What Did Noah Scnhapp Do? The 'Stranger Things' Star Is Under Fire for Take on Israel-Palestine
Updated Jan. 16 2024, 1:06 p.m. ET
Noah Schnapp attends Netflix's Stranger Things ATAS Official Screening at Raleigh Studios Hollywood in May 2022
It’s no secret that Stranger Things is one of Netflix’s most popular shows ever, but just because you star in a hit show doesn’t mean you're shielded from cancel culture and not held accountable for your actions. In 2020, Strangers Things actor Noah Schnapp was previously under fire for allegedly saying the n-word.
In late 2023, he found himself in the hot seat once again after sharing his views on the Israel-Palestine conflict. What did Noah say and why are people upset with him? We unpack it all below.
Noah and his sister Chloe Schnapp at the Dead Sea in Israel in 2019
Noah Schapp released a statement about the Israel-Palestine conflict that did not go over well with followers.
On Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel where over 1,400 people were left for dead and hundreds of civilians, including young children, were taken as hostages.
Noah posted a statement on Instagram a few days after this terror attack, which is the deadliest in Israel’s history. His post began: "As a Jewish American, I am afraid. Afraid for my brothers and sisters in Israel who have been senselessly attacked by Hamas."
He continued to condemn the violence against Israel in his statement and expressed disappointment at the fact that he had received a slew of pro-violence comments from his fans after sharing a post of a young victim.
"I just reposted a beautiful picture of a young innocent girl whose life was taken by Hamas at a music festival,” Noah wrote. He continued: "I was met with comments reading ‘no one cares free Palestine’ and ‘She deserves that, and every Israeli terrorist deserves that – Free Palestine.’ I am outraged by the justification and celebration of the death of a young girls life. Have people lost their minds??? STOP!"
Ultimately, Noah asked his followers to "choose humanity over violence."
The comments were turned off on Noah's post, but his statement was met with criticism as some followers took to other social media platforms to call him out. It was the first line, in particular, where Noah wrote that he was afraid, which people found problematic. These followers claimed that Noah's pretending to care was disingenuous as he was a rich man living in a mansion in Los Angeles and nowhere near the current war zone.
But other fans claimed that Noah's post was being misinterpreted as Noah was only stating that he was afraid for the people in Israel, not himself.
Noah Schapp liked a satire video that many felt mocked Islam and LGBTQ+ people.
On Nov. 6, Israeli actress and writer Noa Tishby shared a satirical video about the Israel-Hamas war. The video featured fake presenters and claimed that "everyone is welcome, LGBTQH." The H was meant to represent Hamas.
In the caption, Noa wrote: "A huge part of our Jewish culture is using humor to deal with trauma. It helps with the pain. Please enjoy these pro-Hamas college students on their journey to normalize a massacre. Sigh."
Many viewers found the video to be Islamophobic and anti-gay.
That said, when Noah, who publicly came out as gay in January 2023, liked the video on Instagram, fans immediately noticed and criticized his interaction with the video. They seemed even more outraged given the fact that he was gay.
Fans were so upset by Noah's action that they started discussing boycotting Stranger Things and Netflix if he isn't fired.
Noah Schapp was criticized in July 2023 for his Instagram posts while visiting Israel.
Before the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October 2023, Noah visited Israel in July 2023 where fans were rubbed the wrong way by some of his Instagram posts. In one photo captioned "happy place," Noah was posed in front of the famous Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
From these vague posts, fans began speculating that Noah may support Islam. Meanwhile, others believed he was anti-Semitic.
Noah was born to Morrocan and Russian Jewish parents, who raised him in the religion, per The Jewish Chronicle.
In 2020, Noah celebrated his bar mitzvah in Israel, which he told the outlet was “really cool”.
Across social media, fans called Noah out for what he posted during his trip.
While some folks argued that Noah was simply learning about his roots in Tel Aviv, others claimed that the beleaguered actor, who currently attends the University of Pennsylvania, knew exactly what message he was sending with all of his posts.
In January of 2024, Noah said that his opinions had been "misconstrued."
On Jan. 16, 2024, Noah took to TikTok in an attempt to add some nuance to his online activities related to the conflict. "I feel like my thoughts and beliefs have been so far misconstrued beyond anything even close to what I believe, and I wanted to just state from my heart how I feel," he said in his video. "I only want peace and safety and security for all innocent people affected by this conflict."
The actor went on to say that he had spoken with friends who had Palestinian background and had "learned a lot" from their interactions. "One of the takeaways that I’ve had is that we all want the same things – for those innocent people still being held hostage in Gaza to be returned to their families, and equally hope to an end to the loss of innocent life in Palestine. So many of those people [are] women and children, and it’s horrible to see," he said.
He then made an appeal for people to be more understanding in online discussions, rather than rushing to judgment. "“I hope for 2024, online, to see people being a little more understanding and compassionate, and recognize that we’re all human, regardless of our race, our ethnicity, of our background, of our country of birth, even 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 for humanity and peace.”