Millie Bobby Brown, who first gained public attention at the age of 12 in the inaugural season of Stranger Things, is now 20 years old and has been in a long-term relationship with her husband, Jake Bongiovi.
On April 11, 2023, the couple teased their engagement through two Instagram posts, which were later confirmed. Just over a year later, they tied the knot in a private ceremony.
The pair were first romantically linked in June 2021 when they were spotted holding hands in New York City.
At that time, both wore masks, and Bongiovi was seen carrying Brown’s poodle, Winnie, in a tote bag. Brown travels with Winnie to help manage her anxiety.
On an episode of Miley Cyrus’s Bright Minded, Brown discussed her struggle with anxiety and panic attacks, stating, “About two years ago, I just started having really bad panic attacks, like, really bad anxiety, and I struggled with it really bad.
And, one day I was just talking, and I was like, ‘Maybe I should get a therapy dog,’ you know, something to comfort me when I am really stressed.’”
Throughout the years, Brown has been associated with various celebrities, including YouTube star and musician Jacob Sartorius and Romeo Beckham, the son of Victoria and David Beckham.
Since their initial connection, Brown and Bongiovi have become increasingly open about their relationship.
Bongiovi, whose full name is Jacob Hurley Bongiovi, is accustomed to the public eye, similar to Brown, as he is one of Jon Bon Jovi’s four children.
Bongiovi was born in May 2002, according to a Facebook fan group dedicated to his father. He is the youngest of four siblings, which include Romeo, Stephanie, and Jesse.
Brown’s best friend in real life is her Stranger Things co-star Noah Schnapp, who accompanied the couple to a Harry Styles concert over the summer.
Schnapp shared images of himself and Bongiovi having fun in the stadium with Styles performing in the background.
In another post, Brown shared a picture of a romantic moment shared with Bongiovi from the concert.
Brown revealed in an interview while promoting Netflix’s Enola Holmes 2 that one of the most frequently Googled questions related to her is, “how did Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi meet?”
She explained, “We met on Instagram, and we were friends for a bit, and then, what can I say?”
They made their red carpet debut together at the EE British Academy Film Awards 2022, held at Royal Albert Hall in March.
Later, in May 2022, Bongiovi was Brown’s date for the premiere of the latest season of Stranger Things. He also accompanied her to the premiere of Enola Holmes 2.
The couple celebrated Thanksgiving 2022 together, with Bongiovi expressing gratitude for Brown.
Later that month, they seemed to be decorating a Christmas tree, posting a video set to “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” while wearing matching Disney pajamas. Their tree featured coordinating ornaments with “M” and “J.”
On December 22, 2022, Brown shared a sweet moment on Instagram, showing herself kissing Bongiovi on the cheek while Taylor Swift’s “Maroon” played in the background. “I chose u!” she wrote as the caption.
In another black-and-white video, Bongiovi sang karaoke to Mulan’s “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” Brown remarked, “Disney songs? Key to my heart.”
Earlier that month, she had posted a photo of the two of them enjoying a sunny day at the beach, embracing in their swimsuits, captioned, “sunny one so true, I love you.”
Bongiovi shared his perspective of the same day, showcasing them walking hand in hand on the beach.
Brown has expressed that Bongiovi is her “partner for life.” To commemorate her year, she posted a collection of photos, reflecting on her “endlessly in love” experiences, which included many moments with her boyfriend.
Among the images was a photo booth strip showing them kissing and another of them embracing in a car, as well as one where he playfully surprised her by grabbing her waist next to a Christmas tree.
In her caption, Brown expressed gratitude for her friends, family, pets, and her “partner for life,” saying, “here’s to another year with you and the wonderful people and animals around us let’s do it again but better!”
Bongiovi commented, “Your year babe love you so much,” along with a red heart emoji.
Bongiovi publicly celebrated Brown’s 19th birthday with a heartfelt Instagram tribute in February 2023, offering a look into their love story.
“Another year around the sun together happy 19th to the girl of my dreams,” he wrote.
“I love you more than words can describe. Everything about you is golden down to the core”. They were also photographed celebrating her birthday on February 19 at a restaurant in Los Angeles.
In late March 2023, the couple was seen at the Chiltern Firehouse in London.
Brown was stylishly attired in white zebra-print bell-bottom pants by Alessandra Rich, paired with a white top and an oversized black quilted jacket.
Bongiovi sported a loose white button-down shirt and lightwash jeans.
On April 11, 2023, Brown and Bongiovi announced their engagement. Both shared photos on Instagram, with Brown wearing a white lace bridal-like dress and displaying a diamond ring on her left hand.
She captioned her post with a Taylor Swift lyric: “I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, I want ’em all” Bongiovi’s post echoed the sentiment with the simple caption, “Forever.” While neither explicitly confirmed their engagement, fans interpreted the posts as such.
Jon Bon Jovi, Bongiovi’s father, commented on their engagement during a conversation with Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM show.
Since he married his high school sweetheart, he is familiar with young couples committing early.
Cohen asked him about his concerns regarding the age at which his son was getting engaged.
Bon Jovi responded, “I don’t know if age matters. You know, if you find the right partner and you grow together, I think that would be my advice really, is growing together is wise.
Growing together, and so I think that all of my kids have found the people that they think they can grow together with, and we like them all.”
In March 2024, Brown appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, revealing dramatic details about her engagement proposal, where she almost lost her ring before she could wear it.
“Jake and I bonded over diving. We love diving, we got our diving licenses together,” Brown shared, mentioning how Bongiovi invited her to an early dive during a trip.
She initially hesitated but agreed to revisit their usual diving spot.
While underwater, Bongiovi handed her a shell that contained the engagement ring. After showing him the underwater “okay” sign, they both understood that they were ready for marriage.
Brown recalled, “He puts the ring on my hand and as I go to show him, the ring falls off my finger, plummets so fast, it was like a cinematic movie.”
Bongiovi dove down to retrieve the ring, despite the diver’s warnings. “Jake threw himself so deep, the diver was like, ‘You can’t do that, like your ears… literally your brain will explode.’”
Brown praised Bongiovi for his quick thinking, stating, “It’s a reflection of who he is, and I feel like we’re always going to have each other’s back, and if anyone drops the ball, we got it.”
On May 7, 2023, Brown shared an Instagram post celebrating Bongiovi’s 21st birthday, providing a look into their relationship.
“This sums us up,” she wrote alongside a series of photos of them holding hands.
“In bliss, going through together. I am eternally holding your hand. happy birthday fiancé. I love you”
In May 2023, the couple held an engagement party, and Brown’s hairstylist, Pete Burkill, posted photos of the pair standing in front of a backdrop adorned with white balloons and a sign reading “Mr & Mrs Bongiovi.”
Brown wore a lace two-piece set by Italian designer Giambattista Valli, while Bongiovi donned an olive green suit for the celebration. “Congrats to this beautiful couple!” Burkill captioned the post.
Like many celebrities, they attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in June 2023.
Fans spotted the couple in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 30, enjoying the concert from the VIP section, dancing and singing along to the music.
Brown was dressed in all-pink attire and had a sparkling pink heart drawn around one eye, reminiscent of the cover art from Swift’s 2019 Lover album.
Throughout summer 2023, they continued to share couple photos.
On August 4, Brown posted a mirror selfie featuring her in a daffodil yellow dress while Bongiovi stood behind her with his arm around her waist. “i stan jake bongiovi,” she wrote in the caption.
The day before, Bongiovi shared an embrace with Brown in a parking lot, which Schnapp humorously commented on, giving him credit for the photo.
Brown provided insight into their engagement and wedding preparations, revealing that Bongiovi proposed with a ring that belonged to her mother, Kelly.
“I’ve always loved that ring, it’s always stuck out to me, so she gave it to Jake,” she said.
“They were in cahoots about the whole proposal. I love that I can always keep a piece of my mum with me.”