“Why [you] gotta make a lovely friendship [your] headline? [You] guys are weird,” Millie Bobby Brown wrote on her Instagram Stories recently. When screencaps made rounds on Twitter, I first thought that she’s probably talking about a rumored new flame—one of the Stranger Things boys, perhaps. But when I looked into it, she was actually talking about Drake and how media outlets are calling their friendship creepy.
Right then and there, I wished Millie was just talking about one of her young co-stars.
Here’s the situation: The two met in Australia last year when Drake invited Millie to watch his show. Since then, Millie has been open about their close friendship. She told W Magazine in July that they’re fans of each other and they “text all the time.” “He helps me with everything, just like life lessons. He’s amazing. He’s a great human being and we went to dinner afterwards and we had dinner the next day and we met in Sydney.”
During the 70th Emmy Awards, Millie told Access Hollywood that they were texting a few days before the ceremony. “[He] was like ‘I miss you so much,’ and I was like ‘I miss you more.’ He’s great,” she said. She also shared that Drake gives her relationship advice.
Many of Millie’s supporters have stood by the young actress, saying this is just an innocent friendship. There’s no malice in being friends with an older man, so they say. But seeing a 31-year-old man talking to a 14-year-old like that raises a few red flags. Mostly because he’s not a family member who can stick his nose in a teenager’s relationships and give advice on them.
Speaking of red flags, did you know that Drake allegedly “groomed” Hailey Baldwin when she was only 14? Yep, they were rumored to be dating in 2016, when Hailey was around 18 or 19, but sources said they were just good friends. However, Hailey also revealed in an E! News interview that she’s been friends with the rapper for “a long time”—roughly four years at that time—meaning they knew each other when she was 14. Drake was reportedly sweet to her and always giving her gifts throughout this friendship.
Drake was also rumored to be dating 18-year-old model Bella Harris just last month. According to Narcity, they’ve known each other since she was 16.
Let’s see… According to Urban Dictionary, “grooming” is the act of training, preparing, or conditioning someone for a long period of time. Most of the time the intention is to give them “gifts, favors, promises, praise,” and even advice to build trust. This is a common tactic among pedophiles and sexual predators who target younger girls. This term also came up in R. Kelly’s sex cult accusations and the situation between Asia Argento and Jimmy Bennett.
So far, Drake is ticking off all the boxes. Suspicions continue to be high with rumors that he’s really into young women based on his lyrics. Some netizens delivered with copies of said lyrics where he talks about age differences.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Drake comes out singing “Millie, do you love me” as a sign of their strong friendship and bond. Still, I’m going to flip a table if he keeps this up. Just stop with the creepiness and keep a safe distance, buddy.
Art by Marian Hukom
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