‘Stranger Things’ Star Comes out as Gay on Social Media

Noah Schnapp, a Stranger Things star, revealed he is gay on social media on Thursday afternoon. In a TikTok clip from Jan. 5, the 18-year-old actor wrote over the video. “When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was, ‘we know.’” The video shows him mouthing the words of a woman, saying, “You know it never was that serious, it was never that serious, quite frankly, we will never be that serious.” In July, Noah confirmed that Will Byers, the character he portrays on Stranger Things, is gay and in love with his best friend, Mike Wheeler, admitting that he previously avoided spoilers by steering clear of discussions on the subject. The actor recently shared his experiences growing up alongside his onscreen persona and the significance of his sexuality’s “slow arc” in an interview. 

Speaking to Variety, the young star said, “Obviously, it was hinted at in Season 1. It was always kind of there, but you never really knew, is it just him growing up slower than his friends? Now that he’s gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing. “Now it’s 100% clear that he is gay, and he does love Mike. But before, it was a slow arc.”In addition, Noah said that not having Will “all of the sudden be gay” was done “beautifully.” He added that viewers impacted by his character’s past should see the pacing as necessary. “They are writing this real character and this real journey and real struggle, and they’re doing it so well,” he said. According to Noah, confirming Will’s journey with discovering his sexuality would have been a spoiler. 

“I think it has been tricky. Years ago in Season 1, I didn’t know where the Duffers wanted to go with this character. So I was kind of figuring it out along with the audience,” he said. “But now that I’ve spoken to them and seen the show, I know what they want to do with it.’ Because the role he plays is affected by so many different factors, Noah said Will’s ‘multifaceted trauma’ has been challenging for him as an actor. He told Variety: “…I really have to take into account, like, this isn’t just a single layer thing of he’s struggling with coming out…he was taken by the Demogorgon and then his friends, they never acknowledged him, and now he’s scared to come out and doesn’t know if they’ll accept him.”