Old Stranger Things clip from 2017 Comic Con exposes how Mike aka Finn Wolfhard was sexualised as a teen
As fans count down to volume two of Stranger Things season five, the internet has taken an unsettling detour into the past. A resurfaced clip of Finn Wolfhard, filmed when he was just 14, is making the rounds again and leaving viewers deeply uncomfortable. This time, the reaction is louder, angrier and far less forgiving.
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Mike (Finn Waldorf) from Stranger Things| Credit: X
When child stars were treated like adults
The Stranger Things kids grew up in front of the world. Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp were barely 11 when the show began, yet interviews, panels and fan culture often treated them as if they were far older. Finn Wolfhard, who played Mike Wheeler, was no exception.
Back then, it was brushed off as awkward humour. In 2025, it looks alarming.
The Comic Con moment that aged horribly
The clip comes from a 2017 San Diego Comic Con panel. As Finn was introduced, the interviewer made a sexualised remark about his name, calling it adult-coded in a way that had no place in a conversation with a minor. Finn awkwardly laughed it off, attempting humour as a defence mechanism.
Stranger Things season 5 poster | Credit: Netflix
Instead of stopping, the interviewer doubled down, continuing with jokes about adult film references and even advising Finn to avoid projects with sexualised titles. When the comments kept coming, Finn visibly shut down and eventually asked him to stop.
Silent support in plain sight
What viewers have noticed this time around is the body language of Joe Keery and David Harbour. Both actors appeared visibly uncomfortable, glaring at the interviewer and subtly signalling to Finn to ignore the comments. For many fans, this detail has become one of the few reassuring parts of an otherwise upsetting clip.
Why the clip hurts more in 2025
Although the interviewer apologised shortly after the incident in 2017, admitting his attempt at humour crossed a line, the resurfacing has reopened deeper conversations. Online, viewers are calling the over-sexualisation of the Stranger Things cast as teenagers genuinely disturbing.
Many fans have pointed out that Finn was clearly still a child, both emotionally and physically, and should never have been placed in that position. Others have linked the incident to why the actor later became more private and distant from fan culture.
Industry still owes answers
Finn Wolfhard has never publicly addressed the moment, and perhaps he should not have to. The resurfaced clip is less about one joke and more about an industry that repeatedly failed to protect young actors.
Sometimes, nostalgia does not just resurface memories. It exposes mistakes we were too comfortable ignoring.
