‘Stranger Things’ Star Calls Saying Goodbye to the Show ‘A Little Overwhelming’
- - ‘Stranger Things’ Star Calls Saying Goodbye to the Show ‘A Little Overwhelming’
Nicole MooreFebruary 5, 2026 at 11:25 PM
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Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Netflix
Actor Joe Keery famously played Steve Harrington on the Netflix series Stranger Things throughout its five-season run.
While speaking to Entertainment Tonight in February 2026, Keery got candid about the show airing its final episode in January 2026. The Djo frontman explained he has mixed emotions about saying goodbye to such a significant project, especially after working on it for a decade.
According to Keery, closing the chapter of playing Steve is "a little overwhelming, but definitely exciting."
"It was like college. Imagine like two and a half colleges was the amount of time that it took me to do that project. So, it was a long time, about 10 years. And yeah, I guess I'm just really excited," said the 33-year-old actor to the publication.
He went on to say he has "a renewed sense of creativity" and a desire to "try a bunch of things" now that Stranger Things is over.
Joe Keery Opened up About How the Ending of 'Stranger Things' Changed His Life
In a January 2026 interview on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Keery shared how Stranger Things' ending changed his life. He explained that while starring in the series, which premiered in 2016, he spent much of his time in Atlanta, Georgia, where it was filmed. He said he "built a community of friends down there," which "added an element of sadness" to Stranger Things coming to an end as he "was saying goodbye to all these people" he had become close to. He clarified that he's still friends with his Stranger Things castmates.
Keery also said he's aware fans will have some difficulty seeing him play characters other than Steve now that Stranger Things is over.
"It's kind of just a challenge to sort of force people to maybe think about me in a different way, which is another kind of interesting challenge which I'm now sort of approaching," said the actor in the interview.
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
