Stranger ThingsstarNoah Schnappis receiving further condemnation from fans after posting an apology video over past comments he made regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. Schnapp, who appears inStranger Thingsas Will Byers, is currently filming the fifth and final season of the hit Netflix series. Amid the controversy, some people are calling for him to be fired from the show, with some even demanding he be “blacklisted” from the entertainment industry.
Schnapp took toTikTokto post the apology video, where he can be seen sitting down in front of a camera to set the record straight.
“I feel like my thoughts and beliefs have been so far misconstrued from anything even close to what I believe, and I wanted to just state from my heart how I feel,” he explains.
He then goes on to say, “I’ve had many open discussions with friends from Palestinian backgrounds…and one of the takeaways I’ve had is that we all hope for the same things.” Check out the full video from Schnapp’s TikTok below:
The controversy started last year when 19-year-old Schnapp, who is Jewish, came under fire on social media after making a post that said, “You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism.” The post, which also said, “As a Jewish American, I am afraid,” was later deleted, but not before theStranger Thingsstar lost almost 500,000 followers because of the statement. He was further condemned for liking an Instagram video that included “pro-Hamas college students.”
The boiling point was reached when another video was seen online that featured Schnapp surrounded by his friends that were holding stickers with the phrases “Zionism is sexy,” and “Hamas is Isis” on them.
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Stranger Things Fans Are Not Reacting Well to Noah Schnapp’s Apology Video
Stranger Things
Inspired by 80s pop-culture and elements of Stephen King’s works, Stranger Things is a supernatural action-drama TV series set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. When a young boy goes missing, his group of friends stumbles upon a young girl with telekinetic powers who recently escaped from a mysterious facility. They soon realize that she may be their only chance at stopping an impending doom that threatens to engulf Hawkins whole.
Despite Schnapp’s apology in the nearly two-minute TikTok video, and his explanation of things,Stranger Thingsfans online continue to drag the young star over the coals, with some utilizing the #FireNoahSchnapp hashtag to get their point across. His critics believe the apology is an attempt to not only save face, but save hisStranger Thingsjob so that he doesn’t get writtenout of the final season. Check out some of the reactions on X to Noah Schnapp’s apology below, but be aware that some feature NSFW language:
However, not everyone is calling for Noah Schnapp to be canceled. As one user on X put it, “It is complicated to give an opinion on these issues.” In addition to support from those online, Schnapp also received words of encouragement from fellowStranger Thingsstar, Brett Gelman, who portrays Murray Bauman on the series. Though he claimed to have not watched Schnapp’s apology video, he did tell TMZ, “I saw nothing wrong with what he originally said.”
As of right now, Noah Schnapp is still employed, and the fifth and final season ofStranger Thingsis moving forward as planned. Currently, the finale seesSchnapp’s character Will Byers take center stage, according to co-creator Ross Duffer. Various outlets have reached out to Netflix for comments regarding the situation, but the streamer has yet to respond.
