‘The Stranger Things’ Cast Responds to That Wild Secret Episode Fan Theory

The creators and cast of Stranger Things recently reunited in Los Angeles for an Emmys For Your Consideration event, and they ended up talking about the show’s final season and one of the most unusual fan theories that followed it.

The information comes from The Hollywood Reporter coverage of the event held at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where key members of the team spoke about the series ending and audience reactions.

The event brought together creators the Duffer Brothers, executive producer Shawn Levy, and actors Noah Schnapp, David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, and Jamie Campbell Bower. They looked back at the final season, which was released in parts and ended on New Year’s Eve. After the finale aired, a strange theory started spreading online.

Some fans believed the final episode was not real and that it was actually an illusion created by Vecna, the villain played by Jamie Campbell Bower. This theory became known online as “Conformity Gate.” It even suggested that a secret ninth episode would be released later as the real ending of the series.

Jamie Campbell Bower reacted strongly when asked about it. He said, “That was crazy, that was fucking crazy,” while explaining how the idea spread so quickly. He also mentioned that part of the confusion came from a social media video he posted while promoting an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Fans started analyzing it closely and believed he was dropping hidden clues. Bower explained that it was not intentional and said, “The fans held onto that, they were like, ‘He’s saying something about time and he’s stopping on nine!’ And I was like, ‘No, no, no, we’ve just come up with this idea in the back of a car to the airport!’”

Noah Schnapp also spoke about the situation and said fans were constantly messaging him about the rumored secret episode. He made it clear that nothing like that was ever filmed. He said, “I promise you we did not film another episode. I don’t know where people got that from, I’ve never seen so many people convinced of something so wrong.” His comments showed how widespread the theory became online, even among people close to the show.

Executive producer Shawn Levy also shared his thoughts on the situation. He explained that the online reaction showed how powerful fan theories can become once they start spreading.

He said, “The sort of wishful thinking, legendary, fabled episode nine — that was baffling and thank God by that point I had learned not to even try engaging with people online, and that the internet and social media is this sort of self-fueling machine of theory and story. I felt bad for the world, because they really believed; as much as I believe that Eleven is still alive somewhere by those waterfalls, the world seemed to really believe for a while in that extra episode. I knew they were going to get their hearts broken by its absence, but there was nothing I could do to spare them that pain.”

The final season itself ended with an emotional and open conclusion. Millie Bobby Brown’s character Eleven appears to make a major sacrifice inside the Upside Down, but a final moment leaves her fate unclear. Some cast members, including Schnapp and Bower, believe Eleven survived, while Levy suggested the ending was designed to leave some things open to interpretation.

The reunion event also included discussions with the show’s behind-the-scenes team, including makeup effects, sound, stunt work, and visual effects departments, all of which helped shape the final season’s look and feel.

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