It might appear that way to the naked eye but Stranger Things star Joe Keery is definitely not related to actor Ben Schwartz. Stranger Things was an instant, word of mouth success when it arrived on Netflix in 2016. The show followed the mysterious disappearance of a young boy in a small Indiana town, with his friends coming together to try and find him. The show almost plays like Stand By Me if it was directed by Steven Spielberg, and the series paid homage to a number of 1980s classics like E.T. or Aliens.
The show also overcame accusations the premise was nostalgia pandering because while Stranger Things certainly draws influences from a number of famous properties, it also features a great cast and characters. This includes Winona Ryder (Bram Stroker's Dracula), David Harbour, and Joe Keery as Steve Harrington. Steve initially comes off as something of a douche in the first season and is at the center of a love triangle between Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, but he eventually turns out to a good guy.
Steve Harrington really became a fan favorite with Stranger Things season 2, where he teams up with Gaten Matarazzo's Dustin against the Mind Flayer. One thing fans couldn't help but notice during season 1 was Joe Keery's almost eerie similarity to actor Ben Schwartz. Schwartz is best known for playing Jean-Ralphio Saperstein on Parks And Recreation, which is set in the present day. This led to rampant fan theories that Harrington is actually Jean-Ralphio's real father, which was only reinforced by the fact the two shows are set in Indiana.
Fun as the theory might be - and it could even be true - this has led some to think maybe Ben Schwartz and Joe Keery are actually related in real-life. This isn't the case, however, because outside of being practical doppelgangers, the two men have no family ties in real-life. That hasn't stopped them having fun with the idea, including appearing together on The Late Late Show with James Corden and in a Visa advert.
Ben Schwartz sent Joe Keery a Happy Father's Day tweet in 2018 too, just to keep the joke alive. Schwartz is also providing the voice for Sonic in the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog movie, which recently went viral for all the wrong reasons. Following the almost unanimous negative response to Sonic's design, the studio decided to delay the movie to 2020 so they could redesign the character completely. Joe Keery is also returning as Steve for Stranger Things season 3.