Actor Noah Schnapp Confesses He Is Gay
Noah Schnapp has come out as gay, noting that his character in Stranger Things helped him make the confession.
Schnapp discussed how having his Stranger Things character, Will Byers allowed him come to terms with his sexuality and eventually inspired him to do the same.
“Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself,” said Schnapp, 18. “I would be in a completely different place if I didn’t have Will to portray, and to help me accept myself.”
The TBH founder then admitted: “I think if I never played that character, I probably would still be closeted.” Although Schnapp was first reluctant to confront his sexuality and address it with the public, the fact that his character was openly gay caused him to change his mind.
“It kind of blew up in the press, and everyone was like, ‘Oh, Will’s gay! Hooray!'” he recalled. “I saw all these comments on Instagram and TikTok. There was not one bad thing about him being gay. I was like, ‘If he has all this support, then why should I worry about anything?'”
In January, Schnapp came out as gay in a TikTok video featuring the caption, “I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought.” At the time, he also lip-synced to an audio clip that said, “You know what it never was? That serious. It was never that serious. Quite frankly, will never be that serious.”
Over the video, the Peanuts Movie star wrote: “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'”
Of that moment, Schnapp — who has since received love and support from his family, costars and fans — told Variety that he “would not want to have done it any other way.”
Schnapp was born in Scarsdale, New York, and was born in New York City to Mitchell and Karine Schnapp He was born in Israel and got his Bar Mitzvah there. He is Jewish.He has a sister who is a twin.[8] He is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. His mother is Moroccan Jewish and his father is of Russian Jewish ancestry.
After seeing the Broadway performance of Annie when he was around five years old, Schnapp developed an interest in acting. He took on performing roles in plays at his school and in the neighborhood. When he was 8 years old, his acting coach advised him to try his hand at a professional career.
Schnapp’s parents enrolled him in the Westchester Star Kidz acting program under the direction of instructor Alyson Isbrandtsen, who immediately suggested that he pursue employment prospects with MKS&D Talent Management. Schnapp studies entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. His graduation is expected in 2026.
