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For reference, the 23-year-old actor shot to fame when he was cast in Stranger Things at the age of 12, with the Netflix series coming to an end just last month.
During his monologue, Finn reflected on growing up in the public eye, saying: “My voice changed on camera, my first kiss was on camera.” He went on: “And, I can’t actually believe that I’m admitting this…but the first time that I learned what a woman looks like down there was on camera as well. We have another clip, I think…”
At this point, SNL cut to a shot of a Demogorgon, which is a monster in Stranger Things, making a crude comparison to a woman’s vulva. This crass joke did not go down well with viewers, with many taking to social media to point out that women are often made to feel shame about the appearance of their bodies, and that these kinds of gags are rooted in misogyny.
One incredibly viral tweet read: “Jokes about the female body and female genitalia have been made for centuries and women still bring children into this misogynistic world, inflicting harm and pain on their organs for the sake of this society. The decline in birth rates is so deserved. You misogynistic pricks.”
View this video on YouTube
NBC / Via youtube.com“Our society is so comfortable with degradation of women’s bodies. I am expected to hear this and be a ‘good sport.’ I am supposed to feel a shame and disgust around my own body that allows me to laugh along. Instead I see this for the heinous misogyny it is,” another wrote.
“the propaganda that women's natural bodies are disgusting and have to be fixed while men's are a gift to the world is so tiring,” one more added, while somebody else explained: “It can’t be understated how much shame culture around female sexual organs contributes to the overall oppression of women globally.”
Now, people have discovered that Finn’s SNL monologue was not the first time that he made this kind of joke, with the actor previously alluding to the Demogorgon looking like a vulva in an interview with MTV — where he also called it “disgusting.”
During a game that had Stranger Things characters illustrated on various cards, Finn picked up the one of the Demogorgon and pointedly asked: “Quick question, why’d you use this photo?”
“That looks like…insane,” his costar Gaten Matarazzo replied. And Finn went on: “That is bad, guys. Honestly, you guys? This is honestly…that is like, truly disgusting that you used this photo. You honestly…this is censor-worthy. You could censor that, and it would be totally fine. MTV, oh my god!”
It’s worth noting that as Finn is speaking, Noah Schnapp, who is seated next to him, keeps his head down and doesn’t engage in the conversation. Caleb McLaughlin also doesn’t comment on or laugh at Finn’s observation.
Quoting a tweet from Variety about Finn’s SNL joke, one X user posted the clip and wrote: “Oh Finn Wolfhard it’s not looking good for you, the misogyny is SHOWING.” This tweet has racked up thousands of likes, with many others expressing their disappointment in the responses.
MTV / Via Twitter: @7Bylers
“So he genuinely thought that was funny, did it over and over again, and eventually even did it on a TV show? Screw you, you asshole. Who the hell do you think you are to believe it’s okay to mock and dehumanize women?” one quote-tweet says.
Another popular response reads: “saying its disgusting when hes obviously referring to it looking like a vagina literally what is wrong with him.”
And Finn’s Demogorgon joke wasn’t the only part of his Saturday Night Live appearance to spark backlash, with Caleb also upsetting viewers during a Sex in the City-inspired skit where he, Finn, and Gaten performed as their Stranger Things characters. As they all sipped on Cosmopolitans, Finn, as Mike, asked: “Let’s cut to the chase, how are your sex lives?”
“Well, Max and I started off all hot and heavy, right?” Caleb replied, referring to his character Lucas’s on-screen girlfriend Max, played by Sadie Sink. “But then, a couple of years in, she just lies there like she’s back in that coma.”
“Lucas, you’re bad,” Finn teased in response, with the whole thing leaving a bad taste in people’s mouths. One incredibly popular tweet pointed out: “the concept of girlfriends and wives hating the sex they have with men and doing it out of obligation as their role of a partner/spouse is rape culture.”
“even if it’s not a rape joke i don’t know why it’s funny watching men laughing at a woman not enjoying sex…,” another user tweeted.
You can watch the clip below — let me know your thoughts on everything in the comments!
SNL joking about the sex lives of Stranger Things characters is beyond tasteless—how did Netflix let that happen??
"Well, Max & I started off hot & heavy right, but then a couple years in, she just lies there like she's back in that coma."
NBC / Via Twitter: @StrangerNews11
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