KATSEYE’s Lara Raj responds as she faces backlash for Stranger Things Will comments
Lara Raj has responded to backlash after she called Stranger Things character Will Byers ‘hot’. (Getty/Netflix)
Lara Raj has responded to backlash after she called Stranger Things character Will Byers 'hot'. (Getty/Netflix)
KATSEYE singer Lara Raj has responded to viral backlash after she stated that Noah Schnapp’s Stranger Things character Will Byers “looks hot” in the show’s fifth season.
In a TikTok video posted following the premiere of the first four episodes of Stranger Things season five, the 20-year-old “Gnarly” singer described the show as a “cinematic masterpiece”.
“And Will looks so hot,” she added. “He looks so hot in that last scene – I’m like, period! You’re giving.”
The singer’s comment was met with fierce backlash online due to Will being played by actor Noah Schnapp, who was previously at the centre of controversy for his support of Israel amid the country’s military action in Gaza.
Some fans of the Grammy-nominated musician argued that her comment had nothing to do with Schnapp, only his character, while others suggested that she was essentially saying she found Schnapp, 21, attractive, despite his contentious past statements.
— babo #IDODRTWRK (@Babo4aespa) November 30, 2025
Responding to the uproar, reportedly via her Bubble account, Raj – who came out as queer earlier this year – said that she was “not aware” of the actor’s stance on the Israel-Gaza war.
“Oh hell nah guys I am just a fan of the show! I was not aware about any of the actors backgrounds or stances. I was not sharing support for anything but the show do not get it twisted! Thank you,” she wrote.
Yet some social media users appear unsatisfied with Raj’s response, suggesting that if she is “chronically online” enough to see the backlash her comment received, she should have been aware of controversy surrounding Schnapp.
alright girl https://t.co/dG2dbNlQly
— ✮ (@whateverdatmean) December 1, 2025
but i thought she was chronically online https://t.co/td39fZtbql pic.twitter.com/fTF9Zo27Xe
— teazr ★ 🔻 (@R0BlN1986) December 1, 2025
“No apology no clear Palestinian support just a slick ass ‘don’t get it twisted’ oh she’s not serious,” commented another user on X, formerly Twitter, in a post which has received almost 25,000 ‘likes’.
Others have been firmly in Raj’s corner, with one KATSEYE fan writing on Reddit: “I cannot believe we’ve reached a point where people have to make clarifying public statements because the general public gets up in arms over calling a character hot. Not even the actor, the character.”
In 2023, Schnapp came under fire after being filmed laughing with friends while brandishing stickers that read “Zionism is sexy” and “Hamas is ISIS”.
In early 2024, Schnapp, who is gay, said that his views had been “so far misconstrued from anything even close to what I believe”.
“I only want peace and safety and security for all innocent people affected by this conflict,” Schnapp said in a since-deleted video.
“I’ve had many open discussions with friends from Palestinian background, and I think those are very important conversations to have and I’ve learned a lot,” he added.
Schnapp’s comments have resurfaced following the release of the first four episodes of Stranger Things season five, in which his character Will plays a major part.
The next three episodes will stream on Netflix from 25 December in the US and 26 December in the UK, with the finale streaming on 31 December in the US and 1 January in the UK.
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