Noah Schnapp appeared to soft-launch his boyfriend on his Instagram Story with a rooftop photo, only to backtrack a day later and reveal it was an April fools prank.
The Stranger Things actor, 21, shared an image of himself with a mystery man as the pair looked out over a city skyline from behind. Over the photo, Schnapp wrote: “One month of us,” followed by a red heart emoji.
Before he revealed it was a prank, fans had been reacting online, with one saying : “Noah Schnapp really said soft launch complete. ‘One month of us’ oh he’s in LOVE love… we love to see it.” Another said : “This is so wholesome. Wishing you both a beautiful journey together!”
Regardless of whether or not Schnapp is off the market, his post prompted renewed interest in his public coming out in January 2023, when he posted a TikTok video with the caption: “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’.”
He added at the time, referencing his Stranger Things character : “I guess I’m more similar to Will Byers than I thought!”
Will Byers and queer representation
Schnapp has long been linked to conversations about queer representation on mainstream TV through his role as Will Byers.
In 2022, he said Will is gay and in love with Mike Wheeler, describing the storyline as a “slow arc” that became “100% clear” as the character got older, in an interview with Variety .
Will had an emotional coming out seen in the final season of Stranger Things, though “Byler” – the fan-ship name for Will and Mike – never became canon .
Schnapp previously spoke about how portraying Will helped him accept himself, telling Variety in 2023: “Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself.”
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