On Jan. 5, 2023, Noah came out as gay via TikTok. In the video, the actor wrote, “When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said we ‘we know.’” Playing in the background was the viral audio “It was never that serious.” But the best part? Noah's caption.

“I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought,” he wrote, referring to his Stranger Things character.

During Vol. 2 of the season, Will gives Mike a painting of their friend group — where he is the leader — and offers a heartfelt speech about how Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) needs him more than ever. However, it seems Will is talking about himself when he becomes emotional, and his brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) nervously glances at him through the rearview mirror.

“When you’re different, sometimes you feel like a mistake,” he says. “But you make her feel like she’s not a mistake at all — like she’s better for being different.”

Even though it's never directly stated that Will Byers is gay, Noah confirmed the theory during an interview with Variety in July 2022. "Now that he’s gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing,” Noah said of Season 4. “Now it’s 100 percent clear that he is gay, and he does love Mike.”

The response to Noah’s coming out video could not have been any more heartfelt. Thousands of fans, celebrities, and influencers offered their support, sharing kind and encouraging words. (Even the Empire State Building got in on the action!) Popular TikToker Chris Olsen was one of the first to comment. “Welcome king,” the openly gay influencer wrote.

Like Noah said — or Noah’s audio said — coming out should not be “that serious.” However, this announcement was incredibly exciting, and we couldn’t be happier for him. Congrats, Noah!