Inside dramatic love lives of Stranger Things stars… secret wedding & teen romance scandal to spat over Doja Cat crush
IN a bizarre twist that seems like something from alternate dimension ‘The Upside Down’ – an actor from geeky sci-fi show Stranger Things and a superstar rapper are dating.
US hitmaker Doja Cat, 28, and Joseph Quinn, who played rocker Eddie Munson in the Netflix series, were seen smooching and cuddling in a loved-up display in a London pub.
It follows a spat that erupted after the Paint The Town Red rapper, real name Amala Dlamini, messaged his Stranger Things co-star Noah Schnapp to see if he was single, asking him to tell Joseph, 30, to “hit her up”.
However, in a move that Doja Cat branded “degrading” and “super embarrassing”, a screenshot of the message was shared on TikTok by Noah – who plays Will Byers in the show.
While it may have bruised the rapper’s ego it appears to have worked, as an eyewitness told The Sun’s Bizarre column they “were acting like a couple”.
The source continued: “He had his arm around her, then she put her arm around him. He kissed her on the head at one point.
“It was just them together, deep in conversation for ages. She was puffing on a vape and looked really happy.”
The romance between Joseph and Doja Cat is the latest in a series of dating twists and turns from the cast of Stranger Things, which returns for a final season next year.
They include fans being gobsmacked by David Harbour, who plays Eleven’s dad Jim Hopper, saying ‘I do’ to singer Lily Allen in Las Vegas in a ceremony officiated by an Elvis impersonator and their subsequent on-off relationship.
And that’s not all – from an “upsetting” and creepy proposal to secret romances, two weddings in one year and A-lister dating rumours, here we look into the stars’ surprising love lives.
‘Two weddings’
Stranger Things breakout star Millie Bobby Brown shocked fans by revealing she had tied the knot in secret, in an Instagram post from June this year.
The actress, 20, who plays Eleven, shared a photo of her and Jake Bongiovi – son of legendary musician Jon Bon Jovi – playing a carnival game with the word ‘Wifey’ on her shorts and ‘Wife of the party’ on a sports cap.
They had been dating since 2021 and had a “small family wedding” but are reportedly planning an ultra-expensive A-lister-packed bash when they tie the knot again in September.
An Insider told The Sun that “it is going to be huge” and the couple have “a long list of celebrity pals, including… Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan, who she is especially close to”.
Back in 2017, Millie dated Jacob Sartorius – a social media star – for a year but caught flack for being allowed to go on holiday with her 15-year-old beau when she was just 13.
In response to a post of them cuddled together, captioned ‘Moonlight with him’, singer Ariana Grande snubbed: “I wasn’t even allowed to leave my house til I was 20.”
Creepy encounter
Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin Henderson, has been in a long-term relationship with actress Lizzy Yu since 2018 – but it hasn’t shielded him from weird interactions from adoring fans.
During his teenage years, the actor revealed an unsettling moment with a mother – who was 27 years older than him – who hit on him in front of her 13-year-old daughter.
I said I was going to therapy and I really went to lose my virginity… my father was very, very upset
Maya Hawkes
He told the Inside Of You Podcast: “This woman in her 40s said straight up, ‘I’ve had a crush on you since you were 13,’ and I was like, ‘That’s upsetting!’
“I’m like, I’m sure she just meant, like, ‘Aw this kid’s cute.’ But then she doubled down. Like, ‘I’m aware of the age difference,’ and then I was like, ‘Alright.'”
Gaten, now 21, said the creepy fan’s daughter then yelled at her parent: “Mum, what the f***?”
Away from odd fan crush, the star is smitten with Lizzy and in 2019 gushed: “I can’t believe that I’ve been with this gorgeous girl for an entire year. It feels like our first date was yesterday but it also feels like it’s been ten years.”
Last month, tongues were set wagging when Gaten and his Stranger Things co-star Finn Wolfhard, who has managed to keep his relationships private, were seen holding hands in New York.
Gaten and Finn, who plays Mike Wheeler, looked at ease as they strolled down the street together alongside Lizzy, who didn’t look uncomfortable by their closeness.
Secret romance
Their characters Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers fell for each other while saving the world from otherworldly beings – and in real life, love blossomed too.
Charlie Heaton, 30, and Natalia Dyer, 29, first met in 2015 for a chemistry read and according to Stranger Things co-creator Matt Duffer “sparks were flying” immediately.
A year later, rumours began to emerge that they were dating and by January 2017, fans were thrilled when photos emerged of them together at Los Angeles International Airport the morning after the Golden Globes.
HERE we look at how much each of the Stranger Things cast are worth, according to Celeb Net Worth, and the reported sums they will earn for for the show's fifth season.
Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers): Approximately £14 million. She will reportedly make £300,000 per episode in season five.
Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven): Approximately £8 million. For the upcoming season, she will reportedly earn £250,000 per episode.
David Harbour (Jim Hopper): Approximately £4.5 million. It’s claimed he could make up to £300,000 per episode.
Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler): Approximately £3.5 million. He could earn up to £200,00 per episode.
Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson): Approximately £3 million. He could earn up to £200,00 per episode.
Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair): Approximately £2.5 million. He could earn up to £200,00 per episode.
Noah Schnapp (Will Byers): Approximately £2.5 million. He could earn up to £200,00 per episode.
Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield): Approximately £2 million. She could earn up to £150,00 per episode.
They kept things under wraps until December that year, when they made their red carpet debut at The British Fashion Awards, in London, and a month later presented the National Television Award for Best Drama together.
Later Charlie admitted they were overly cautious about their romance becoming common knowledge, telling GQ: “We didn’t really know what the relationship was. The caginess, anyway, might have been unnecessary.”
They have continued dating and amusingly, the actor admitted “sometimes we get confused… between our own [romance] and the characters”.
Virginity admission
Maya Hawke, 26, who plays Robin Buckley in the show, hit the headlines in 2020 when she was seen smooching Tom Sturridge during a date in New York city.
The romance caused controversy due to The Sandman actor, who has a daughter with Sienna Miller, being 12 years older than he was 34 and she was 22.
She was also linked to musician Spencer Barnett and Rolling Stone president Gus Wenner before dating singer-songwriter Christian Lee Hutson.
Maya – who’s the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke – said they had been pals for four years, adding: “I cannot recommend highly enough dating your friends.
“They know you, they understand that you’re a person and a human being that has dated other people who has dated them.
I mean, I’ve been in situations, but I’ve never had a girlfriend.
Caleb McCoughlin
“Who has feelings and is a living, breathing human not just like a piece of paper to project [the] image of perfect girlfriend onto.”
Previously, Maya revealed an amusing story about lying to her famous father as a teen so that she could meet-up with her boyfriend to have sex for the first time.
“I said I was going to therapy and I really went to lose my virginity… My father was very, very upset,” she told the Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen podcast.
She pointed out that her father knew she hadn’t gone and “gave me a really hard time”, quizzing her: “Where were you? Where did you go?”
However, Maya claims her amusing response earned “respect” from her father. She explained: “I said, ‘How am I supposed to have secrets if I’m not allowed to tell lies?’… He was like ‘F***, this kid.’”
‘Never dated’
The kiss between Lucas Sinclair and Max Mayfield after multiple will-they-won’t-they moments delighted Stranger Things fans – but many were unaware of the context behind that smooch.
Sadie Sink, 22, who plays Max, revealed that the snog with Caleb McLaughlin was actually her first kiss, telling W Magazine: “We were both awkward but it was also funny because all our friends were there.
“[There were] all these extras and lights and music, it was nerve-wracking at the time, but I look back now and can laugh about it.”
Sadie’s not gone public with any other romances but was rumoured to be dating Patrick Alwyn, whose brother Joe Alwyn famously dated Taylor Swift.
Stranger Things in numbers
STRANGER Things has become one of world's most popular TV shows in recent years - here were look at some of the stats behind its success.
- Viewership milestone – Within the first 28 days of its release, Season 4 amassed over 1.35 billion hours of viewership, making it the most-watched English-language TV season on Netflix at the time.
- Massive Viewership: The third season of “Stranger Things” was watched by over 40.7 million household accounts in its first four days offrelease, making it the most-watched Netflix original series at the time. By the end of the first month, over 64 million households had tuned in.
- Social Media Impact: As of 2023, the official Instagram account of “Stranger Things” has over 21 million followers. The show’s hashtag has been used millions of times across various social media platforms, contributing to its viral status.
- Awards and Nominations: “Stranger Things” has received more than 200 award nominations and has won in excess of 70 awards, including 6 Primetime Emmy Awards.
- High IMDb Ratings: The series consistently holds high ratings on IMDb, with an overall rating of 8.7 out of 10 based on hundreds of thousands of user reviews.
- Google Trends: “Stranger Things” has consistently been one of the most searched TV shows on Google, particularly around the release of new seasons, indicating its broad and sustained interest.
- Critical Acclaim: The first season holds a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with subsequent seasons also receiving high ratings, indicating consistent critical acclaim.
- Global Reach: “Stranger Things” is available in over 190 countries, and it has been translated into multiple languages, broadening its global appeal.
Rapper rumour
As for Caleb McLaughlin, 20, who plays Lucas, he was linked to the rapper Ice Spice last year but says he has never been in a relationship.
He told Cosmopolitan: “I mean, I’ve been in situations, but I’ve never had a girlfriend. It’s hard. It’s hard having a girlfriend right now.”
As for some of the other bigger Stranger Things stars, Joe Kerry – who plays Steve Harrington – is rumoured to be dating the actress Chase Sui Wonders.
They were photographed arm-in-arm in New York back in 2023. It followed the 32-year-old dating fellow actress Maika Monroe throughout lockdown.
Noel Schnapp, 19, who came out as gay in 2023, has been extremely private about his love life but was linked to blogger Moti Ankari.
And Dacre Montgomery, 29, who played Billy Hargrove, has been dating the model Liv Pollock since 2016.