'STRANGER THINGS' Star Caleb McLaughlin Opens Up About Racism From Fans Of The Series

‘Stranger Things’ has turned into a worldwide hit for Netflix and fans of the show are rabid as they come but one of the shows stars. Caleb McLaughlin is opening up about the racism he has felt from these same fans while playing Lucas Sinclair.

“It definitely took a toll on me as a younger kid,” the actor said at the Heroes Comic Con Belgium convention on Sunday. “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 [Millie Bobby Brown].'”

McLaughlin continued, “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.”

Starting on the series when he was 14, McLaughlin said his younger self would wonder, “Why am I the least favorite? The least amount of followers? I’m on the same show as everybody from Season 1.”

“My parents had to be like, ‘It’s a sad truth, but it’s because you’re the Black child on the show… Because I was born with this beautiful chocolate skin, I’m not loved,” he added. “But that’s why with my platform I want to spread positivity and love because I do not give hate back to people who give hate to me.”

Racism in America has always been lying underneath the surface of things. Its as American as cherry pie and has been around since before any of you reading this was even born. It is a sad state of affairs when actors and even more so, regular people on the street, are judged by the color of their skin instead of the character of their person. One day soon we hope this will change but more and more its looking like we’re just going to be getting more of the same.

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