KATSEYE member Lara Raj is renowned for her extraordinary talent, for singing better than everyone else, and for her appearance, as if she stepped right off the catwalk, right onto the stage. This week, however, the web was more concerned with her views.
At the age of 20, she was the leading singer in the band, which joined TikTok with the purpose of participating in a harmless fan interaction as part of their Beautiful Chaos Tour.
During their chat, Lara praised Season Five of Stranger Things, referring to it as a “cinematic masterpiece.” Oh, that was nice. That’s fair. But then she said something that led to a huge internet beef:
“Will looks so hot, like he looked so hot in that last scene. I’m like period, you’re giving.”
But that was enough. The internet smelled blood.
Lara’s Words that Set Social Media on Fire
And within hours, snippets of her live were being dragged, zoomed, stitched, duetted, and shared all over X. A single repost saw more than 16 million views.
What’s with the anger so soon?
This is because Will Byers is played by Noah Schnapp, who is one of the most widely talked-about young actors on the internet because of his support for Israel within the Gaza Conflict of October 2023.
They were not subtle.
People branded Lara a hypocrite. They analyzed whom she follows. They realized she’s been supporting Palestinians. They exclaimed, “Performative activism!” They shared receipts. They posted screenshots. They penned all-capital-letter opinion pieces.
Praising Will Byers was like praising Noah Schnapp, as far as they were concerned. Praising Noah Schnapp, as they saw it, was equivalent to betraying Palestine.
Why Noah Schnapp Is Such a Big Deal Online?
Before October 2023, Schnapp was beloved on the internet. He had recently come out. His fans were with him and the LGBTQ+ community.
Then October 7th happened.
Following the attack on Israel by Hamas, Schnapp was seen in videos with stickers marked ‘Zionism is sexy’ and ‘Hamas is ISIS.’ He was subsequently accused of liking posts that ridiculed the sufferings in Gaza. The consequences were enormous.
But suddenly, he wasn’t the Netflix young star anymore. He was public enemy number one on Twitter. BOYCOTT STRANGER THINGS was soon trending. Stranger Things fan accounts disappeared. Think pieces were launched.
Schnapp subsequently posted a TikTok with the explanation that his statement was misconstrued, that he intended the promotion of peace for all innocent individuals, and that he has many Palestinian friends.
@ellzfitness y’all need to stop hating on him 💀#noahschnapp #apologyvideo #palestine #zionist #canceled #tvellz #news #fyp
♬ original sound – ELLZ
And for some, too little, too late. And for much of the internet, celebrating the character was practically the same thing as celebrating him.
Lara Claps Back: “Do Not Get It Twisted.”
But once the backlash went haywire, Lara herself voiced her opinion. She did not hire any PR person. Neither did she utter any weak excuse. “oh hell nah guys i am just a fan of the show! I was not aware about any of the actors backgrounds or stances. I was not sharing support for anything but the show do not get it twisted! Thank you”
No corporate speak with any kind of apology. Just the truth. People were not happy with the reversal of the message. Her position was straightforward. She liked the show. She thought Will Byers was attractive. She was not expressing support for any political stance. Period.
