Caleb McLaughlin Opens Up About Feeling Racism From ‘Stranger Things’ Fans

Stranger Things has garnered a huge fanbase since its early days in 2016. One of the prominent characters in the series is Lucas, played by Caleb McLaughlin. He has now come out with claims of being racially abused by the fans.

On Sunday, McLaughlin made an appearance at the Heroes Comic Con Belgium convention. From the platform, he spoke about the racism some Stranger Things fans had given him. He noted the toll that the racism took on him as a 14-year-old at the time.

“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.’ 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.”

At the panel, McLaughlin said that he was having a “serious talk.” Due to his skin tone, the fans in question wouldn’t frequently wait in line at events. When he was little, he would question, “Why am I the least favorite?”

Caleb calls out fans saying he still feels the bigotry and racism people direct toward him. Caleb noted that his parents had to tell him, “It’s a sad truth, but it’s because you ‘re the Black child on the show.” Nevertheless, Caleb stressed that he does not allow bigots to obstruct the message he seeks to spread.

“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.”

In the series, McLaughlin, who is now 20 years old, played Lucas Sinclair. They were all between the ages of 10 and 14 when they recorded Season 1. The actor will be back for the fifth and final season following the fourth, which was split into two parts.

Sadly, it is not a recent phenomenon for black actors to have to deal with racist fans. However, it’s encouraging to hear Caleb discuss it honestly and constructively confront the problems.

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