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Elon Musk says Will Byers' coming out scene in Stranger Things 5 was ‘forced on audiences’; fans defend Netflix show

In an episode of Volume 2 of Stranger Things Season 5, Noah Schnapp's character Will Byers finally comes out to his friends. Elon Musk feels it's ‘unnecessary’

Updated on: Dec 31, 2025, 18:03:05 IST
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Businessman and former Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, Elon Musk, doesn’t seem to be a fan of a pivotal scene from Volume 2, Season 5 of Netflix’s Stranger Things. The scene shows Noah Schnapp’s character, Will Byers, finally coming out to his loved ones as gay in the Duffer Brothers show, but Elon thinks it was ‘unnecessary’ to the plot.

Elon Musk thinks Will Byers coming out as gay was 'forced' in Stranger Things 5. (AP Photo/Netflix)
Elon Musk thinks Will Byers coming out as gay was 'forced' in Stranger Things 5. (AP Photo/Netflix)

Elon Musk reacts to Will’s coming out scene

An X (formerly Twitter) user posted the pivotal scene of Will coming out to his friends and family, writing, “Stranger Things fans are criticizing a character for coming out as homosexual in the season finale, calling it was completely unnecessary for the plot. The culture is changing.” Elon seemed to agree with the X user, criticising the plot point and writing, “It’s completely unnecessary and forced on audiences who just want to enjoy some basic sci-fi.” This comes after Elon claimed to have cancelled his Netflix subscription in October.

Fans of the show, however, were not having it. Especially, given that Will’s closeted sexuality has been a major plot point of Stranger Things for many seasons now, apart from his abduction by Vecna. “Did you even watch the series? It was a big plot throughout the entire series, not something forced into the last season,” wrote a fan of the series, while another joked, “elon musk is deadass trying to criticize stranger things??? who invited him???”

Another X user wrote, “The coming out scene was necessary, and yeah, it could’ve been handled better, but the second homophobes start trashing it, I’m defending it like it’s the greatest thing ever put on screen.” A fan even commented, “Elon Musk is mad that a storyline was “forced on” the Stranger Things audience. All storylines are forced onto audiences. What was the problem with this storyline? A character coming out as gay. Bro is losing it. Being mad about fictional characters coming out.”

Noah Schnapp on Will Byers’ coming out scene

Despite the mixed response to the scene, Noah Schnapp, who plays Will on Stranger Things, told THR that he cried after reading the scene, as it was perfect. “They sent out the scripts mid-summer, and I read it alone and just cried and, oh my god, I was like, It’s perfect,” he said.

He also spoke of his own experience of coming out, adding, “I reread a lot of coming-out texts that I had sent when I was going through it myself, and scrolled in my camera roll, looking through pictures at that time of my life when I was coming to terms with that. But trying to stay in it was hard, and it was the middle of the night too, so it was exhausting.”

The final episode of Stranger Things will be available to stream on Netflix on December 31 in the US and on January 1 in India.

  • Neeshita Nyayapati
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Neeshita Nyayapati

    Despite having a Master's degree in Journalism and over a decade of experience in print and digital media as a field reporter and sub-editor at organisations such as The Times of India and Reader's Digest, Neeshita Nyayapati remains a movie buff first and a Chief Content Producer second. She fell in love with movies in childhood and believes nothing matches the magic of watching a good film that moves you with a warm tub of popcorn in hand. Her love for writing about cinema follows that. Come Friday, you'll find her at her happy place, the movies, catching the latest rom-com or masala offering, for reviews or otherwise. As for the rest of the week, she's here reporting the juiciest news in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi or bringing out the best of celebs in interviews. While her niche is Telugu cinema, Neeshita likes to dabble in a little bit of everything to stay up to date. From film announcements to scandals and hard news angles, she has explored it all. A good book, a comforting cup of hot chocolate, puppy kisses and a stunning beach view are all she needs to unwind. Her passion for biking and travelling has taken her to various places across the country. She has found peace in everything from the frozen lakes of Gangtok to the coffee plantations of Coorg and the dense forests of Bandipur, to the monasteries of Darjeeling. But no matter where she goes, Neeshita loves coming across inspiring and moving stories.Read More

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