This Stranger Things Actor Was Absent From Cast’s Mini-Reunion

Following the successful conclusion of the globally popular Netflix series Stranger Things, lead actor Finn Wolfhard hosted Saturday Night Live on January 17. During his opening monologue, Wolfhard was joined by his on-screen best friends and fellow Stranger Things actors Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo.

Fans were delighted to see the trio on the episode, but also quick to notice that Noah Schnapp was missing from the action. While Caleb and Gaten made surprise cameos, Schnapp was far away attending Milan Fashion Week. He also missed the SNL afterparty, where other Stranger Things stars were in attendance.

Why Noah Schnapp Missed SNL Episode Twenty-one-year-old Schnapp, who played Will Byers on the hit show, attended the Ralph Lauren Men’s

Fall/Winter 2026 fashion show in Italy on Friday, January 16. This was one day before Finn Wolfhard’s Saturday Night Live episode in New York City, resulting in Schnapp’s absence, People reported. Representatives for Schnapp and SNL did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Stranger Things Cast At SNL Afterparty
Though Schnapp missed the mini-reunion, Wolfhard was joined by other prominent members of the show at the afterparty. Alongside Caleb and Gaten, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and Joe Keery attended the event.

In his monologue, Wolfhard joked about moving beyond “child actor” roles as the cast has grown up. “So … meet the new me. The man me. Because I’m not a kid anymore,” Wolfhard said, before getting interrupted by McLaughlin and Matarazzo as they crashed the stage.

“And neither are we!” McLaughlin said as the trio hugged. “We’re not child stars, we’re former child stars.”

“And anytime you read ‘Former Child Star’ in a headline, it can only mean good things,” joked Matarazzo.

“It’s true,” said Wolfhard. “So thanks to everyone who watched us grow up on the show.”

Noah Schnapp Attends Milan Fashion Week
Schnapp attended the Ralph Lauren front row at Milan Fashion Week on Friday. He joined other celebrities like Colman Domingo and Liam Hemsworth for the show, which featured winter fashion for the 2026 Olympics. Schnapp watched the runway collection, which included layered outerwear, Texan suits and hand-knit ski sweaters, AP reported.

After Stranger Things ended, Noah Schnapp said that he is exploring new roles beyond sci-fi.

“I’m pretty proud of what we have done… I am excited about what’s to come,” the 21-year-old actor said. In Milan, Schnapp wore a navy double-breasted jacket with gold buttons. He also said that he plans to return to Italy with his Canadian-born parents to watch Olympic ice hockey.