnership for them through their twenties, perhaps producing a child or two, and then they’ll part amicably as co parents and enter the next stages of their lives in their 30s. No drama to see here.
I’m not excited about this nor am I surprised. She is an old 19 with stage manager parents and was supporting the family at such a young age. The family sacrificed everything so Millie could have a career, it was so bad that one of her sisters left the family for awhile while they were living in the US pre-Stranger Things. They allowed her to date a social media influencer who was 20 when she was 16 and supposedly let him live in their house and I won’t mention the things he did after they broke up but it was disgusting. She also mentioned being friends with Drake when she was in middle school… I really hope she avoids the pitfalls of fame (substance abuse, depression, etc.) but her recent forays into Kardashian looking makeup don’t leave me very hopeful. I have lost count over the last year how many times I’ve mistook her for a Kardashian with the heavy makeup looks she’s been seen in.
However at least this guy is age appropriate and Jon Bon Jovi has a reputation of being a solid family man so I’m assuming he’d be an awesome father in law. While I hope she isn’t just marrying Jake to escape her family, maybe this could be the family she never had growing up. I won’t be surprised if they never marry/get divorced a few years down the road, but I hope this could be some stability in a life where she clearly hasn’t had a lot. She is a very talented person and I hope she goes far, she just needs the right people around her.
A person’s make-up doesn’t have anything to do with mental health or how she, he, or they will turn out though.
Lots of teens experiment with makeup. You should see my burgundy lipstick high school pics.
I’m rooting for them. MBB is one of the brightest talents of her generation of actors — if she doesn’t fall prey to drugs, alcohol, insecurity, depression, or a taste for truly horrible partners, she has the chops to be an outstanding lead and character actress for life. I really really hope this alliance sets her up for success in her life, keeps her away from the whirlpools of bad influence, and gives her a strong, solid foundation for her sense of self and her life out of the spotlight. Her fiancé is one of the few nepo babies who actually turned out as handsome as his famous parent, and Jon Bon Jovi and his wife seem immensely successful as mates and parents, so in many ways this looks like a very positive choice for MBB.
The thing is, growing up very fast and being financially responsible for your family does not automatically translate to being emotionally mature and mature within the context of a relationship.
Yes and many former child actors have demonstrated this to be true.
The Bon Jovi family seems more stable and less predatory which is definitely a selling feature. Let’s hope they can help her escape the clutches of her own family, who have failed to be the adults she needed for a very long time.
I think she wants a way out of her demanding (possibly horrible) family who has been living off her for ten years or more. Maybe she found an ally to help her do that. If that’s the case, I hope she does get away from her family. Reminds me of Britney’s case and how her family put a strangle hold on her until she was 40 years old (and stole much of her fortune). Not saying Bobby Milly’s family is as bad as this, but I don’t like the sound of this young girl supporting her entire family. It just sounds wrong. I think Zendaya is in the same situation. When is the point when your family can find its wings and fly away into financial independence? Because they are reversing the natural order of things, where the parents help the kid until the kid is ready to have her own life.
Neither one of them looks good with that bleached yellow hair.
Just saying.
Is the Son of Bon Jovi educated at all? Schooling? Or is he equal to The Beckham kid?
Rich, nepo boy forever?
Best wishes to both. Fingers crossed she has a solid prenup.
I get they are young but they are rich/famous. They don’t need to work towards the common goals us common folk need to work toward: school, job, marriage, mortgage etc. They can marry with a good prenup so if either party wants a divorce they won’t be financially ruined it’s just an emotional investment. That’s why I don’t balk at the idea of wealthy or rich celebs marrying early. If us common folk had that same type of security and safety net and bank account many of us would also marry young bc what do you have to lose?
If her family has been terrible to her, used her as the breadwinner from a young age, etc. I can see that she might want to be Married and done with them interfering in her life.
At 19 she is legally an adult. I hope she gets her finances/prenup locked down cold.
Jake has grown up with a world wide Rock Star as a Dad, he probably knows a ton about how the rich/celeb biz works. He will also have his finances locked down cold.
I hope MBB breaks the child star unhappiness that comes to so many.
I wish them both happiness, no matter their ages.
My nephew and his wife were married 1 week after they both graduated college.
24 years later still happily married, 3 kids.
Just like Nicola and Brooklyn, I’m also wishing Millie and Jake the best . I grew up listening to Bon Jovi since middle school and I love JBJ. The fact that he married his high school sweetheart , and even after fame and all that rock and roll they are still together. He’s very family oriented and has raised his children well. They remind me of the Jonas Brothers . I love love that family also, their parents married at 18 and they raised their boys to be respectful- even now all 3 brothers are just so lovely being family oriented just like their own parents. It’s refreshing to hear celebrities having a family with a strong foundation.
Jake comes from a solid loving family with stable parents who will be together till death. He is loved and nurtured.
Millie is probably getting the same treatment from Jon and his wife. Jon’s wife seems like she would take one look at this girl and take her under her wing and Mother her. I know I would.
Millie has a boy who loves her. A new family that accepts and loves her without expecting her to give them something. This is probably the happiest and safest she has even been in her life.
I wish them a long and happy marriage. I hope her parents become a distant memory.
I married young. Twenty-nine years this Thursday.
A bit young to get engaged in this day and age, even if she was a child actor. At least the guy is close in age, and not some creepy old guy, so that’s a plus. Most likely will break it off before marriage or will divorce within a few years.
It is young, but nothing says they’re going to get married tomorrow? Maybe they’ll enjoy a long engagement.