Credit: NetflixStranger Things star Noah Schnapp has finally made a public statement on being canceled after his comments on the Israel-Palestine conflict went viral on social media, saying that he was “misconstrued” and pleading for people to be “a little more understanding.”
Noah Schnapp posted a video to his TikTok account several hours ago attempting to explain the situation and, unsurprisingly, it has swiftly gone viral, hitting nearly 1.5 million views almost immediately. In the video, the Stranger Things star spoke extensively about how he felt that his “thoughts and opinions” had been misunderstood and said that he “had many open discussions with friends from Palestine standing in background.”
In the fall of 2023, the Stranger Things star experienced a huge social media backlash when he posted a statement to his Instagram in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. The post has since been deleted, but read:
“As a Jewish American, I am afraid. Afraid for my brothers and sisters in Israel, who have been senselessly attacked by Hamas. I am truly heartbroken to see the brutal murders of innocent children, women and soldiers fighting to defend themselves. I, like others, want peace for both Palestinians and Israelis. Let’s stop the rhetoric and choosing sides. Instead we must recognize that we are all on the side of the fight against terrorism. Choose humanity over violence.”
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Many people online did not respond well to this, which was further heightened by allegations that Noah Schnapp had liked a social media post mocking Palestinian victims in Gaza and then by a resurfaced video in which the Stranger Things actor was seen with “Zionism is Sexy” stickers.
Since then, Schapp has kept a relatively low profile, even as Netflix subscribers threatened a boycott of both the streaming platform and the massively popular Stranger Things series. This new video takes a conciliatory and diplomatic to both the Israel-Palestine conflict and his own canceled status. See the whole video here:
@noahschnapp ❤️
Noah Schnapp’s statement reads:
“I feel like my thoughts and beliefs have been so far misconstrued from anything even close to what I believe and I wanted to just state from my heart how I feel. I only want peace and safety and security for all innocent people affected by this conflict. I’ve had many open discussions with friends from Palestine standing in background, and I think those are very important conversations to have and I’ve learned a lot.”
“One of the takeaways I’ve had is that we all hope for the same things, that being those innocent people still being held hostage in Gaza to be returned to their families and equally hope for an end to the loss of innocent life in Palestine — so many of those people being women and children, and it’s horrible to see.”
“I think anyone with any ounce of humanity would hope for an end to the hostility on both sides. I stand against any killing of any innocent people and I hope you guys all do, too. And I just hope to one day see those two groups be able to live harmoniously together in that region.”
“And I hope for 2024 online to see people be a little more understanding and compassionate and recognize that we’re all human, regardless of our race, of our ethnicity, of our background, of our country of birth, of our sexuality, of anything. We are all human and we’re all the same and we should all love each other for that and support each other and stand together. And stand together for humanity and for peace.”
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The Israel-Palestine conflict is a hugely controversial topic in and out of Hollywood, and many more people and organizations than just Noah Schnapp have faced cancelation over public comments. However, as one of the original cast members of Stranger Things, one of the most popular shows in the world, Schnapp has been a particularly notable example. It can be theorized that Schnapp’s video is likely an attempt at damage control, particularly as Netflix ramps up production on the long-awaited final season of the series. We’ll just have to see whether fans accept his pleas or not.
Stranger Things season 5 will co-star, Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and Joe Keery, along with Noah Schnapp it does not yet have a release date.
What do you think of Noah Schnapp’s video statement? Let us know in the comments below!