Comedian Matt Lucas is apologizing to Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown after she publicly called him out for making a rude joke about her appearance.
“I would not have posted it if I had thought it would have upset you but I realize it has and for that I apologize,” the 51-year-old actor posted on his Instagram.
Lucas compared 21-year-old Brown to an obnoxious teen mom—Vicky Pollard—who he played in his early 2000s show Little Britain. The uneducated Pollard was a parody of low-income women from the U.K.‘s projects. Fans recognized Pollard for her trashy, crass attitude, her iconic blonde hair, and her pink Kappa tracksuit. She was so well-known that Kate Moss appeared alongside her in a live stage version for charity Comic Relief.
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Lucas reposted paparazzi photos of Brown wearing a similar outfit and added his character’s infamous catchphrase: “No but yeah but.”
He then shared the post with his 1.1 million followers.
Reporters were also commenting on Brown’s appearance. Daily Mail headlines read, “Why are Gen Zers like Millie Bobby Brown ageing so badly?” and "What HAS Millie Bobby Brown done to her face?" Another was titled: “Little Britain’s Matt Lucas takes savage swipe at Millie Bobby Brown’s new ‘mommy makeover’ look.”
Brown called haters out Monday in an Instagram video. She said the article referencing Lucas was “amplifying an insult rather than questioning why a grown man is mocking a young woman’s appearance.”
Lucas then apologized on Instagram.
“I thought you looked terrific and I was mortified when the press wrote that I ‘slammed’ you, firstly because that’s not my style, and secondly because you’re brilliant,” he said.
He explained that he was simply pointing “out the similarity” and meant no harm.
But Brown wanted to expose “people who are so desperate to tear young women down” in her Instagram video that day.
She said that young girls deserve to grow up without worrying that people will comment on their looks.
“I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can’t seem to grow with me,” she said. “Instead, they act like I’m supposed to stay frozen in time... and because I don’t, I’m now a target.”
Brown added: “I refuse to make myself smaller to fit the unrealistic expectations of people who can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman. I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress , or how I present myself.”
Female celebrities applauded Brown, with Sarah Jessica Parker saying “enormously proud of you” and Sharon Stone adding: “Beautifully said Thx it really doesn’t matter our age or stature, we must be willing to own ourselves fully not fall to the false ideology of tear down media. Good job my friend.”
Brown also went viral in February for correcting a photographer who mistook her husband Jake Bongiovi as her boyfriend. One asked to take a pic of Bongiovi—Jon Bon Jovi’s son—and referred to him as Brown’s boyfriend. She quickly responded “he’s not my boyfriend.”
Brown and Bongiovi got married in May 2024. She captioned her Instagram wedding photos at the time with “forever and always, your wife.”
