Matt Lucas Apologizes to Millie Bobby Brown After She Calls Out Critics

Millie Bobby Brown has received a public apology from at least one of the names she mentioned in a recent Instagram post calling out “bullying” media outlets that report on her appearance. “The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, it’s disturbing,” she said in her post, which sparked supportive comments from Chris Pratt, Sarah Jessica Parker, F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, and her Stranger Things costar Matthew Modine, among others. “The fact that some of these articles are written by women? Even worse.”

One of the articles she mentioned by name was a Daily Mail write-up that claimed actor Matt Lucas had taken a “savage swipe” at Brown. The British comedian, known for Bridesmaids and Gladiator II, had reshared a photo of Brown on X (formerly Twitter) in which she was wearing a pink jacket and a blonde updo. Lucas wrote, “No but yeah but,” a catchphrase from Vicky Pollard, one of his notable sketch characters on the TV series Little Britain, which ran from 2003–2006.

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After Brown’s social media video, Lucas cleared the air, taking to his own Instagram to say that he was surprised to learn his remarks had been framed in a negative way. “Dear Millie, I just saw your post and wanted to respond, and provide some context,” Lucas began in an Instagram post on Tuesday, March 4. “Nearly 25 years ago I co-wrote and appeared in a sketch show called Little Britain. There was a character in it called Vicky Pollard, who had blonde hair and always wore a pink top, and in the photo you had blonde hair and wore a pink top so I pointed out the similarity by posting one of her catchphrases.”

He continued: “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 I think you’re brilliant. I would not have posted it if I had thought it would have upset you but I realise it has and for that I apologise.”

In her three-minute Instagram video, Brown expressed her discomfort with media outlets writing about how she is aging. “I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can’t seem to grow with me,” Brown, who began playing the role of Stranger Things’ Eleven at age 11, said. “Instead, they act like I’m supposed to stay frozen in time, like I should still look the way I did on Stranger Things season one. And because I don’t, I’m now a target.”

The Vanity Fair cover star concluded her remarks by saying she won’t cower to judgement about how she is growing up. “Disillusioned people can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman on her terms, not theirs,” Brown said. “I refuse to apologize for growing up. 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.”