The conclusion of Stranger Things was a massive cultural milestone for the streaming era, finally bringing the Hawkins saga to a close with an ambitious three-part release schedule that dominated the 2025 holiday season. Despite the high stakes and nearly a decade of anticipation, the final batch of Stranger Things episodes proved to be the most divisive in the history of the franchise. Critical and audience scores plummeted to series lows, with specific chapters like “The Bridge” facing heavy criticism for their pacing and narrative choices. The dissatisfaction among the core fanbase even birthed a widespread conspiracy theory known as “Conformity Gate,” where desperate viewers argued that the official finale was a mental illusion created by Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and that a secret ninth episode would eventually be released to provide a “real” ending. While the Duffer Brothers and Netflix have officially debunked these theories, the atmosphere surrounding the brand remains highly combustible, and a recent Saturday Night Live sketch just made things worse.
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In a sketch that aired during the January 17 broadcast, SNL presented a reel of hypothetical Stranger Things spinoffs meant to mock Netflix’s reported desire to milk the franchise long after its primary conclusion. One of the most prominent segments in the reel was a parody titled Mike in Manhattan, a Sex and the City riff that followed an adult Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) pursuing a writing career in New York City. The sketch featured actual series regulars Dustin Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin as they joined Mike for a brunch sequence to discuss their adult lives and sexual escapades. The absence of Noah Schnapp was explained because the actor would still be trapped in Will’s major coming-out scene from Stranger Things Season 5.
Why Are Stranger Things Fans Angry at SNL‘s Will Joke?
“I’m gay-ning the courage to tell you the truth, and the truth is I’m gay-zing at all of your faces,” a fictionalized version of Will stated in the sketch, utilizing a series of awkward puns to prolong the moment. While Saturday Night Live is famous for its irreverent takes on pop culture, the decision to target this specific character arc has caused a massive rift among viewers who believe the joke crossed a line into insensitivity. Many fans argue that the coming out of Will Byers was the hard-earned culmination of five seasons of trauma and internal struggle, making it an inappropriate subject for a punchline. The backlash has spread rapidly across social media platforms, where the “gay-ning courage” wordplay is being cited as a prime example of tone-deaf humor that trivializes a significant moment of LGBTQ+ representation in modern television.
Given that Will is portrayed as a teenage boy in the 1980s attempting to navigate his sexuality during a period of intense social hostility, fans maintain that an emotionally heavy coming out was narratively necessary. By framing this slow-burning development as a tedious narrative flaw, the comedy show is being accused of fostering a homophobic joke that mocks the difficulty of the queer experience rather than the writing of the show itself. The outcry is particularly intense because the scene in the original series was a pivotal milestone for many young viewers who saw their own struggles reflected in the character’s journey to self-discovery.
Furthermore, the physical absence of Schnapp from the reunion has added further discomfort. While the other three core members of Stranger Things appeared on the SNL sketch to celebrate their transition from child stars to adult actors, Will was portrayed by Jeremy Culhane. This decision effectively isolated the character’s most vulnerable storyline for ridicule while the other male leads were allowed to participate in a more typical, celebratory parody of their fame.
On the other side of the debate, some viewers argue that the backlash is an overreaction to standard late-night satire. These defenders suggest that the sketch was actually a pointed critique of the Duffer Brothers’ repetitive writing habits and Stranger Things‘ tendency to drag out emotional beats for dramatic effect. From this perspective, the “never-ending” nature of Will’s coming-out scene was the target, rather than the sexuality of the character. Regardless of the intent, the polarized reaction confirms that Stranger Things remains as volatile as ever.
Stranger Things Season 5 is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Do you think the SNL parody was a harmless critique of the Stranger Things writing, or was the Will joke in poor taste? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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