Fans spotted ChatGPT tabs in Netflix documentary footage. Here's the full breakdown.
On January 12, 2026, Netflix released "One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5" — a two-hour behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling the creation of the show's final season.
Eagle-eyed viewers quickly spotted something suspicious: in footage showing creators Matt and Ross Duffer writing the final episode "The Rightside Up" in a Google Doc, fans allege they could see ChatGPT tabs open on the brothers' laptops.
Screenshots from the documentary spread rapidly across Reddit, Twitter/X, and TikTok. Fans pointed to what appeared to be:
The images became a lightning rod for fans already frustrated with the show's divisive finale.
This controversy lands during an extremely sensitive time in Hollywood. The 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were fought partly over AI concerns — writers feared studios would use AI to replace human creativity.
Even if the Duffer Brothers only used ChatGPT for "research," the optics are devastating. It suggests that even beloved creators might be relying on the same AI tools that threaten to replace working writers.
Documentary director Martina Radwan spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the controversy. Her responses have been criticized as dismissive:
— Martina Radwan, Documentary Director
— Martina Radwan, defending the visible tabs
— Martina Radwan, dismissing script-writing concerns
When asked directly by THR reporter Tony Maglio whether she witnessed ChatGPT being used to write the show:
— Martina Radwan
Netflix and the Duffer Brothers have declined to comment.
The silence from the creators themselves has only fueled speculation. A simple denial or explanation would go a long way — but none has come.
"This explains SO much about why the finale felt so hollow and generic. AI can't write emotional payoffs."
— r/StrangerThings
"Even if they just used it for 'research,' it's such a bad look after the strikes. These are millionaire showrunners — hire a researcher."
— Twitter/X
"The documentary director's response made it worse. 'Doesn't everybody have it open?' No, not professional writers getting paid millions."
— r/television
"I defended this show for years. If they actually used AI to write the ending, I'm done."
January 12, 2026
Netflix releases "One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5" documentary
January 12-13, 2026
Fans begin circulating screenshots showing apparent ChatGPT/Reddit tabs on Duffer Brothers' laptops
January 13, 2026
Screenshots go viral on Reddit, Twitter/X, and TikTok. #StrangerThingsAI trends
January 14, 2026
Documentary director Martina Radwan responds to The Hollywood Reporter with dismissive comments
January 14, 2026
Netflix and the Duffer Brothers decline to comment. Controversy continues to grow.
There is no cast-iron evidence that the Duffer Brothers used ChatGPT to actually write Stranger Things Season 5. The visible tabs could have been for research, brainstorming, or unrelated work.
However, the documentary director's dismissive response — "doesn't everybody have it open?" — and the creators' silence have done nothing to reassure fans.
In post-strike Hollywood, where AI is an existential threat to writers, even the appearance of using ChatGPT during the creative process is a betrayal of trust.
This isn't an isolated incident. AI tools are increasingly being used — openly or secretly — throughout the entertainment industry:
The Stranger Things controversy is a symptom of a much larger shift in how content is created — often without transparency to audiences or credit to the machines involved.
If major showrunners are using ChatGPT — even "just for research" — it raises uncomfortable questions: