‘Stranger Things’ Star Caleb McLaughlin Discusses Racism He Faced From Series’ Fans As A Young Actor: It Definitely Took A Toll On Me

Caleb McLaughlin

‘Stranger Things’ Star Caleb McLaughlin Discusses Racism He Faced From Series’ Fans As A Young Actor: It Definitely Took A Toll On Me

Caleb McLaughlin shared what it was like to face racism as a young actor. 

10/26/2017 – Caleb McLaughlin – Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ Season 2 Premiere – Arrivals – Regency Village Theatre – Westwood, CA, USA – Keywords: Orientation: Portrait Face Count: 1 – False – Photo Credit: David Gabber / PRPhotos.com – Contact (1-866-551-7827) – Portrait Face Count: 1

During a recent speaking engagement, Caleb McLaughlin, who plays Lucas Sinclair on “Stranger Things,” admitted to facing racism as a Black actor on Netflix’s hit sci-fi series. Caleb McLaughlin said:

“It definitely took a toll on me as a younger kid.” 

The 20-year-old continued:

“My very first Comic-Con, some people didn’t stand in my line because I was Black. Some people told me, ‘Oh I didn’t want to be in your line because you were mean to Eleven [Millie Bobby Brown’s character].’” 

He added:

“Even now some people don’t follow me or don’t support me because I’m Black. Sometimes overseas you feel the racism, you feel the bigotry. Sometimes it’s hard to talk about and for people to understand, but when I was younger it definitely affected me a lot.”

Caleb McLaughlin

McLaughlin joined the series when he was 14 years old as part of the original cast. He said his younger self would question, “Why am I the least favorite? The least amount of followers? I’m on the same show as everybody from Season 1.”  The New York native shared:

“My parents had to be like, ‘It’s a sad truth, but it’s because you’re the Black child on the show… Because I was born with this beautiful chocolate skin, I’m not loved.”

He added,

“But that’s why with my platform I want to spread positivity and love because I do not give hate back to people who give hate to me.”

here's caleb talking about how he had to deal with racism just because he was "the black kid who was mean to eleven in season 1" and felt like it was important to share his thoughts on that :) #StrangerThings #TUDUM #CalebMcLaughlin @HComicConBE pic.twitter.com/JZoXS9aaBW

— L ? met timothée (@spideychaIamet) September 25, 2022

Netflix’s popular series “Stranger Things,” which has been running for six years, is about a group of young friends who witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits. The pals search for answers as they discover a series of unusual mysteries. 

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