Will Byers Gay Speculation

About

Will Byers Gay Speculation refers to online theories, memes and discussions speculating that Stranger Things character Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) is gay. Fans have theorized that Will is gay since the first season of the show aired on Netflix in 2016, largely due to his close relationship with Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) and Schnapp's portrayal of the character. Several actors from the show have offered opinions on the theories, suggesting his sexual preference is up to interpretation. In May 2022, shortly after the release of Stranger Things season four, TikTokers began posting clips from the series trying to prove Will is gay as the viral debate saw a resurgence online.

Origin

Stranger Things premiered on Netflix on July 15th, 2016. In the show, the character Will Byers, along with other characters, is shown getting bullied. The bullies use homophobic slurs toward him. Throughout the series, Byers has a strong, caring relationship with his childhood friend and fellow protagonist Mike Wheeler. Later that month, people began discussing if Will was gay based on his depiction in the series.

On July 26th of that year Advocate^[1] writer Daniel Reynolds published an article about the use of the slurs towards the kids in the show, particularly Byers. The article does not suggest Byers is gay but focuses on how the slurs are used against kids who are "outsiders" or "freaks" and how this is still done in the modern day. On July 31st, Twitter^[2] user @rumidizzee posted, "will byers is gay and has a crush on mike wheeler no one can convince me otherwise," gaining over 10 likes and 15 retweets in six years. This is the earliest known tweet making the suggestion.

Spread

On October 17th, 2016, VICE^[3] published an article about a now-deleted Instagram post by Noah Schnapp where he addresses rumors that Will is gay, writing:

"An author called Gary Schmidt came to speak at our school this week and he said that good stories aren't supposed to leave you with answers because then you never question yourself and you forget about it. A good book, or a good show leaves a lot of unanswered questions but makes you think. Which is what you are all doing. For me, Will being gay or not is besides the point. Stranger Things is a show about a bunch of kids who are outsiders and find each other because they have been bullied in some way or are different. Does being sensitive, or a loner, or a teenager who likes photography, or a girl with red hair and big glasses, make you gay? I'm only 12 but I do know we all relate to being different. And that's why I think the Duffers wrote the show the way they did. So you can ask all these questions. I hope the real answer never comes out!"

In Stranger Things season three, episode three, released in July 2019, Will and Mike get in a fight because Will is spending more time with Eleven. The two stand in the rain arguing. Will says, "You're destroying everything and for what? So you can swap spit with some stupid girl?" Mike responds, "El's not stupid. It's not my fault you don't like girls" (shown below). This scene is commonly used as evidence that Will is gay.

On July 23rd, 2019, YouTuber Cxrious posted a video compiling clips that supposedly hint at Will being gay, gaining over 399,000 views in three years (shown below).

2022 Resurgence Stranger Things 4

Leading up to and after the release of Stranger Things season four in May 2022, TikTokers began posting clips and edits of the show suggesting Will is gay. On May 14th, TikToker^[5] @ronancexforever posted an edited clip from the season showing Will walking out of school with a limp wrist set to Cupcakke's song "Lgbt," gaining over 221,000 views in a week (shown below, left). On the same day, TikToker^[6] @spxctorgrant posted a montage edit showing scenes of Will jealous that Mike is with Eleven set to "wish you were gay" by Billie Eilish, gaining over 4 million views in a week (shown below, right).

On May 26th, the Netflix India YouTube^[4] channel posted an interview with Stranger Things cast members Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder, Caleb McLaughlin and David Harbour where they react to fan theories. At the 1:35 mark, they react to a theory suggesting Will steals Eleven from Mike and jokingly hint that Will isn't into Eleven because he's interested in Mike (shown below). The video gained over 1.1 million views in a week. On May 27th, the first half of the fourth season was released on Netflix.

On May 30th, Variety^[7] published an interview with Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp. At one point, they're asked about Will's sexuality, both saying it's up for speculation, Schnapp saying, "I think what's really nice about Will's character is that he's just a human being going through his own personal demons and issues. So many kids out there don't know, and that's OK[…] And that's OK not to label things." On June 2nd, the show's creators, the Duffer brothers, spoke with TVLine,^[8] where they were asked about his sexuality. Matt Duffer suggests it will be revealed in the second part of the season's drop, writing, "I just want people to watch the final two episodes," saying fans will get clarity.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References