Fresh off his breakout turn as Derek Turnbow (a.k.a. the fan-favorite “Delightful Derek”) in the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, actor Jake Connelly is having a moment — and he’s enjoying every second of it.
The 14-year-old actor traded the Upside Down for a fryer basket recently, clocking in for a star-powered “shift” at Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers in Plano, Texas.
Joined by Cane’s founder Todd Graves, Connelly spent the day filming playful commercial spots for the fast-growing brand, greeting hundreds of screaming fans and stepping behind the counter to serve Box Combos to excited Caniacs. Between bagging orders and snapping selfies, the rising star also sat down with reporters — including Celeb Secrets — to reflect on his whirlwind rise, the legacy of Stranger Things, and why this partnership feels like a full-circle moment.
“Fighting monsters in the Upside Down was hard,” Connelly joked during the event, “but I think serving hungry fans is harder!”
For Connelly, partnering with Raising Cane’s isn’t just another celebrity endorsement; it’s a genuine fan moment turned dream collaboration.
“I think the first time I ever had it was when we picked it up for takeout,” Connelly shared with Celeb Secrets at the event. “We saw this new chicken tender place, and my brother’s kind of a picky eater — chicken tenders are about the only thing he eats.”
“I think I had the sandwich meal the first time,” he continued with a laugh. “And I fell in love.”
These days, his go-to order has evolved.
“For me, yeah — I’m a Box Combo guy now,” Connelly told reporters. “But I always get an extra toast. That’s my favorite thing ever.”
For Graves, bringing Connelly into the Cane’s universe felt like a natural fit.
“My family and I are huge fans of Stranger Things, especially Season 5 with Jake,” the entrepreneur said. “He’s an incredible young actor who’s just getting started. Jake is chasing his dream just like I chased mine of opening a Chicken Finger restaurant.”
While the Cane’s collaboration marks Connelly’s first major brand partnership, the actor’s meteoric rise can be traced back to his scene-stealing role in the final chapter of Stranger Things. Introduced as playground bully Derek Turnbow, the character quickly evolves into one of the most surprising heroes of the season — earning fans’ hearts along the way.
When Celeb Secrets asked Connelly what sparked Derek’s transformation, the actor reflected on the emotional moment that changed everything.
“I just think he needed somebody to believe in him,” Connelly explained to us. “When Joyce tells him, ‘You’re not Dips*** Derek — you’re Delightful Derek,’ I think that was the moment where he kind of turned things around for himself.”
It’s a journey that resonated deeply with the young actor.
“I actually saw some of myself in Derek with his insecurities,” he added. “But if you fill in those holes, you can finally become a great person. Nobody’s really that bad deep down.”
Despite being a newcomer to the beloved Netflix series, Connelly says the cast instantly welcomed him with open arms.
“I’m so glad everybody was so nice on set,” he told Celeb Secrets. “Even the first time I flew into Atlanta for the table read, everybody was just throwing paper and messing around.”
In fact, his first day included some unexpected bonding time with fan favorites like Joe Keery and Gaten Matarazzo.
“I was sitting right next to Joe and Gaten,” Connelly recalled. “We were throwing wadded-up pieces of paper at each other. It just felt like such a comfortable atmosphere — like I’d been there since season one.”
That camaraderie made the final days of filming especially emotional.
“It was really bittersweet,” Connelly said when Celeb Secrets asked about the weight of filming the series’ final season. “On the last day, a lot of people were crying. This was their life work. They’d been on the show since they were ten or eleven years old.”
Seeing those bonds firsthand left a lasting impression.
“It was sad to see it come to an end,” he added, “but it was also really special to see everybody together.”
Even with the massive success of Stranger Things, Connelly admits the attention still feels surreal.
“Sometimes I’ll go out to a restaurant and forget that I was even on Stranger Things,” he said. “So when people come up and recognize me, it feels kind of like a dream.”
Of course, fans have also been busy crafting their own wild theories about the show’s final chapters — something the actor finds endlessly entertaining.
“One of my favorites was when someone said the new monster was going to be a ‘tree flare,’” he laughed. “I once mentioned that I like planting pine trees, and somehow they turned that into a monster theory.”
Back in Plano, Connelly’s star power was on full display as hundreds of cheering fans packed the restaurant to catch a glimpse of the actor working his “shift.”
From running the drive-thru to bagging meals and posing for selfies, the day blended Hollywood spectacle with hometown hospitality — something Raising Cane’s has become known for. For Connelly, the experience felt surprisingly familiar.
“It actually reminds me a lot of working on Stranger Things,” he said of filming the Cane’s commercials. “You’ve got all the lights and cameras and a big crew around you. But it’s also really fun doing shoots like this with a smaller team.”
And when asked what meal Derek Turnbow would order after battling monsters in Hawkins? Connelly didn’t hesitate.
“Oh, definitely a Caniac Combo,” he said with a grin. “Six fingers — I wouldn’t mind having six fingers after fighting monsters.”
With his breakout role now behind him and his first major brand deal under his belt, Connelly is already dreaming big about the future.
“I’d love to do a Marvel or a DC or even a Star Wars movie next,” he revealed. “Something with that action-thriller atmosphere like Stranger Things. That would be so much fun.”
For now, though, the rising star seems perfectly happy balancing Hollywood buzz with real-world fan moments — whether that means stepping onto a red carpet or stepping behind the counter. And judging by the hundreds of fans who showed up to watch him serve Chicken Fingers in Plano, it’s safe to say “Delightful Derek” has officially entered his main-character era.
You can watch our full interview with Jake below, and don’t forget to let us know if you loved watching Stranger Things season five by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecrets.
Interview quotes have been edited and condensed for clarity. For more on Raising Cane’s, click here.
