Is Millie Bobby Brown Homophobic? Stranger Things Star Never Funded 'Cure' for LGBTQ

A bizarre claim that Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown donated $1 million to the LGBTQ+ community 'to find a cure' has gone viral and, unsurprisingly, it's entirely false. The post originated from @DropPopNet, a parody account on X (formerly Twitter) known for fabricating celebrity 'news' for humour.

Despite the account's clear disclaimer that its posts are satirical, the tweet racked up over 100,000 likes, sending the actress' name into an old, uncomfortable internet narrative.

By the time fact-checkers stepped in, the damage was done. The hoax revived years-old memes falsely portraying Brown as homophobic, a recurring online joke that has followed the actress since her early teens. And while few believe the latest claim, it's a reminder of how the internet's sense of irony can still harm real people.

The Meme That Refuses to Die

The 'Millie Bobby Brown is homophobic' meme first emerged in 2018, when trolls began editing fake quotes onto screenshots of her Snapchat stories. These posts, often containing anti-LBGTQ+ or Islamophobic statements, spread under the #TakeDownMillieBobbyBrown.

What began as a niche joke soon spiralled into viral cruelty. At the time, Brown, then just 14, deleted her X account, with fans speculating the relentless trolling was the reason.

Although many LGBTQ+ users participated in the meme as an act of irony or reclamation, others criticised it for targeting a teenager and normalising false accusations of bigotry.

Why Brown Left TikTok and X

Brown has largely stayed away from X since 2018, explaining in a 2022 interview with Allure that she left several platforms because of online hate and invasive commentary about her private life.

Her decision came after TikToker Hunter Ecimovic, then 20, made explicit comments during a livestream about their past relationship, which began when Brown was 16. She described the experience as leaving her feeling 'out of control and powerless.'

It's not the only time she's spoken out against cruelty online. When accepting the MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Performance in a Show in 2018, Brown told the audience, 'If you don't have anything nice to say, just don't say it. There should be no space in this world for bullying, and I'm not going to tolerate it, and neither should any of you.'

The Stranger Things actress was appaluded for her speech by her peers and many young watchers around the world.

Since 2018, she's also served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, advocating for children's education and protection against violence and poverty, hardly the record of someone peddling hate.

The Internet's Obsession with Irony

The latest 'donation' hoax shows how even transparent satire can spiral out of control once it enters algorithmic chaos.

Media researchers often describe this cycle as the Streisand effect; attempts to debunk or ignore misinformation can sometimes amplify it. In Brown's case, her silence has only added to the mystery, though her team has not issued any comment on the viral claim, and many fans believe that at this point she couldn't care less.

Hence, there is no evidence whatsoever that Millie Bobby Brown made any donation related to 'curing' LGBTQ+ people, nor has she ever expressed homophobic views. The post originated from a satirical source, and both the claim and the quote are fabricated.