Millie Bobby Brown's team is pushing back after TikToker Hunter Echo suggested that he 'groomed' her in a rumored relationship

• TikToker Hunter Ecimovic seemingly addressed relationship rumors about him and Millie Bobby Brown.
• In response to his comments, which came during a livestream, many accused him of grooming Brown.
• Ecimovic apologized on TikTok for the stream. Brown's team said it planned to "take action."

Millie Bobby Brown's team told TMZ it was "taking action" against the TikToker Hunter "Echo" Ecimovic, who appeared to allude on Monday to rumors of a relationship between him and the "Stranger Things" star in a controversial Instagram livestream.

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 led to 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 rumors Monday in the now viral Instagram livestream.

While the livestream is no longer available to watch, many viewers screen-recorded the event and shared parts of it on social-media platforms.

In the livestream, Ecimovic, 21, said he "groomed her," appearing to allude to rumors that he had a relationship with Brown, who was 16 years old at the time in question, without mentioning the British actress' name. "Grooming" is a term often used to describe situations in which 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 comments alluding to sexual acts he said he performed with the girl. He added that he lived in her house for eight months and that "her mum and dad knew about everything." He also said that everything he "did was completely legal" and 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 antagonistic remarks from people in the comment section.

After the livestream, many condemned Ecimovic for his comments on social media.

Since the livestream, Ecimovic has disabled his Instagram account.

Ecimovic apologizes for the livestream in a 2-minute TikTok

In response to the outcry from detractors, Ecimovic apologized on Tuesday for the livestream in a two-minute video on TikTok.

The livestream "should have never happened in the first place," Ecimovic said, adding: "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 said 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 added. "I'm not proud at all of how I spoke."

He also said people were "trying to make it 10 times worse" by making clips of certain parts of the livestream for social media.

"There are already stories that are completely not correct or never said," he said. "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 said in a comment, which he pinned to the top of the page.

Critics flooded the comment section with messages mocking Ecimovic for being "another man who blames his actions on alcohol."

Ecimovic did not respond to a request for comment.

Brown's team denies Ecimovic's claims and plans to take action

About the same time on Tuesday, Brown's team told TMZ that Ecimovic's remarks "are not only dishonest, but also are irresponsible, offensive and hateful." The representatives also told the publication they planned to take "action to ensure that he stops this behavior once and for all."

The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment about whether there were any active investigations or cases against Ecimovic.

Brown, who recently was pictured holding hands with the musician Jon Bon Jovi's 19-year-old son, Jake Bongiovi, has not spoken out about the incident.

Brown's representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

To read more stories like this, check out Insider's digital-culture coverage here.