The hotly anticipated return of Netflix's Stranger Things has been cause for celebration for its fanbase, who were kept waiting just shy of three years for season four to drop due to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying production.
So when the cast made an appearance at this year's London Film and ComicCon, it's an understatement to say the stars were in hot demand.
So much so that British actor Joseph Quinn, who plays the new character of Eddie Munson on the show, was reportedly "yelled at" by the event's staff who were angry at him for taking too much time interacting with the fans who'd paid to see him.
So when an attendee showed their gratitude to Quinn for sharing his time with the show's devoted fan base, Quinn couldn't help but be overcome with emotion--and it's hitting people on the internet right in the heart strings. See video of the moment below.
The event's production company Showmasters' treatment of Quinn had been widely complained about by fans on social media.
Attendees said that Showmasters had oversold Quinn's event, and reported witnessing event organizers yelling and swearing at Quinn for taking time with fans, who'd paid between approximately $50 and $150 for the privilege.
\u201cI had such a good weekend at @Showmasters but I will say one thing, if you guys continue to treat your guests the way you treated Joseph Quinn you are going to lose out on a lot of your regulars with that outrageous behaviour from your staff. It\u2019s disgusting how he was treated.\u201d— \u028f\u1d00\u1d22\u1d22\u029f\u1d07s\u2730 (@\u028f\u1d00\u1d22\u1d22\u029f\u1d07s\u2730) 1657573692
As a result, one attendee, a blind woman named Kimberley, took the opportunity she was given to ask Quinn a question to instead thank him for spending time with his fans despite the treatment he'd received from Showmasters. She said:
"I’m sure a lot of us have heard what happened yesterday — whether it’s true or not — about how you were treated."
"I won’t comment on it, but I just wanted to say thank you from all of us, we’re really grateful that you’re sharing your time."
As the crowd began to applaud and cheer and Quinn appeared to choke back tears, Kimberley went on to say:
“Thank you for signing our things. For spending time with us and making our summer. I think that we’ve all really connected with Eddie, for one reason or another — whether we liked his music taste, or that he’s an outsider like you mentioned."
"I think all of us are part Eddie."
By this point, Quinn could no longer choke it back--he could be seen openly crying and wiping tears from his eyes as Kimberley finished expressing her gratitude.
"However you were treated yesterday, we are so grateful — thank you."
Quinn responded by jokingly asking, "Aww, why’d you do that?" before thanking Kimberley, clearly at a loss for words.
On social media, people were deeply moved by the moment.
\u201cJoseph Quinn deserves the world. \u201d— Matt Ramos (@Matt Ramos) 1657554923
\u201c@therealsupes I love him. \ud83e\udd79\ud83e\udd79\ud83e\udd79\ud83e\udd72\ud83e\udd72\ud83e\udd72\u201d— Matt Ramos (@Matt Ramos) 1657554923
\u201c@PopCrave PROTECT HIM AT ALL COST\u201d— Pop Crave (@Pop Crave) 1657571101
\u201c@PopCrave When you started crying baby i did too \ud83e\udd7a\u201d— Pop Crave (@Pop Crave) 1657571101
\u201cthe fact that after this weekend, joe knows how loved he truly is. i hope he never doubts himself again. the smiles i\u2019ve seen on his face in pictures, the tears he shed, the laughs i\u2019ve heard. joseph quinn, you deserve the world.\u201d— kay \u2728 (@kay \u2728) 1657484786
\u201cjoseph quinn cried and i burst into tears.\u201d— caitlin (@caitlin) 1657456175
\u201cLiterally love this guy with my whole heart \ud83e\udd79\u2764\ufe0f\ud83e\udd79\u2764\ufe0f #joesphquinn #JoeQuinn #StrangerThings\u201d— HBur7 (@HBur7) 1657654712
\u201cI'm not crying, you're crying\u201d— Dawn Lee Taylor \ud83d\udd06 (@Dawn Lee Taylor \ud83d\udd06) 1657636795
\u201cevery time i see this part of his panel on my tl i literally burst into tears. i\u2019m so glad he knows how loved he is and how much we appreciate him. i am so incredibly grateful to have him in my life. i love you so much joseph quinn\u201d— \u203a keira \u25e1\u0308 joseph lovebot (@\u203a keira \u25e1\u0308 joseph lovebot) 1657480265
\u201ci love him sm, this video brings me tears every time i see it \ud83e\udef6\ud83c\udffb\n#StrangerThings #strangerthingsseason4 #josephquinn\u201d— cassie \ud83e\udd87 (@cassie \ud83e\udd87) 1657559689
After all this bad publicity, let's hope Showmasters learns a lesson or two from this.
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