Noah Schnapp Sexuality & Relationship: Complete Q&A (2024)

When Noah Schnapp tapped out a casual TikTok in January 2023, he didn’t just share a personal update—he rewrote the public script around his identity. The 20-year-old Stranger Things star used the platform to tell the world he’s gay, a moment that echoed far beyond his 26 million Instagram followers.

Age: 20 (born October 3, 2004) ·
Known for: Will Byers in Stranger Things ·
Instagram followers: 26 million ·
Coming out date: January 2023 ·
Sexuality: Gay (publicly confirmed)

Eight facts about Noah Schnapp, one pattern: the line between his on-screen role and real life keeps blurring.

This table lays out the baseline biographical facts.

The implication: Schnapp’s biography is well-documented, but the most significant personal detail—his sexuality—only became public in 2023.

Is Noah Schnapp LGBTQ?

Noah Schnapp’s public coming out statement

• On January 5, 2023, Schnapp posted a TikTok video captioned with a simple rainbow emoji. In it he held up a sign that read, “When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years, they all literally just said ‘we know.'” (YouTube interview)
• The post included the line “I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought,” a direct reference to his Stranger Things character. (People)

What Noah Schnapp said about his sexuality

• In an interview with Variety, Schnapp explained that playing Will Byers helped him accept his own sexuality: “Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself.”
• He said he would be in a “completely different place” if he hadn’t had Will to use as part of his self-acceptance process. (Variety)

The implication: Schnapp’s coming out wasn’t a spontaneous TikTok moment; it was the culmination of years of fan speculation, media pressure, and finally, a role that gave him permission to be honest.

Is Noah Schnapp in a relationship?

Noah Schnapp’s relationship status in 2024

• Schnapp has been in a relationship since at least 2023. He publicly introduced his boyfriend on social media, though he has kept many details private. (Instagram)

Who is Noah Schnapp dating?

• As of early 2024, Schnapp’s boyfriend’s name, age, and occupation have not been confirmed by any major editorial outlet. Schnapp has shared couple photos without tagging the person. (Instagram)

The catch: while fans celebrate his openness, the relationship details remain deliberately vague — a boundary Schnapp seems to value.

Did Noah Schnapp ever date a boy?

Noah Schnapp’s past relationships

• Schnapp’s current boyfriend is his first publicly known same-sex relationship. Prior to 2023, Schnapp was not known to have been in a public relationship of any kind. (People)

How Noah Schnapp met his boyfriend

• Schnapp has not disclosed the circumstances of how they met. He has said he wants to keep some aspects of his personal life private. (YouTube)

What this means: the question of his dating history remains mostly unanswered. The only confirmed relationship is the one he’s in now.

Is Will Byers LGBTQ in real life?

The actor vs. the character: Noah Schnapp and Will Byers

• Will Byers, the fictional character played by Schnapp, was confirmed to be gay during Stranger Things Season 4. In a scene, Will tells his brother Jonathan, “I don’t like girls.” (Netflix Tudum)
• Schnapp has said that he initially had mixed feelings about Will’s storyline, but eventually embraced it as part of his own journey. (Variety)

Stranger Things storyline and real-life parallels

• The coincidence of Schnapp coming out as gay months after his character’s reveal has sparked widespread discussion about art imitating life. Schnapp told People that journalists had asked him as young as 12 whether he was gay, tying the speculation directly to his role.
• Netflix Tudum called Will’s coming-out speech “a turning point for the series and for Schnapp’s own understanding of his identity.” (Netflix Tudum)

The pattern: the character’s arc and the actor’s life are so entwined that it’s hard to separate the two in public conversation.

What is Millie Bobby Brown diagnosed with?

Millie Bobby Brown’s hearing condition

• Millie Bobby Brown was born with partial hearing loss in one ear. She has spoken publicly about wearing hearing aids and how it affects her daily life. (IMDb)
• This is unrelated to Noah Schnapp’s sexuality or coming out, but commonly appears in search alongside Schnapp queries.

Why this matters: it shows how search trends often bundle unrelated topics about Stranger Things cast members.

Timeline of Noah Schnapp’s journey

• 2004 — Born in New York City (Wikipedia)
• 2015 — Voices Charlie Brown in The Peanuts Movie (Wikipedia)
• 2016–present — Plays Will Byers in Stranger Things
• June 2022 — First confirms Will Byers is gay in a Variety interview (later cited by IMDb)
• January 2023 — Comes out as gay on TikTok
• 2023 — Introduces boyfriend on social media

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

Quotes from Noah Schnapp

“When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years, they all literally just said ‘we know.'”

— Noah Schnapp, TikTok video (January 2023) via YouTube

“Once I did fully embrace that Will was gay, it was just an exponential speed towards accepting it for myself.”

— Noah Schnapp, interview with Variety (August 2023)

“I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought.”

— Noah Schnapp, caption on coming-out TikTok, as reported by People

For fans wondering about the real person behind Will Byers, his decision to come out provided clarity and sparked widespread support across social media.

Frequently asked questions

For young LGBTQ fans watching Stranger Things, Schnapp’s story offers a rare mirror — one that reflects not just a character’s journey, but a real person’s. Schnapp now faces a clear choice: continue balancing public visibility with guarded privacy, or risk losing the boundary he’s worked to establish.