“Will looks so hot, like he looked so hot"
Lara Raj broke her silence on the backlash she received after calling Stranger Things character Will Byers “hot” during a Weverse livestream.
Season five of the hit show premiered on Netflix and the KATSEYE star praised the show’s direction and singled out episode four’s final scene featuring Will, who is played by Noah Schnapp.
Lara called the moment a “cinematic masterpiece”, adding:
“Will looks so hot, like he looked so hot in that last scene. I’m like period, you’re giving.”
The remark quickly sparked controversy due to actor Noah Schnapp’s public stance on the Gaza unrest and his pro-Israel views.
Critics accused Lara of praising Noah while following Palestinian accounts online.
Clips of the livestream spread rapidly across social media, attracting thousands of responses.
One wrote on X: “Wait, so why would you say this as a KATSEYE stan… with Lara sitting over here watching Stranger Things and calling Mr Zionism is sexy of all chops ‘hot’.”
Another post read: “You know what this actually is? Her having 0 personality. She just parrots things she sees online.”
A third added: “Idk which is worse, praising zionist actor or thirsting over minor character.”
Others defended Lara, as one supporter wrote: “Found out why Lara is getting dragged and it’s cause she said Will Buyers looked hot in Stranger Things.
“I hope stan twt burns to the ground y’all so f***ing unserious.”
— babo #IDODRTWRK (@Babo4aespa) November 30, 2025
Lara Raj soon addressed the backlash, denying any political intent behind her statement.
She wrote: “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.”
Despite clarifying her remark, some were not convinced, suggesting that if Lara is “chronically online”, she should been aware of Noah’s stance.
One person sarcastically wrote: “Alright girl.”
Another said:
“No apology, no clear Palestinian support, just a slick a** ‘don’t get it twisted’ oh she’s not serious.”
Some argued Lara was being unfairly targeted for a casual comment about a fictional character.
One KATSEYE fan wrote on Reddit: “I cannot believe we’ve reached a point where people have to make clarifying public statements because the general public gets up in arms over calling a character hot.
“Not even the actor, the character.”
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