Noah Schnapp might have risen to prominence through Stranger Things and the lead role of Will Byers, but the actor is also proving to be a controversy magnet on social media.
Schnapp’s first-ever acting gig was in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, wherein he portrayed Roger Donovan. A year later, he appeared in Stranger Things as one of the main protagonists, and though he was absent for the majority of season 1, Will has turned into a prominent character in his own right as the show progressed.
The American thespian is also part of the younger generation of actors, people who found themselves in just the right set of circumstances to take advantage of social media and cater to their growing fanbase there. Schnapp has a huge presence on both Instagram and TikTok, actively posting for his tens of millions of followers and embracing the latest trends.
Of course, as we’ve learned over the past couple of years, that can be a double-edged sword, and now Schnapp is finding himself facing the unfortunate end for posting a video in support of Israel amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Is the Stranger Things star Jewish?
Schnapp was born in America to a father of Russian Jewish ancestry, and a mother of Morrocan Jewish descent. The actor even held his Bar Mitzvah in Israel, so it’s safe to assume that even if he does not currently practice Judaism, he does acknowledge his Jewish heritage.
A few days after the October 7 attack by Hamas, Schnapp published a lengthy post on Instagram condemning the violence, and calling out activists for their “chilling” silence on the issue. Now, more than a month later, he is once again garnering heat after appearing among a group of Israel supporters in a cafe handing out “Zionism is sexy” stickers.
Folks on social media are now trying to cancel Schnapp for his seeming support of the Netanyahu government’s military actions in Gaza, a response many consider to be brutal and disproportionate. It’s important to note that Jewish people and communities worldwide hold a variety of opinions and stances regarding the ongoing violence in Gaza, the military actions of the Israeli government, and the proper response of the international community, and that it’s incorrect to assume a given person’s outlook based on whether or not they are Jewish.
Nevertheless, given Schnapp’s seeming support for Zionism, which is a political movement that imbues the state of Israel with legitimacy as it currently stands, he’s facing some social media pushback — hopefully on the basis of his political views, and not fueled by antisemitism. “Noah Schnapp is one of the most disgusting celebrities ever,” wrote one user on X, formerly Twitter, while others went so far as to petition Netflix to recast Will Byers for the final Stranger Things season.
But this is social media we’re talking about, so such strong reactions are pretty much to be expected, eh?
