After the grand finale of Stranger Things, Finn Wolfhard stirred up some controversy among Saturday Night Live viewers due to a contentious joke.
Wolfhard, who portrayed Mike Wheeler, the leader of the Dungeons and Dragons group in the Netflix series, was at the center of a debate over an explicit joke he made during his SNL appearance.
In the pivotal opening monologue on SNL, the 23-year-old actor shared anecdotes about growing up while being part of a globally popular show. However, a comparison he made involving one of the series’ terrifying monsters sparked accusations of sexism.
Wolfhard set up his joke by saying: “My voice changed on camera, my first kiss was on camera, and I can’t actually believe I’m admitting this, but the first time I learned what a woman looks like down there – was on camera as well.”
For the punchline, the show cut to a clip of Wolfhard’s character appearing shocked as the Demogorgon, one of the show’s main villains, reveals its terrifying form.
This joke prompted a backlash from some viewers who perceived it as a sexist trope, voicing their discontent on X. One comment read: “Sexist joke and like lazy?? At least try harder.”
Another viewer commented: “I fail to see the humor, but I do see the ugly old misogyny here.”
One user posed the question: “Why are men so disappointing?”
For many who took offense, the criticism was aimed at the SNL team. A viewer remarked: “Just a really unfunny man on a really unfunny show with an awful script.”
Finn wolfhard and SNL you will but in hell for this misogynistic ass joke about the female anatomy you will PERISH
— Chelsea 🪽🎀 (@Chelseabun55) January 18, 2026
However, not everyone was upset by the joke. Some perceived it as harmless, with one user questioning: “Why is everyone on the left and right clutching their pearls after this harmless crude joke?”
As Wolfhard concluded his monologue, he was joined by former co-stars Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo, discussing the odd experience of growing up with online comments about them.
They continued with the theme of youth reaching maturity, joking about transitioning to ‘adult films’ post-Netflix series, and featured in sketches, including a Sex and the City spoof titled ‘Mike in Manhattan’ for Wolfhard’s character.
Wolfhard participated in another sketch that reimagined Harry Potter as a romance between Harry and Ron, inspired by the hockey drama Heated Rivalry.
The episode also humorously addressed the rumors of an unreleased ninth episode from the fifth series of Stranger Things, with a sketch showing Kenan Thompson taking over as Eleven, something unexpected by internet sleuths and conspiracy theorists.
Requests for comment have been made to Finn Wolfhard’s representatives.