Nearly a decade after Stranger Things launched on Netflix, the hit sci-fi show is set to conclude with its fifth and final season this month. 

The trailer was released last week to a mixed reaction, with some claiming that the long wait between seasons had put a dampener on their excitement.

Indeed, much of the talk about the series has been related to off-screen scandal, with the show's cast embroiled in several controversies over the years. 

Just last week, David Harbour - who plays police chief Jim Hopper in the show - was hit by shocking claims he ‘bullied and harassed’ co-star Millie Bobby Brown.

The American actor, 50, who has also found himself embroiled in a cheating scandal with ex Lily Allen, is said to have faced an internal enquiry after British actress Millie, 21, allegedly complained about his behaviour towards her.

Netflix declined to comment about any investigation but the allegations serve as yet another torrid tale that threatens to tarnish the show's legacy. 

David Harbour - 'bullying and infidelity' 

In recent weeks, news of David's personal life has threatened to overshadow the release of Stranger Things. 

He has not responded to claims that he bullied his younger co-star Millie - who reportedly had to have a personal representative with her on set while filming.

The bullying allegations hit David while he was in the midst of another crisis, having had his infidelity exposed on estranged wife Lily's new album. 

West End Girl is an ode to Lily's relationship with David, to whom she was married for four years after meeting on dating app Raya, with 14 tracks detailing in brutal honesty the breakdown of their relationship. 

The record is her first in seven years and was recorded in just 10 days, in the wake of her devastating split from the star last December after Lily, 40, discovered his three-year affair and slew of infidelities. 

Lily addressed his 'mistakes' in the semi-autobiographical album on tracks Tennis and Madeline.

She refers to his mistress as 'Madeline', a pseudonym Lily has used it is expected for legal reasons. 

David broke his silence on the messy divorce in a chat with Esquire Spain as he reflected on his 'pain, slip ups and mistakes' as he reached 50.

Asked by the publication if there was anything he'd change about the last half a century David said: 'That's such a hard question – the question of regret, or something. I would change either everything or nothing. 

'You either accept your path completely and realise that even the pain and the slip-ups and the mistakes are all part of the journey, and that there's truth and growth, wisdom and deeper empathy and connection in all that. 

'It's kind of like a house of cards, the minute you try to change one thing you kind of have to change it all.'

David added in the chat that amid the dramas he had an unfaltering ally in his Stranger Things co-star Winona.

He shared: 'I think that people who have done that at a level where I believe them and fall in love with them in a fake reality, I just have such awe of it.'

He added of Winona: 'She's such a deeply emotional human being that I could never be, I think she feels things in a way that I could never feel them.

'She has a brain that... my brain couldn't stretch to that amount of empathy. She's just an extraordinary creature.' 

Noah Schnapp - Zionism claims and racial slurs  

In recent years Noah Schnapp has faced backlash over comments he made about the Israel-Hamas war. 

Noah, 21, who is Jewish, was slammed for showing off 'Zionism is sexy' stickers in November 2023, just one month after he declared: 'You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism.' 

In his post, he stated: 'I hope we can agree that Hamas are a recognized terrorist organization: they don't represent the Palestinian people when they value murdering Israelis more than protecting their own.

'You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism. It shouldn't be a difficult choice. Shame on you.'

He was heavily criticised for both posts, and in January of last year took to TikTok to 'set the story straight' in a video.

The star, known for his performance as fan favourite Will Byers, told fans that his 'thoughts and beliefs' had been 'misconstrued from anything even close to what I believe,' before insisting he only wants 'peace and safety for innocent people'.

Despite the widespread assumption from critics that the apology had been forced by Netflix, a source told Daily Mail that there was 'zero pressure' from the show's cast or producers on Noah to speak out.

The source stressed: 'Noah, whether wrong or right, puts his heart out in everything he says and does.'

A representative for Noah declined to comment at the time. 

In a video shared with his 32 million TikTok followers, he stated: 'I only want peace and safety and security for all innocent people affected by this conflict.

'I've had many open conversations with friends with a Palestinian background and I think they are very important conversations to have and I've learned a lot.'

He continued: 'One of the takeaways I've had is that we all hope for the same things - that being those innocent people being held hostage in Gaza to be returned to their families and equally hope for the end to the war and the loss of innocent life in Palestine - so many of those people being women and children.

'And I think anyone with any ounce of humanity would hope for an end to the hostilities on both sides. I stand against any killing of any innocent people.'

Referring to the criticism he has faced in recent months, Noah added: 'I hope for 2024 that I will see people be a little more understanding and compassionate [online] and recognize that we are all human... we should stand together for humanity and for peace.'

Fans had branded Noah 'sick and twisted' and urged viewers to boycott the final season of Stranger Things after he caused outrage with his initial comments and posts.

Noah was previously criticised for his wording, when in 2020, aged 15, he was accused of using a racial slur while singing a song. 

The clip saw him rapping Chris Brown and Lil Dicky's Freaky Friday, with people convinced he was saying the N word in the track.

But Noah insisted that he had 'never used that word in his life' and said the word 'neighbour' as a 'replacement word' for the derogatory term.

'I should have kept my mouth shut,' he said later, in apology statement stating he is 'so sorry', the BBC reports.

'I genuinely have never used that word in my life. Using the word "neighbour" in that song was just something my camp friends and I did.

'I hope you all understand I could never even think about doing that. My friends also would never post a video, or support me, if I was saying a slur without hesitation.'

Charlie Heaton - drugs bust 

He won over viewers with his portrayal of sensitive photographer Jonathan Byers. 

But Charlie Heaton found his job at risk while filming after, in 2017, being caught up in a cocaine bust at LAX​ airport in Los Angeles.

The British actor, 31, was promptly put on a plane back to London, where he then pleaded his case with US embassy officials to be let back in. 

It was revealed the following year that he would not lose his job ​on the hit ​Netflix series, as one of the global hit show's executives confirmed to the Daily Mail that the East Yorkshire native would return for the third season.

Stranger Things' costume designer Kim Wilcox said Charlie was not pushed out at Netflix despite the drug bust because the show's creators value him and 'their family atmosphere'.

The award-winning designer added that the actor 'slipped' in his decision making but that he was a 'sensitive soul'.

'Charlie is returning,' she said. 'Charlie actually is one of my favorites of all the actors and I think he's a very sensitive soul. I think he's a good man and I think he's made some great decisions in his life and maybe this was just a time where something slipped.

'I think he's a fine actor and he's a great ensemble player and I think that in his work and in his presentation at Stranger Things 2, myself and to everyone else, he is very professional and an incredibly generous human being, so I don't see why they wouldn't invite him back.'

Charlie's return was further aided by the fact that ​US border officials did not press charges or take further action over being discovered with cocaine at the airport.

​Insiders said Netflix had assurances from Charlie that he 'would not let them down again​', and that he met with US Embassy officials​ in London.

After being sent back home following the incident, the young actor issued a statement, which read: 'My planned travel to the US last week was affected by an issue at US immigration, and I am working to rectify it as soon as possible.

'I do want to clarify that I was not arrested or charged with a crime, and cooperated fully with the US officials at LAX.' 

​Fans rallied behind Charlie, and his mother and sister previously said a small amount of cocaine found its way on to his wallet at a party two weeks earlier, or at a bar or at a shop without his knowledge.

Family of the actor​ ​said he has never done drugs in the past and was not under the influence at the time he was stopped at the LA airport.

Brett Gelman - Controversial war posts 

Injecting a comedic burst into the show, Brett Gelman, 48, portrays Murray in Stranger Things. 

He was introduced in the second series and has evolved from a quirky conspiracy theorist to a firm fan-favourite.

However, the star found himself facing backlash after voicing support for Noah Schnapp, who in 2023 said 'Zionism is sexy'.

Brett spoke out in his defense and told TMZ that that the views the young actor had shared did not warrant an apology. 

The actor went on to argue that anyone who is not pro-Israel is consciously or subconsciously being anti-Semitic. 

'I'm not talking about being for every detail of its government,' he continued. 

'Absolutely there are some problems there. I'm not for Netanyahu. But I'm for Israel, I'm for the Israeli people.'

He continued: 'And I do believe that Israel has the right to defend itself. 

'I'm not for the death of innocent Palestinians at all, and my heart goes out to them and their families as well - but at the same time I don't know why no one is placing their deaths at all at a responsibility of Hamas. 

'Everybody wants peace. Nobody wants war. Israel did not start this war.'  

In other social media tirades, Brett faced backlash after calling Palestinian supporters 'fake woke liberals' and saying they 'don't read'. 

'Guess who actually lives on stolen land? You do. Guess who actually lives on stolen land? You do you, me Jew. You live on stolen land,' he said in another clip. 

He captioned the post: 'To you who have been pushing this false anti-Semitic narrative for years.... Jewish and Palestinian blood and trauma are in your hands!'

Joseph Quinn - Scandalous romance  

Joseph Quinn's time on the show was short but poignant - as the actor had audiences fall head over heels with Dungeons & Dragons and guitar nerd Eddie Munson.

The star, 31, who has since found cinematic fame and is set to play George Harrison in Sam Mendes' Beatles biopics, broke viewers' hearts when his character sacrificed himself with one last epic Master of Puppets solo in series four.

However, he came under fire when he was said to be dating controversial singer, Doja Cat. 

The pair went public with their relationship in August 2024 when they were seen packing on the PDA in London, after meeting through his co-star Noah Schnapp. 

Their romance raised eyebrows, with many pointing out Doja's string of controversial posts.  

One notable post saw Doja took to Instagram Live to poke fun at people who were concerned about the pandemic.

She defiantly said: 'B****, I’m not scared of a coronavirus or the motherf***ing beer version of that s***. I’m gonna get corona and then I’m gonna get a Corona, cause I don’t give a f*** about corona, b****. It’s a flu!

'I’m not scared. Y’all are p****, period. You just take some Mucinex and drink water and tea and sleep — that’s all you gotta do. Y’all are so scared of some damn corona. Y’all are so scared of corona that I need a Corona.'

Just a month prior, she defended herself after participating in alleged alt-Right Tinychat rooms. 

She once again went on an Instagram Live and called the scandal 'f***ing ridiculous' and insisted her 'friends aren't racist in chat rooms'.

'My friends on Tinychat aren't white supremacists. They love me. I love them. They're loving and that's it!' Doja exclaimed.

'And you won't find anything on them because you're f***ing stupid! Your actions are stupid. You may not be stupid. You may be smart but your actions are not telling...it is what it is.'

As a result, Doja and Joseph's romance was questioned by fans, who took to social media to post: 'Sorry are we just disregarding how weird and problematic Doja has been the last couple years? Joe, what are you doing??????'

Their romance has since fizzled out, with the pair not seen together since Doja attended the premiere of Joseph's film Warfare in March. 

A source told The Sun: 'He’s back on Raya and clearly open-minded about looking for another woman, which is hardly surprising given Doja’s history of being open to non-monogamous relationships.' 

The Duffer Brothers - plagiarism lawsuit

Two years after Stranger Things was released, the show's creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer were sued by filmmaker Charlie Kessler, who claimed they had stolen his idea from his 2012 short film Montauk.

The legal wranglings continued for a year before Charlie dropped the lawsuit just two days before the trial was set to begin. 

He issued a statement to TMZ, where he recanted of his previous claims that the Duffer Brothers had 'stolen' his idea. 

'After hearing the deposition testimony this week of the legal expert I hired, it is now apparent to me that, whatever I may have believed in the past, my work had nothing to do with the creation of Stranger Things,' the statement began. 

'Documents from 2010 and 2013 prove that the Duffers independently created their show, As a result, I have withdrawn my claim and I will be making no further comment on this matter,' Kessler concluded.

Charlie had filed a lawsuit against the Duffer Brothers, claiming he met with the Duffer Brothers and pitched them the concept for Montauk.

However, the Duffers countered, claiming they had been working on the concept for Stranger Things since as early as 2010.

There were emails the Duffer's produced dating back to 2010 that described the series as 'real,' 'paranormal' 'gritty eighties' show.

There was one email that said the show would be set in Montauk, including a reference to 'the Montauk experiments'.

There were also two emails from 2014, on February 27 and March 4, before the meeting with Kessler took place, which showcases the Duffer's vision for the show, described as a show 'set in 1980s Long Island' with, 'a vintage Stephen King feel'.

'These documents prove that Mr. Kessler had absolutely nothing to do with the creation of Stranger Things,' said the Duffers' lawyer.

'The Duffer Brothers were developing their project years before he claims to have met them,' the lawyer added.