Screenshot/TikTok – @hunter_echoo
- TikToker Hunter Echo seemingly addressed his rumored relationship with Millie Bobby Brown in a livestream.
- In response to Echo's comments, many accused him of grooming Brown.
- Echo apologized for the stream on TikTok. Brown's team said they plan to "take action" against Echo.
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Millie Bobby Brown's team told TMZ they are "taking action" against TikToker Hunter "Echo" Ecimovic, who seemingly alluded to a rumored relationship between him and the Stranger Things starlet in a controversial Instagram livestream that ignited the internet on Monday.
How the Millie Bobby Brown and Hunter 'Echo' Ecimovic controversy got started
Ecimovic's broadcast came after pictures leaked across social media showing Brown and Ecimovic embracing and kissing, which unleashed rumors that the two had dated. Ecimovic, who has over 1.6 million TikTok followers under the handle @hunter_echoo and is known for making comedy skits, appeared to address the rumored relationship chatter in the now-viral Monday Instagram livestream.
While the livestream is no longer available to watch, many viewers screen-recorded the event and shared parts of it across social media platforms.
In the livestream, Ecimovic, 21, said he "groomed her," seemingly alluding to his rumored relationship with Brown, who was 16-years-old when the two supposedly dated, without mentioning the British actress' name. "Grooming" is a term often used to describe situations where adults build a trusting relationship with a child so they can manipulate and sexually abuse them.
In California, where Newsweek reported Ecimovic resides, the age of consent is 18.
During the stream, Ecimovic also made a series of lewd comments alluding to sexual acts he claimed he performed with the girl when they were supposedly together. He maintained he lived in her house for eight months and that "her mum and dad knew about everything." He also claimed everything he "did was completely legal" and said that he "will never apologize."
He appeared to become more hostile toward his viewers over the course of the livestream, as he began to notice people storming the comment section with antagonistic remarks.
After the livestream, many took to social media to condemn Ecimovich for his comments.
Since the livestream, Ecimovich has disabled his Instagram account.
Ecimovic apologizes for the livestream in a two-minute TikTok
In response to the outcry from detractors, Ecimovic apologized for the livestream in a two-minute video posted to TikTok on Tuesday.
"[The livestream] should have never happened in the first place," Ecimovic said. "I was probably livestreaming for about two to three hours, and in those two to three hours, I was getting more and more drunk."
He claimed he got irritated because viewers who "don't know about anything" were attacking him in the comment section.
"I said stuff that should have never been said," he continued. "I'm not proud at all of how I spoke."
He also claimed that people are "trying to make it ten times worse" by clipping certain parts of the livestream for social media.
"There are already stories that are completely not correct, or never said," he alleged. "It's all being fabricated."
In the video replies, the TikToker backpedaled on his statement about grooming.
"I never groomed her. I never put pressure on her to like me?" He claimed in a comment, which he pinned to the top of the page.
Critics flooded the comment section with messages mocking Ecimovich for being "another man who blames his actions on alcohol."
Evimovich did not respond to a request for comment.
Millie Bobby Brown's team denies Ecimovich's claims and plans to take action
Around the same time on Tuesday, Brown's team told TMZ that Ecimovich's remarks "are not only dishonest, but also are irresponsible, offensive and hateful." The representatives also told the publication they plan to take "action to ensure that he stops this behavior once and for all."
Insider reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department to inquire about whether there are any active investigations or cases against Hunter Ecimovich, but received no response.
Brown, who currently appears to be dating musician Jon Bon Jovi's son, the 19-year-old Jake Bongiovi, has not spoken out about the incident.
Brown's representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
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