We’re less than two weeks into 2026, and already a wild theory has taken over the internet: Conformity Gate. Stranger Things fans across the world are convinced the “real” ending of Season 5 is coming to Netflix on January 7, with a viral Jamie Campbell Bower video fuelling speculation.
Stranger Things officially ended on New Year’s Eve when the Season 5 finale, ‘The Rightside Up’, dropped and left us all in floods of tears. After the final battle, which sees Vecna meet his grisly end, the main characters’ stories were wrapped up… mostly.
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) seemingly died at the gate to the Upside Down, but Mike (Finn Wolfhard) tells the Hawkins crew that she secretly escaped with the help of Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) in her final moments.
Audience reaction to the finale has been mixed, which is perhaps why so many fans are hoping the Duffer brothers are about to pull the biggest trick in TV history by releasing a secret last episode.
Did Vecna star just confirm Conformity Gate?
Firstly, no, Jamie Campbell Bower didn’t confirm anything related to Conformity Gate. However, in a recent episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Vecna star performed as skit in which he used some interesting wording.
Either he’s alluding to the secret Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 9 (highly unlikely), he’s poking fun at the theory, or the wording was simply a nod to his character.
The skit sees Bower leading an ’80s-style aerobics class as Henry Creel. The upbeat routine is repeatedly interrupted when he delivers ominous affirmations. Each time, the pacing slows and the screen turns Vecna red, before abruptly snapping back to the cheerful workout.
It’s one sentence that’s really caught #ConformityGate believers’ attention: “Let’s channel our energy. Tomorrow, it begins.” The actor appeared on Tuesday night’s episode of the chat – January 6.
Given the theory claims that the “secret” Stranger Things finale drops on January 7, his comment has sparked a massive wave of speculation. In the comments section, one wrote, “What do you mean tomorrow it begins?”
“Why would he say that?” said another, while a third added, “‘TOMORROW IT BEGINS’ guys Conformity Gate!”
Others have pointed to the fact that Bower counts down a clock to 12 in the skit, believing this signifies when to expect the supposed new episode.
“Okay… totally don’t believe in y’alls theories but what begins tomorrow? I know the BTS documentary comes out on January 12 which explains him counting to 12 but… that’s not tomorrow?” said one.
Volume 3 title sparks further speculation
One TikToker went into more detail, highlighting the fact that the workout skit is called ‘Turn the Pounds Upside Down, Volume 3’. This alludes to part of the theory, which questions why the Stranger Things Season 5 finale was officially named Volume 3 in marketing materials.
Conformity Gate believers suggest that this is because Episode 8 was Volume 3, and we’re getting an Episode 9 named “the finale” this week. Again, there’s no evidence to back this up, but the skit has added fuel to the fire.
The TikToker goes on to state, “Twice, he says, ‘You are the light. You are the light.’ By the way, the color changes because it gets really intense when he says this. Then this one he says twice: ‘Channel our energy. Channel our energy.’
“It gets very serious and dramatic, and he says, ‘Tomorrow, it begins.’ Then he does this exercise where he says, ‘This is the clock.’ And he goes from one all the way around to 12.”
But it appears to be wishful thinking, as 12am has already been and gone. “But it’s already past midnight on the east coast,” said one. “When is it dropping? Is it for them?”
Of course, some believers think he means 24 hours from when the Fallon episode dropped. “It would be 7pm on January 7th, so about 18 hrs,” commented one, while another wrote, “All the episodes dropped later in the days, not at midnight.”
For the most part, Stranger Things fans are being realistic. “Conformity Gate is the craziest thing, guys it’s NOT happening,” wrote one.
“Not y’all getting trolled by a Jimmy Fallon segment lmao,” another added, with a third chiming in, “At this point Stranger Things are just rage baiting everyone.”
What exactly is Conformity Gate?
Conformity Gate is a theory arguing that Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 8, ‘The Rightside Up’, wasn’t the real finale. Supporters believe that a secret Episode 9 exists and will be dropping on January 7.
According to the theory, Vecna put Mike into a trance at the end of Volume 1, and many events after this were an illusion created by Vecna in Mike’s head.
“It is still November 6, 1987 and any scene after this point that had Mike in it cannot be taken as credible events,” one fan argued.
They think that the “real” ending will take place in the real world, and will wrap up Stranger Things in a different way. As said, there’s no evidence from official sources to support this idea, but that hasn’t stopped the theory from spreading.
Stranger Things countdown clock
Alongside the Vecna skit, a supposed countdown clock to the “secret” finale has been doing the rounds – but it’s simply a stunt to poke fun at the theory.
You see, the website novembersixthnineteeneightyseven.com was launched on January 5, 2026, and reportedly showed a countdown to January 7. One TikToker shared clips of the site, writing, “To all doubters, I’ll take those apologies now…”
However, some fans started digging on Who Is and found that the website wasn’t registered by any official sources.
“Now there’s a countdown website leading up to January 7th seemingly confirming ‘Conformity Gate’,” wrote one.
“When you look up the domain info it shows that it was registered just yesterday (1/5/26) and when you Google any of the contact info it leads to a Google results page related to all sorts of scams.
“Congratulations Stranger Things Conformity Gate fandom! You’ve primed yourself to be targeted by scammers.”
And if that weren’t proof enough, when you visit the site now, it simply says, “Just because it got posted to TikTok doesn’t mean it’s true. Now go outside and touch some grass.”
Just to reiterate, the Duffer brothers, Netflix, and the Stranger Things cast and crew have repeatedly said that Episode 8 is the last ever episode of the flagship series. In short, don’t spend the day holding your breath.
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