Okay, let’s be clear: I don’t wish I had gotten engaged at 19, as Millie Bobby Brown recently said about her fiancé Jake Bongiovi, but that’s mainly because my pool of suitors at the time was largely limited to those who hadn’t paired off at the frat party and weren’t actively giving out “I will murder you, and there will eventually become the subject of an exciting campus documentary. Nevertheless, based on their incredibly sweet engagement Instagram, Brown and Bongiovi seem to have found young love, which is real.
Brown captioned the photo, “I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, I want ’em all,” which made me think that (1) she is a fan of Taylor Swift and (2) she has been dating her partner since she was 16—which, I have to admit, is pretty cute. Sure, it’s simple to scoff at young people in love (trust me, I do it frequently on the tube), but there’s also something charming about marrying your high school sweetheart, particularly if you’re like Brown, a well-known actress who has squeezed a lot of life into your barely two decades on Earth.
We were friends for a while before, well, I don’t know, Brown recalled when she revealed to Wired last year that she had met Bongiovi on Instagram. If Emma Chamberlain and her boyfriend Tucker Pillsbury, who first texted before meeting in person, are any indication of how the young Hollywood set is meeting each other today, then this is the case. It must be simpler to get to know someone over social media or text than in the Jimmy Kimmel Live green room, although no one in young Hollywood asked me that. or the loo of some overpriced West Hollywood restaurant (I’m looking at you, Horses), or anywhere else two celebrities might cross paths in person.
Given that Bongiovi is one of the four children of renowned rock icon Jon Bon Jovi, the subtle nepotism of the Brown-Bongiovi courtship may be my favourite aspect of it all. In my opinion, Bongiovi’s friendship with Brown’s friends—which is mostly evident from this photo of him hanging out with Brown’s Stranger Things co-star Noah Schnapp—and his age (20), which is just one year older than Brown, raises a red flag. As I always say, pick someone who likes the same people you do. You will not be sorry (unless your friends suck, I guess). Mazel tov, you insane kids!
