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Teenage star Noah Schnapp came out in a TikTok video shared on Thursday, January 5, 2023, with the message:
"When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years all they said was 'we know.'"
Schnapp is best known for playing the character of Will Byers on the Netflix sci-fi horror series Stranger Things. In the video, the actor wrote that he is more similar to Will than he had previously thought.
It was widely speculated by fans that Will's character was gay and harbored feelings for his best friend Mike. This theory was confirmed subtextually in the most recent season and in separate interviews by the actor and creators, the Duffer Brothers, in July 2022.
As soon as the news hit social media, netizens immediately took to Twitter to express their surprise as well as delight, with the hashtags #NoahSchnappCameOut and #NoahSchnapp soon trending. One user @llandrykonan commented:
"Was not on my 2023 bingo card but what a win": Netizens tweet in support of Noah Schnapp
Twitterati was thrilled about Noah Schnapp's TikTok and they congratulated the actor for the same. Many commended Noah for "feeling comfortable enough to share" the news with everyone and were happy that he could share the news "on his own terms."
Others brought up the 18-year-old actor's love for Will Byers and expressed their pride at Noah playing a gay character and being able to bring out the nuances needed for the role. Some felt hopeful for the future to see someone on the "biggest TV show" being able to come out.
A Twitter user, @airsadie, called him "iconic," stating:
Here are some more comments seen on Twitter reacting to the news:
However, a few comments brought up a poor running gag within the fandom that Noah Schnapp's Stranger Things co-star, Millie Bobby Brown, is homophobic. But these users were soon criticized, stating "the joke was never funny."
Here are some comments criticizing the users:
What did Noah say about Will Byers?
Following the release of the penultimate two episodes of Stranger Things season 4, Schnapp, in an interview with Variety, confirmed that Will's character is gay and in love with his best friend, Mike, played by Finn Wolfhard. He stated:
"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."
Will's sexuality has been questioned by fans since season 1 but Noah as well as the creators deflected from giving a straight answer. Following the release of part one of season 4 and prior to his interview with Variety, the actor stated that it was open to the audience's interpretation.
Noah asserted that he did not want to spoil the reveal for the final two episodes.
The creators and Netflix announced that Stranger Things would conclude after season 5, which would focus on Will Byers. However, it is yet to start production.
