'Stranger Things' Caleb McLaughlin on Fan Racism: 'It Definitely Taken a toll on me'
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The outpouring of love for 'Stranger Things' hit an all-time high after season four premiered on Netflix. While fans have rallied around Eddie Munson and even created fan groups dedicated to Vecna - arguably the show's most terrifying and twisted villain - longtime core member Caleb McLaughlin cast, decided to speak about his personal experience with the "Stranger Things" fandom, calling out the racism and bigotry he's faced over the past six years as the show's only black cast member.
"My parents must have said, 'It's a sad truth, but it's because you're the black kid on the show.'"
During Heroes Comic Con in Belgium, held September 24-25, McLaughlin spoke to Netflix viewers about his experience dealing with widespread racism from fans from the age of 14. "When I was younger it definitely affected me a lot because - it's a deep conversation right now - you're like, 'Why am I the least favourite? Least followers? I've been on the same show as everyone since season one,'" he told the crowd. "Some people said to me, 'Oh, I didn't want to stand in line because you were mean to Eleven,' even now some people don't follow me or support me because I'm black."
While McLaughlin pointed out that some fans tried to use Lucas' initial suspicion of Eleven as a reason to dislike his character, other fans on Twitter backed up his statement. One user wrote, "No, because the white characters on this show have done so much worse than being [mean] to a character and having people excuse everything they do 24/7."< /p>
During the Q&A, McLaughlin went on to say that it can be hard to talk about the discrimination he experiences. “Sometimes abroad you will feel the racism,” he said. "You will feel the bigotry, and sometimes it's hard to talk about it and for people to understand." Reflecting on fan interactions, McLaughlin, who has far fewer followers than any of his 'Stranger Things' castmates, said it was his parents who helped him realize his lack of recognition was due to racism. "My parents must have said, 'It's a sad truth, but it's because you're the black kid on the show,'" he told the audience. "I was like, 'Wow, this is crazy. Because I was born with this beautiful chocolate...
Image source:
The outpouring of love for 'Stranger Things' hit an all-time high after season four premiered on Netflix. While fans have rallied around Eddie Munson and even created fan groups dedicated to Vecna - arguably the show's most terrifying and twisted villain - longtime core member Caleb McLaughlin cast, decided to speak about his personal experience with the "Stranger Things" fandom, calling out the racism and bigotry he's faced over the past six years as the show's only black cast member.
"My parents must have said, 'It's a sad truth, but it's because you're the black kid on the show.'"
During Heroes Comic Con in Belgium, held September 24-25, McLaughlin spoke to Netflix viewers about his experience dealing with widespread racism from fans from the age of 14. "When I was younger it definitely affected me a lot because - it's a deep conversation right now - you're like, 'Why am I the least favourite? Least followers? I've been on the same show as everyone since season one,'" he told the crowd. "Some people said to me, 'Oh, I didn't want to stand in line because you were mean to Eleven,' even now some people don't follow me or support me because I'm black."
While McLaughlin pointed out that some fans tried to use Lucas' initial suspicion of Eleven as a reason to dislike his character, other fans on Twitter backed up his statement. One user wrote, "No, because the white characters on this show have done so much worse than being [mean] to a character and having people excuse everything they do 24/7."< /p>
During the Q&A, McLaughlin went on to say that it can be hard to talk about the discrimination he experiences. “Sometimes abroad you will feel the racism,” he said. "You will feel the bigotry, and sometimes it's hard to talk about it and for people to understand." Reflecting on fan interactions, McLaughlin, who has far fewer followers than any of his 'Stranger Things' castmates, said it was his parents who helped him realize his lack of recognition was due to racism. "My parents must have said, 'It's a sad truth, but it's because you're the black kid on the show,'" he told the audience. "I was like, 'Wow, this is crazy. Because I was born with this beautiful chocolate...
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