Millie Bobby Brown Has Admitted That She Is A “Karen” As She Revealed That She Has A Fake Name To Leave Negative Online Reviews

“My whole life is people criticizing me, so I’m going to give it back to you sometimes,” Millie explained before giving examples of some of her negative reviews.

By
Stephanie Soteriou
by Stephanie Soteriou

BuzzFeed Staff

Millie Bobby Brown was just 11 years old when she was cast as Eleven in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, which premiered in 2016 when she was 12.

Millie Bobby Brown smiling, wearing a patterned dress with a black lace collar, at an event
Noam Galai / WireImage

As a result, Millie has grown up under the glare of the public eye, and it’s fair to say that it hasn’t been the easiest ride.

Millie Bobby Brown in a one-shoulder outfit with a prominent 'LV' belt, posing for the camera
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for Netflix

Despite winning critical acclaim for her acting skills in the show, Millie has also faced brutal scrutiny over the years — with the star being subjected to everything from accusations that she tries to steal the limelight from her castmates, to ridicule over her appearance.


Millie also faced disturbing attention when she turned 18 back in 2022, with NSFW Reddit forums counting down until she was a legal adult. 


She later told the Guilty Feminist podcast that she can "see a difference between the way people act and the way that the press and social media have reacted to me coming of age.”


Millie then added: “It's a very good representation of what’s going on in the world and how young girls are sexualized.”


And in an interview with Allure, Millie opened up about how hard it has been to be subjected to the internet’s opinion of her over the years and revealed that she no longer has social media on her phone as a direct result of the nasty comments. 


Millie also said that she has gone to therapy to handle the way that she is treated online, saying: “It’s really hard to be hated on when you don’t know who you are yet. It’s like, ‘What do they hate about me? 'Cause I don’t know who I am.’"

And all of this has had a pretty unprecedented impact on how Millie navigates her day-to-day life now that she is 20 years old, with the star admitting in a recent podcast appearance that she is a total “Karen.”

Millie Bobby Brown in patterned corset top and jeans posing at 'Damsel' Netflix event
Marleen Moise / WireImage

In case you didn’t know, “Karen” is a colloquial slang term for a woman who excessively complains about things or acts entitled. 


Speaking to the Table Manners podcast hosts Jessie and Lennie Ware, Millie instigated the confession by asking: “Do you leave reviews?”


“No, but do you?” Jessie asked, to which Millie revealed that she is pretty relentless when it comes to giving feedback to establishments, such as shops or hotels. 


“I have a fake name,” Millie added. “Because I think it’s important! Here’s the thing, my whole life is people criticizing me, so I’m going to give it back to you sometimes.”

Happy to give examples, Millie shared: “Once, we were at a hotel and the woman was pulling my fiancé aside, like: ‘We need to settle payment,’ or whatever, and I’m just like: ‘Yeah, we will, but at the end of our stay, like… We’re still staying here.’ And she was like: ‘Yeah, but you could settle it now,’ and I was like: ‘But I don’t want to.’”

Jake Bongiovi and Millie Bobby Brown walking from a car
Mega / GC Images

When asked what the review said, the star proudly recited: “I really think that you should encourage guests to complete transaction of payment at the end of their stay.”


Giving another example, Millie continued: “The other day, I was walking in a store and basically this old lady came up to me and was like: ‘Do you know where the socks are?’ I think she thought I worked there. And I was like: ‘I don’t, but I’m going to help you.’”


“So I went and found an employee,” she went on. “I said: ‘Excuse me, I need this pattern but I need it in this size, can you help me?’ And she was so unhelpful! And I was like, please, this isn’t even for me, so I left a review. I did!”

At this point, Jessie gently asked: “Millie, are you a Karen?” and Millie immediately confessed: “OK, I am a Karen. But, listen, I do think it’s important to know where you went wrong and there’s always room for improvement!”

@tablemannerspodcast

Star of Stranger Things, Enola Holmes, and brand new film Damsel, Millie Bobby Brown joins us this week. We met Millie at a hotel and had a delivery combo of Tom Kerridge food from his restaurant in the hotel, room service and even McDonald’s. Millie told us all the stories of her various farm animals (including Norman the sheep!), living life between London & Atlanta, creating a fake name online to leave reviews when she gets bad service, her fear of eating raw chicken, dreams of being in a musical, and how she has to have brown sauce on everything she eats, including a spag bol & a baked potato! Next time Millie, you’re coming round to mums for a roast dinner with all the trimmings, you’ll love it! Millie’s brand new film Damsel is out now on Netflix. #TableManners #podcast #food #recording #jessieware #lennieware #milliebobbybrown #netflix #karen #damsel #film #actress #reviews

♬ original sound - Table Manners Podcast
TikTok @tablemannerspodcast / Via tiktok.com

And Millie was ultimately praised for her comments, with one person commenting on a TikTok clip of the podcast: “This is refreshing. We don’t get to see celebs being this authentic these days. Good for Millie.”

“She’s so real for this 😂👏” somebody else agreed, while one more pointed out: “That’s NOT a Karen! Being honest about service is fair. It’s when expectations are awful that you become a Karen.”

“I am a review leaver lover,” another wrote. “I am brutally honest but then I will also make sure I’ve added in a positive so they don’t think they are terrible. I do also leave very positive reviews for places I love."

And somebody else concluded: “More people should leave reviews!!! I love reviews!!”