This Video Of Joseph Quinn Tearing Up Is Going Viral For The Most Touching Reason

Most of Hawkins may hate Eddie Munson, but the opposite is true of how the Stranger Things fandom feels about Joseph Quinn. The actor had one of his first tastes of superstardom while attending the London Film and Comic Con shortly after the release of Stranger Things 4, Vol. 2, and it seems like it was an emotional rollercoaster for him. It all ended in the most heartwarming way possible, though, as a viral video of Joseph Quinn tearing up at LFCC emphasized just how beloved the actor is.

Warning: Stranger Things 4, Vol. 2 spoilers follow. Although Quinn had been working as an actor for years (even in major productions like Game of Thrones), it wasn’t until this summer that he became the name on everybody’s lips (including Doja Cat’s). He joined Stranger Things in its fourth season as the outcast metalhead Eddie Munson, and immediately became a fan-favorite character. When Volume 2 of the season dropped on July 1, the fandom love for Eddie was forever solidified after fans watched him sacrifice himself to save his friends.

It was basically a given that Quinn would be in very high demand when he attended the London Film and Comic Con just days after Eddie’s big moment hit Netflix. Quinn attended the convention from from July 8 to July 10, and it was his first ever con experience. Unfortunately, though, it apparently didn’t get off to a great start. According to social media posts gathered by Buzzfeed, attendees accused staffers hired by the con’s organizer, Showmasters, of mistreating both Quinn and the fans who came to his meet-and-greet. Various Twitter threads recount moments of workers yelling at Quinn and berating him for talking with fans too long after seemingly overbooking his event.

Showmasters responded to the backlash with a lengthy Twitter thread on July 12. In the thread, the organization denied all claims that Quinn was yelled at or that his meet-and-greet was overbooked. “There are a few untrue stories going around about Joseph & his family members being shouted at by his security team, which are 100% untrue,” Showmasters tweeted. “There is a story about Joseph being treated badly by the event organisers that is also 100% untrue. There is a story about Joseph being overworked & the event being oversold which again is 100% untrue.” Elite Daily reached out to Showmasters for further comment, considering the large number of tweets indicating there was an issue, but did not hear back by the time of publication.

Following these meet-and-greets, Quinn fielded questions from fans during a Q&A panel. It was here that artist Kimberley Burrows expressed her gratitude for Quinn giving so much to his fans despite any potential adverse treatment. Samantha Langer captured the heartfelt moment and shared it to her fan account, @joeandjoseph. The video has since gone viral.

In the video, Burrows is heard saying: “Mine’s not really a question, it’s more of an extension of gratitude, really. 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 really 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. 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. We’ve traveled far because we all really connect with you as well, and you’ve really made our weekend. You’ve really made mine as well, you were so nice to me and my guide dog yesterday. However you were treated yesterday, we are so grateful — thank you.”

At the end of the heartfelt comment, Quinn had to wipe tears away from his eyes, jokingly saying “Aw, why’d you do that?” through the waterworks. The video, and Quinn’s reaction in the video has since sparked an outpouring of support for the actor on social media, with fans doubling down on the notion that he must be protected at all costs.

So, although it sounds like Quinn’s first experience at a fandom con didn’t go super smoothly, at least it ended on a high note, and he got to see firsthand just how much his fans adore him.