- - Noah Schnapp Didn’t Join “Stranger Things” Cast Members for Finn Wolfhard’s “SNL” Episode: Here’s Why

Toria SheffieldJanuary 19, 2026 at 2:31 AM

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Alena Zakirova/Getty;Will Heath/NBC via Getty

Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard and Caleb McLaughlin on ‘SNL’ in New York City on Jan. 17, 2026; Noah Schnapp at Milan Fashion Week in Italy on Jan. 16, 2026 -

Noah Schnapp was notably absent from Finn Wolfhard’s SNL opening monologue and episode on Saturday, Jan. 17

The monologue, which featured surprised cameos from Finn's Stranger Things costars Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo, entailed a sweet tribute to the trio's friendship

Other Stranger Things stars were spotted at the SNL afterparty

Finn Wolfhard’s SNL opening monologue on Jan. 17 featured cameos from Stranger Things costars Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo — but castmate Noah Schnapp was notably absent from the episode.

Schnapp, 21, was instead thousands of miles away at Milan Fashion Week.

Schnapp, who plays sensitive and artistic Will Byers on the hit Netflix series, was spotted attending Ralph Lauren Men's Fall/Winter 2026 fashion show in Italy on Friday, Jan. 16, one day before Wolfhard’s Saturday Night Live episode, which was taped live in New York City.

Representatives for Schnapp, as well as for SNL, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Alena Zakirova/Getty

Noah Schnapp attends the Ralph Lauren fashion show during Milan Fashion Week in Italy on Jan. 16, 2026

And while Schnapp may not have been in attendance for the special night at SNL, Wolfhard, 23, still had plenty of support from his Stranger Things castmates. In addition to McLaughlin, 24, and Matarazzo, 23, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and Joe Keery were all spotted attending the show's afterparty following the live episode.

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UrbanxDivinity / BACKGRID Natalia Dyer arrives at the ‘SNL’ afterparty

UrbanxDivinity / BACKGRID Charlie Heaton arrives at the ‘SNL’ afterparty

UrbanxDivinity / BACKGRID Joe Keery arrives at the ‘SNL’ afterparty

During his opening monologue, Wolfhard addressed the fact that he expects things to change now that he and his fellow cast members have aged out of “child actor” territory.

“So … meet the new me. The man me. Because I’m not a kid anymore,” Wolfhard said, before getting interrupted by McLaughlin and Matarazzo as they crashed the stage.

“And neither are we!” McLaughlin said as the trio hugged. “We’re not child stars, we’re former child stars.”

“And anytime you read ‘Former Child Star’ in a headline, it can only mean good things,” joked Matarazzo.

“It’s true,” said Wolfhard. “So thanks to everyone who watched us grow up on the show.”

McLaughlin then quipped, “And then went online and commented about our changing faces and bodies.”

Wolfhard took a moment to honor his former costars, saying, “I just wanted to say, even though we are now men, you'll always be my boys,” while pulling McLaughlin and Matarazzo in for another hug.

The trio also appeared in a Stranger Things skit during the SNL episode.

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Wolfhard previously said that he and the Stranger Things costars are like “family,” even if they don’t talk every day. "We're not on everyday-text vibes in any way … because … it's like, do you text your cousins every day?” he said in a February 2023 interview with GQ.

"Probably not. They're our family. We'll talk on each other's birthdays. We'll talk once in a while. But in the same way that family works, if I ever needed anything, they're there," he added.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”