Photo: Instagram
She was only 14 years old when news of their friendship made the rounds.
By Micki Spollen — Written on Jul 13, 2021
Drake and Millie Bobby Brown’s friendship, as sweet and innocent as the relationship may seem on the surface, has raised some eyebrows.
Given the current controversy surrounding the alleged relationship between "Stranger Things" actress Brown, 17, and TikToker Hunter Echo (real name Hunter Ecimovic), 21, the "Hotline Bling" rapper's connection with the underage star feels all the more concerning.
At first glance, it would appear that Canadian rapper Drake, 34, and teenager Millie Bobby Brown have nothing in common other than that they’ve both walked red carpets.
However, their budding friendship became the subject of public scrutiny in 2017, when Brown posted a photo of herself and Drake on Instagram. As people on the internet are wont to do when celebrities hang out together, commenters immediately assumed the two were dating.
So, is Brown and Drake’s friendship cute or just plain creepy?
Here are the awkward details of the debate about Drake and Millie Bobby Brown so you can decide for yourself.
Drake and Millie Bobby Brown first met in 2017.
Brown and Drake first met in 2017 before one of Drake’s shows in Australia. The unlikely duo, who were 13 and 31 at the time, both posted photos of each other from the meet.
“This guy,” Brown captioned hers, complete with heart emoji.
“Bang bang bang, FBI OPEN UP!!” one person wrote in the comments, with another simply saying, “...so weird.”
Drake wrote a simple caption on a share of his own: “Hawkins Very Own.”
At first, fans of the two reveled in their relationship, with some calling it “iconic” and others tweeting that it was “the collab” everyone needs.
Drake is said to be a fan of "Stranger Things."
According to Elle, Drake is a huge "Stranger Things" fan. The rapper reportedly used some of his time at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards to seek out and take photos with a few of the show’s actors.
It seems the feelings are reciprocated, as Brown and "Stranger Things" costar Noah Schnapp posted an Instagram video showing them doing the "In My Feelings" challenge.
Their rendition of the viral dance did not go unnoticed by Drake, who added their clip to his official music video for the song.
Drake and Brown reportedly text each other.
All of this may seem innocent enough. However, at the 2018 Emmy Awards, then 14-year-old Brown revealed that her friendship with Drake goes far beyond silly Instagram posts.
“I love him,” she told Access Hollywood. “We just texted each other the other day and he was like ‘I miss you so much,’ I was like ‘I miss you more!’”
She also revealed that the rapper gives her boy advice.
There is a 17-year age difference between Drake and Millie Bobby Brown.
While it’s totally normal for even the most unexpected celebrities to form friendships, what makes this particular friendship so odd is their age difference.
After Brown’s statement at the Emmys, fans were quick to point out that it seems pretty weird for a 31-year-old to text a 14-year-old that he misses her.
"The whole thing with Millie Bobby Brown and Drake texting is weird. It's weird. Out here in the real world, would you be okay to find out a 31-year-old is regularly texting your 14-year-old daughter/son/brother/sister/etc? It's just not okay,” one fan wrote, while another made a relatable reference to "The Office" to address the situation.
Brown has defended her friendship with Drake.
While Drake has steered clear of the conversation to date, Brown took to Instagram to address their friendship.
“I’m lucky to have people in the business extend their time to help me further my career and offer their wisdom guidance,” Brown wrote in an Instagram story. “It’s nice to have people understand what I do. Now get back to talking about real problems in this world other than my friendships.”
This wasn’t the first (or last) time Drake was connected to teenage or underage girls.
Drake was rumored to be dating Kylie Jenner in 2019, when she was 22 — with some believing their flirtation started when he performed at her Sweet 16 in 2013.
And that same year, Billie Eilish revealed to Vanity Fair that she and Drake had texted each other. Eilish was 17 (about one month shy of her 18th birthday) when she told the outlet, "Drake is like the nicest dude I've ever spoken to. I mean, I've only like, texted him, but he's so nice."
And in August 2018, rumors surfaced that Drake was dating 18-year-old model Bella Harris after she posted an Instagram photo of the two of them hugging.
A source told Us Weekly that the two were not dating.
“There is no way at all they are dating,” the source said. “He’s never dated her, isn’t dating her.”
Harris denied the dating rumors herself in a since-deleted post on Instagram after media outlets reported that the two had been spotted having dinner in Washington D.C.
“Coming off an amazing New York fashion week, I feel I need to set the record straight… I did not dine in DC recently. I was happily working & dining in NYC every day,” Harris wrote in the caption on a selfie.
Oddly, gossip site Crazy Days & Nights purported that it was Drake’s PR team that was “doing everything they can to show him dating someone barely legal.”
It's worth noting Drake has never publicly denied any of the rumors above, with several publications noting his rep couldn't be reached for comment.
Micki Spollen is an editor and entertainment news writer for YourTango. She also runs the travel blog Where In The World Is My Drink.