Meet Jake Connelly, who plays bully-turned-ally Derek Turnbow in Netflix’s Stranger Things

Jan 2 , 2026

Jake Connelly plays foul-mouthed bully-turned-ally Derek Turnbow in Stranger Things’ final season. Photo: @jakeconnellyofficial/Instagram

The 13-year-old fan favourite, who was in commercials before his big break, had to keep his involvement in the series a secret for 18 months

Nearly 10 years since it premiered, Netflix’s sci-fi juggernaut Stranger Things aired its grand finale on New Year’s Eve, closing out 2025 with an emotional farewell to the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana.

While fans were sad to say goodbye to the show’s actors – Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Sadie Sink, Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin – the final season also introduced new main characters like Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) and Derek Turnbow, played by Jake Connelly, who quickly won fans over.

Jake Connelly’s Instagram follower count has crossed the 1.5 million mark. Photo: @jakeconnellyofficial/Instagram

Initially introduced as a foul-mouthed bully, Derek wins over the Hawkins teenagers when he becomes an unlikely hero after being kidnapped by the series’ ultimate antagonist, Vecna.

Here’s what to know about Connelly, who at just 13 years old, already has 1.5 million Instagram followers.

He fell in love with acting doing commercials

Stranger Things’ Jake Connelly acted in commercials before his Stranger Things audition. Photo: @jakeconnellyofficial/Instagram

Born in 2012, Jake Connelly hails from Chicago, Illinois. He began his acting career a couple of years ago when his mum’s director friend tapped the youngster for a window commercial.

“I fell in love with it. We got some headshots from my cousin, and one thing led to another,” Connelly told Teen Vogue. “We got signed on with a talent agency and we got all these auditions, and one of them was Stranger Things.”

Jake Connelly wasn’t expecting his character in Stranger Things to be a main player. Photo: @jakeconnellyofficial/Instagram

While Connelly was ecstatic about auditioning for Stranger Things, the young actor admits he was expecting to be cast as a minor character at best.

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Meet Jake Connelly, who plays bully-turned-ally Derek Turnbow in Netflix’s Stranger Things

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The 13-year-old fan favourite, who was in commercials before his big break, had to keep his involvement in the series a secret for 18 months

He fell in love with acting doing commercials

The 13-year-old fan favourite, who was in commercials before his big break, had to keep his involvement in the series a secret for 18 months