“I Guess I’m More Similar to Will Than I Thought,” Noah Schnapp of “Stranger Things” Comes Out as Gay, and His Family Had the Sweetest Reaction

Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp rang in the New Year by publicly revealing his sexuality via TikTok. In his post, he describes how long he has been hiding in the “closet,” and how his loved ones received his special news.

In the series, Schnapp plays the character of Will Byers who is struggling with his sexuality.

Just like Millie Bobby Brown’s character, Eleven, Will Byers has been at the center of the Stranger Things plot. His disappearance in the pilot episode kicked off the series, and his hair-raising moment in the final scene of season 4 reminded us of just how important his presence is to the whole story.

In the latest season, fans also got to see another character arc for Will, as he seemingly struggled with his feelings for his on-screen best friend, Mike. When asked about it, Schnapp initially deflected and said that Will’s sexuality was “up to the audience’s interpretation.”

But in a follow-up interview, he finally confirmed the viewers’ theories. “I mean, it’s pretty clear this season that Will has feelings for Mike. They’ve been intentionally pulling that out over the past few seasons,” he stated.

He previously said that Will was someone many people could relate to.

The scene of Will crying behind the car window has actually turned into a viral meme. But Schnapp got more in-depth with his on-screen persona, describing Will as “this character who loves his best friend but struggles with knowing if he’ll be accepted or not, and feeling like a mistake and like he doesn’t belong.”

He added, “All his friends, they all have girlfriends, and they all fit into their different clubs. Will has never really found anywhere to fit in.” The actor said that fans have come up to him to express why they love Will and how much they resonate with his character.

Schnapp publicly came out through a TikTok video, with a heartwarming allusion to his Stranger Things character.

Schnapp shared that he hid in the “closet” for 18 years. In his recent TikTok video — which quickly gained millions of views — Schnapp posted, “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.’”

In the clip, he was also lip-syncing along with an audio clip that said, “You know what it never was? That serious. It was never that serious. Quite frankly, it will never be that serious,” possibly referring to his family’s unfazed reaction. And in the caption of the post, he wrote, “I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought.”

His fans and followers celebrated and embraced his revelation.

His life update was received positively in the comment section, with Cris Olsen, a popular TikTok personality, saying, “Welcome King.” Another person said he came out for himself and Will, while a number of TikTokers welcomed him to the LGBTQ+ community and expressed how proud they were of him.

Did you find Noah Schnapp’s coming-out story inspiring? Do you have someone close to you who also struggled with their sexuality?