The 21-year-old actor, best known for playing Will Byers in the hit Netflix series, shared a photo to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday showing himself cuddled up with a mystery man. The image, taken from behind, captured the pair standing on a rooftop and looking out over a city skyline. Schnapp added a simple caption over the picture that read, “One month of us,” followed by a red heart emoji.
He has not revealed his boyfriend’s identity, but the relationship update comes a little more than three years after Schnapp publicly came out in January 2023. At the time, he posted a TikTok video joking that when he finally told friends and family he was gay after years of fear, their response was simply, “We know.” He also quipped that he was “more similar to Will Byers than I thought.”
Back in 2022, Schnapp had already confirmed that his Stranger Things character was gay and had feelings for his best friend, Mike Wheeler. He explained that the storyline had been subtly hinted at early on before becoming more explicit as the character grew older, calling the progression thoughtful and well-handled.
In the show’s fifth and final season, released last year, Will officially came out in an emotional scene. Some viewers criticized the moment as unnecessary, but Schnapp defended it, saying the script felt authentic and natural. He shared that preparing for the scene was personal, as he revisited messages and memories from his own coming-out experience to help him connect emotionally.
Schnapp has also spoken about the support he received from his castmates, including Millie Bobby Brown, whom he told during a FaceTime call. He credited playing Will with helping him accept his own identity, saying the role accelerated his journey toward self-acceptance and that he might still be closeted if he hadn’t portrayed the character.
Having been part of Stranger Things since its 2016 debut, Schnapp admitted the series’ ending was emotional for him. He described the final day on set as surreal and said saying goodbye felt difficult, as the show had been a major part of his life and identity for years.
