A few years ago, Caleb McLaughlin opened up about being treated unfairly by some viewers of the Netflix series “Stranger Things.”Brianna Bryson / Getty ImagesMcLaughlin was 14 when he starred as Lucas Sinclair in Season 1 of the fantasy show, alongside fellow main cast members Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, and Millie Bobby Brown.Courtesy Netflix / ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett CollectionDespite the fact that McLaughlin’s role is integral throughout the series, he sadly didn’t receive the same love and support from some “Stranger Things” viewers that his co-stars did.©Netflix / Courtesy Everett CollectionAnd during a 2022 appearance at Heroes Comic Con in Belgium, he opened up about how this impacted him, stating that he was singled out because of his race. “My very first Comic-Con, some people didn’t stand in my line because I was Black,” he said. “Some people told me: ‘Oh, I didn’t want to be in line because you were mean to [Millie’s character] Eleven,’ even now some people don’t follow me or don’t support me because I’m Black.”Paras Griffin / Getty Images“Sometimes overseas, you’ll feel the racism,” he said. “You’ll feel the bigotry, and sometimes it’s hard to talk about and for people to understand… When I was younger, it definitely affected me a lot because — this is a deep conversation right now — you’re like: ‘Why am I the least favorite? The least amount of followers? I’m on the same show as everybody from Season 1.’”©Netflix / Courtesy Everett CollectionAt the time, McLaughlin had 15.4 million Instagram followers, while his peers were millions ahead of him; Matarazzo had 18.7M, Wolfhard had 26.3M, Schnapp had 27.6M, and Brown had 58.5M. Four years later, McLaughlin’s Instagram following has only increased by about 100,000, while some cast members have seen a huge increase in their social media following — like Brown, who now has over 72 million IG followers.McLaughlin recalled at the 2022 event, “My parents had to be like: ‘It’s a sad truth, but it’s because you’re the Black child on the show.’ Wow, that’s crazy. Because I was born with this beautiful chocolate skin I’m not loved?”Courtesy Netflix / ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett CollectionHe added, “That’s why, with my platform, I’m going to spread positivity and love because I’m not giving hate back to people who are giving hate to me.”Frazer Harrison / Getty ImagesMcLaughlin has stuck to his word and continued to spread positivity over the years — and thankfully, this past weekend, he was showered with love from “Stranger Things” fans at a convention held in Paris.Michael Buckner / Getty ImagesMcLaughlin was joined by a bunch of his fellow “Stranger Things” cast members at the fan convention, where viewers of the show could meet the actors. Some fans have since shared footage of their experiences meeting McLaughlin, which quickly went viral on X and reminded others of his past comments about being treated unfairly.Amy Sussman / Getty ImagesReacting to a video that showed long queues of fans waiting to meet McLaughlin, one popular X post read, “When Caleb said a few years ago that no one would stand in his line because of his character/being black. Look at him now! So many people lining up to see him & support him. You will always be loved, Caleb. ALWAYS. You truly deserve it all.”Meanwhile, fans on TikTok praised McLaughlin’s “respectful” demeanor as they wished him “the best for his career ahead.”Alena Zakirova / Getty Images