Finn Wolfhard hosted Saturday Night Live this past weekend, delivering a polarizing episode that directly addressed the intense fan backlash surrounding the Stranger Things series finale and the bizarre “Conformity Gate” conspiracy theory.
Monologue Controversy and Misogynistic Undertones
While the episode leaned heavily into the show’s legacy, Wolfhard’s opening monologue drew immediate criticism for relying on tired, misogynistic tropes. The actor reflected on growing up on the set of the Netflix hit over the last decade, joking that he first discovered the anatomy of a woman “down there” while filming. The segment cut to a scene of his character, Mike, staring into the jaws of a Demogorgon—a crude punchline equating female genitalia with a flesh-eating monster that many viewers found distasteful.
Mocking Spinoffs and Coma Jokes
The actual Stranger Things sketch performed better by satirizing Netflix’s tendency to endlessly milk its franchises. The segment imagined a series of absurd spinoffs, including a Sex and the City parody featuring Wolfhard’s character writing in ’90s New York City. Despite the creative premise, the sketch faced heat for a dark joke regarding the character Max, whose post-coma status was reduced to a punchline about her “lying there” during intimate moments with Lucas.
Addressing the “Will” Backlash and Homophobia Claims
The sketch also targeted the infamous coming-out scene from season 5—a moment fans previously criticized for being overly sentimental and unnecessarily long. SNL joked that Will wasn’t receiving a spinoff because his confession scene was still ongoing. While some viewers labeled the parody as homophobic, the critique appears to be aimed at the scene’s bloated pacing rather than the character’s identity itself.
The “Conformity Gate” Conspiracy
Perhaps the most meta moment of the night was the direct call-out of “Conformity Gate,” a fringe fan theory claiming a secret ninth episode exists to “fix” the divisive series finale. In the sketch, Wolfhard reunites with co-stars on an Icelandic mountaintop, declaring that the final season’s events were merely an illusion created by Vecna. The bit culminated in a surreal appearance by Kenan Thompson—filling in for Millie Bobby Brown—clutching an Eggo waffle and speaking nonsense.
Real-World Tensions Persist
The tension didn’t stay confined to the stage. The Duffer Brothers, creators of the series, were reportedly in attendance at the taping and faced heckling from disgruntled fans as they exited the venue. Although the “Conformity Gate” movement has largely lost steam, a small faction of “true believers” continues to insist the secret episode is real. Actor Joe Keery, however, has publicly dismissed the theory, confirming that no such footage exists.
