A forensic investigation into which Stranger Things stars are *actually* friends in 2026

After years of watching the kids bond on Stranger Things, we all like to believe that the actors are just as close in real life. But are any of them actually friends in 2026, or are they just *shudders* co-workers? Here’s an extensive investigation into all the available evidence on which Stranger Things cast members are genuinely still friends in 2026 (and which don’t seem to bother hanging out after work).

Charlie Heaton, Natalia Dyer and Joe Keery

Funnily enough, these two do occasionally see each other outside of work. The actors who play Nancy and Jonathan have been dating in real life since at least 2017.

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Their stunt doubles are also dating each other now. Awww.

The couple seem to have a much better relationship with Joe Keery in reality than Nancy and Jonathan did with Steve. He even lived nextdoor to them for a while, when the cast were filming Stranger Things in Atlanta. He told Entertainment Weekly: “Charlie and Natalia lived together, and I lived with a friend, and our backyards touched. Charlie is always in his yard doing all these chores. Over the summer, we’d have off days, and I would be hanging out, playing guitar, and I’d look back in the yard and he’d be digging, he’d be burying wire.

“He and Natalia were taking their dog Penny for a walk at the park and they left, and he has a piano in his house and I was just dinking around.”

He then wrote a song called Charlie’s Garden, which was on his 2025 album.

Mille Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp

Millie Bobby Brown (sorry, Millie Bonnie Bongiovi) seemed to be super close friends with the other young Stranger Things actors back when they were squishy preteens. We don’t actually have much evidence for her spending time with them outside of the show over the last few years, though. Perhaps she’s been busy with her 62 pets (really).

Her lavish wedding in 2024 was at a Tuscany Villa with a capacity of 100 people. Very few Stranger Things cast members made the list. Matthew Modine (who played her creepy scientist dad) officiated the wedding, and Noah Schnapp was reportedly a guest. That’s it.

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Despite Noah Schnapp’s past controversies, she wished him a happy birthday in October 2025. Millie wrote on her Insta story that he was her “bestest friend”.

(Image via Instagram)

On 19th February 2026, Noah wished her a happy birthday on Insta. He wrote: “Happy birthday to my longest friend. Mil, I’d be lost without you. Here’s to so much love and happiness in your Taylor year. Us against the world, my superhero twin in every universe.”

(Image via Instagram)

Noah wasn’t actually at Millie’s birthday party this weekend, though. Only two Stranger Things cast members were at her 22nd birthday party in New York this weekend: David Harbour and Jamie Campbell Bower. How random. Noah was watching the Olympics in Italy instead.

Millie was one of very few Stranger Things cast members not at Maya Hawke’s wedding in February 2026.

Maya Hawke and Sadie Sink

These two icons never shared many scenes, but they must have become genuine friends, as they lived together in Atlanta while filming the final two seasons of Stranger Things. Maya told Glamour they did “grandmotherly actives” together when they weren’t on set, including bath-cooking soup and stew, knitting, crocheting and watching Modern Family. Sounds lovely.

Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo

They can’t hate each other too much, because they also rented a place together in Atlanta during production. Gaten said on the Dinner’s on Me podcast that their home “got grosser and grosser” as they fell behind on chores. “Clothes would clutter, and laundry hadn’t been done, and dishes would pile up.”

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Featured images via @noahschnapp.