‘Parks and Rec’ Star Ben Schwartz Totally Confirms ‘Stranger Things’ Theory
Image by Stranger Things
Those of you still going bananas over the 80’s-tastic Netflix original “Stranger Things” may be familiar with the fan theories buzzing around the internet about the show. There are speculations about who the monster really is, about the fate of Barb, and about what’s going to happen next season, if there is a next season (which we will link to, but not explain, because spoilers).
One of the more light-hearted fan theories going around is based on the fact that “Stranger Things” character Steve Harrington, the slightly rehabilitated entitled ass and teenage male love interest, looks a whole lot like Parks and Recreation character Jean-Ralphio Sapperstein, a not-so-rehabilitated entitled ass played by Ben Schwartz. Is it possible, asked the internet, that Steve goes onto become Jean-Ralphio’s father?!
During an episode of “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” Ben Schwartz “confirmed” that Jean-Ralphio is indeed Steve’s son. He was later backed up by “Parks and Rec” co-creator Mike Schur, who Tweeted that while he couldn’t confirm or deny if Steve was Jean-Ralphio’s father officially, “Steve is definitely his real dad.”
Check out the video here:
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Dive In
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion Gaza and Trump have left the Jewish community at war with itself — and me with a bad case of alienation
-
Fast Forward Trump administration restores student visas, but impact on pro-Palestinian protesters is unclear
-
Fast Forward Deborah Lipstadt says Trump’s campus antisemitism crackdown has ‘gone way too far’
-
Fast Forward 5 Jewish senators accuse Trump of using antisemitism as ‘guise’ to attack universities
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.