Hunter Echo is facing heat for his disgusting comments about Millie Bobby Brown.
The TikTok star (real name Hunter Ecimovic) went viral earlier this week after a controversial Instagram Live in which he addressed his romantic relationship with the actress. At the time of the alleged relationship, Millie was 16 years old, while Hunter was 20. When fans reacted with alarm to their age difference, the livestream added fuel to the flames as he made inappropriate sexual comments about the teen idol.
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On Tuesday, representatives for the 17-year-old Stranger Things star released a statement on the scandal, which read:
“Mr. Ecimovic’s remarks on social media are not only dishonest, but also are irresponsible, offensive and hateful. Instead of engaging in a public discourse with him through the press or on social media, we are taking action to ensure that he stops this behavior once and for all.”
Unclear exactly what actions are being taken, but it sounds like Millie is going to take his ass to court… as he deserves! The legal threat came none too soon, because that same night, the man who said he would “never apologize” took to TikTok to do just that. He shared:
“I wanted to address the livestream incident that happened. It should have never happened in the first place. That was a stupid idea on my part to think it was gonna be okay to just continue to go live as it was getting more and more negative in the comments.”
The now-21-year-old influencer went on:
“I put up a livestream for about two to three hours, and in those two to three hours I was getting more and more drunk. Um, so, after I kept seeing how negative the comments were and hearing or seeing whatever people were saying to me — when they don’t know about anything, like ever — it was getting me more and more irritated like I said, and I just, and the alcohol, so then I became more careless, and I said stuff that should have never been said. But my natural instinct when I see people doing that kind of stuff, or when I see what people are saying, I’m like, okay, let’s make it way worse and let’s antagonize, which is so stupid. But that’s how I decided to handle it.”
The thought process here is red flag after red flag, but at least he acknowledged the colossal amount of bad decision making involved. However, he also became defensive, arguing:
“I’m also seeing a lot of clips all over the Internet of, like, certain parts of it, because people are trying to make it ten times worse. There’s already stories that are completely not correct, were never said. It’s all being fabricated, because that’s what happens, apparently. But like, half of it, you guys are spreading stuff that’s not true. Not at all. And then like, you guys are just taking the information and just running with it. It’s like a little rumor about something, and then it gets spread, and now it’s like, it’s just like true.”
While Hunter didn’t specify which comments are “not true,” he could be referring to any number of crude sexual comments he made about the 17-year-old, or perhaps when he agreed with commenters that “I groomed her.” But even if those were all just nasty jokes, the information wasn’t “fabricated” if it came straight from his mouth.
@hunter_echoo♬ original sound – Hunter_Ech0
He concluded the apology:
“Besides the point, the livestream, I am sorry for. I’m not proud of at all how I spoke, it sounded very immature. It looked horrible on my family, it looked horrible on me, it looked horrible on my friends. I am sorry for doing that livestream. I should have ended it the moment it started getting bad. But I chose not to, I said what I said, and I can’t take that back. I just want you to know that I’m not okay with what I said. I’m not trying to justify it at all. I just want you guys to know that I’m not okay with how I went about stuff. That’s it.”
And yet… Hunter doubled down in the comments about their age difference, writing:
“4 years isn’t a big deal. I never groomed her. I never put pressure on her to like me? So crazy how you guys care about other peoples lives this much. … It was consensual on both parts. Her parents approved of everything. I was living under their roof.”
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Okay, gross. Legal age of consent aside, anyone 20 or older dating a 16-year-old is simply morally wrong. Four years may not be a big deal when you’re an adult, but for a teenager whose body and brain is still developing, that age gap makes a world of a difference.
Unfortunately, young starlets are often put in positions way beyond their maturity — being the breadwinner for their family, being sexualized by their audience, working long hours in “adult” settings, and more. But that only makes kids like Millie more vulnerable and more in need of protection.
Our heart goes out to her for dealing with Hunter’s unacceptable behavior. Whatever happened in their relationship is only compounded by his attempts to embarrass her with his disgusting, inappropriate commentary. Sending her all the love.
[Image via Millie Bobby Brown/Instagram & Hunter Echo/TikTok]
The post Millie Bobby Brown Responds To TikTok Star Hunter Echo’s 'Hateful' & 'Dishonest' Comments About Their Relationship — And He Apologizes appeared first on Perez Hilton.
