At Eddies Comedy Club, comedian Samir Wassan does a routine on the 2nd Amendment to an unenthused crowd at a night club. The audience doesn't laugh and Samir leaves the stage after finishing his routine. At the bar Samir orders a drink and a woman, Didi, sits down next to him and tells him to try some jokes in his routine. She points out that people like her act and a comedian down the bar, Joe Donner, chuckles. Didi tells Samir that even though Joe got off for murder after he hit a bus stop across the street and killed a mother and son, he's funny.
Once Didi leaves, J.C. Wheeler speaks up and Samir greets his idol. He points out that J.C. had it all and then disappeared, and J.C. says that he saw Samir's set. When Samir talks about his girlfriend and her dog, J.C. tells him that it's funnier than the 2nd Amendment and to move on to the next topic. Samir asks for advice, and J.C. tells him that people care about him, not politics. When Samir says that the point of comedy is to provide insight into the human condition, J.C. asks if he's happy with his life and his career. Samir says that he wants it more than anything, and J.C. tells him to put himself out and he'll get successful. He asks if Samir is sure he wants to be successful, and when Samir says that he does, J.C. tells him to be sure that he's sure because the audience will take it in once Samir puts it out there. Then it will be theirs and it's gone forever. Samir says that he chose comedy because he wants it all and they share a toast.
Later, Joe ends his set and Samir comes up. He goes on about the 2nd Amendment and the audience looks bored. He then starts insulting them, saying that they have the same faces as his dog does when it's taking a shit. The audience laughs and Samir keeps making jokes about his dog.
After the show, Samir goes home to his apartment. He calls to his dog but gets no response, and then goes to the bedroom and wakes up his girlfriend Rena. Samir tells her that it was his best set ever that night and asks where the dog is. Rena has no idea what he's talking about and says that they never had a dog.
Later, Samir and Rena's nephew, Deven, put up "missing" posters for the dog. Samir explains that all of his photos of his dog disappeared. Deven doesn't know the dog and Samir assumes that Deven and Rena are playing a prank on him. They go into Eddies and Samir asks if J.C. is there. The bartender dismisses his inquiry, and Didi comes over. Samir explains that Deven is staying with them while his father is out of town, and Deven says that he wants to be a comedian like Samir, just good.
Samir does his routine and then switches to personal comedy when the audience doesn't laugh at his first jokes. He starts talking about he can only talk to Deven through texts, and tells him to get off of his phone. The audience finds Samir's new jokes funny, including Deven. As everyone applauds, Deven disappears and only Samir notices. After the show, he talks to Didi and asks if she's seen Deven. Didi has no idea who Deven is, and there's no sign of Deven outside. Deven isn't on Samir's contact list on his phone, but the missing dog posters that Samir put up earlier are still up.
Samir goes back to his apartment and finds Rena having drinks with her friend, David Kendell. Samir says that he wants to talk to Rena about Deven, but she has no idea who he is. David figures that he's joking, and Samir discovers that Deven has disappeared from the family photos. He tells Rena that Deven never existed so he didn't kill him, and explains that J.C. told him that he needs to put himself out to people and then the things he talks about would be gone. Rena says that what he's thinking is a good thing, and David joins them and tells Samir that putting himself out is a form of therapy.
Once David goes back, Rena tells Samir that he's been doing comedy for five years and he should throw himself at whatever he's found that makes people laugh. Samir points out that the things he jokes about get erased.
Samir goes back to Eddies and the owner tells him that he's been great and is going to headline. Joe overhears him and figures that Samir will fuck it up. Samir goes onstage and performs, and starts talking about the 2nd Amendment. When no one laughs, Samir tells a joke about Deven but no one laughs, and tries a joke about the President. No one laughs, and Samir sees Joe and starts joking about him. Everyone laughs, including Joe, and when Samir glances back at Joe, he discovers that he's disappeared. The bus stop across the street is undamaged because Joe never existed. Two people from the club come over and congratulate Samir.
Back at the apartment, Samir looks up people from high school that bullied them and jokes about them. They disappear one by one and everyone laughs at the jokes. Afterward, Samir meets with Rena, who came to hear his act. They go out for pizza and discuss Samir's past, and as they take the bus back home Samir checks his phone and confirms that he has more online followers. Back at the apartment they drink and dance.
Samir continues telling jokes about people in his past and making them disappear, and tells Rena that he feels that his comedy is changing the world. Rena says that she likes the new Samir, and he asks her for the name of a man that she defended who turned out to be guilty. The conversation turns to David, and Rena insists that he's just her mentor. Samir figures that David wants to have sex with her, and Rena curses him and leaves.
Later on the bus, Samir is working through a list of names when a skinhead sits down ahead of him. That night, Samir says that he talked to the skinhead and he said that he killed someone. As Rena comes in, Samir realizes that the audience isn't laughing. Samir realizes that the man, "Buck", gave him a fake name so he can't get any laughs. He then jokes about David and everyone laughs, including Rena. Samir makes sure to say David's name, and afterward Didi sarcastically tells him that he's been acting like the cock of the walk. Going over to Rena, Samir asks her about David and she has no memory of Rena. She then leaves for her shift at a diner and mentions that she's not a lawyer. Rena thinks that Samir is making a joke and walks away, cursing him.
Samir goes after Rena and says that he changed something. Rena tells him that she isn't going to wait for him to hit it big, and Samir realizes that the expensive coat she bought in Paris is gone. She never went to Paris because they couldn't afford it, and he says that the trip saved their relationship. Samir suggests that they go on the trip now he can afford it, but she says that he's a jerk and the people in his lives are just material for his routines. He says that he did it on her advice, and Rena tells him that they're done. Samir tries to explain about his power, and Rena calls him a selfish asshole and walks away.
Back at his apartment, Samir discovers that Rena never lived there. Furious, he throws away his notebook of names.
Later, Samir goes to Eddies to drink. Didi figures that Rena dumped him and says that it was the right decision for Rena. Samir wonders what he is without Rena, and he wonders if he has to give something up to get something. The owner, Pete, comes over and says that Candy Cower is coming there to see if Didi or Samir or worth casting on her show. Samir's act begins and he starts with his usual routine. When no one laughs, he switches to jokes about people in his past who no longer exist. The audience doesn't laugh at those, and Samir figures that they need fresh blood. A financial bro in the audience heckles Samir, and gets applause. Samir asks what his name is, and when the man says his name is Gabe and his friend is Will, they talk about their careers. The comedian starts joking about them and the audience laughs... and Gabe and Will disappear. Samir stares in shock, realizing what he's done, and quickly leaves the stage.
When Samir goes to the dressing room, Didi is drinking and says that there's only one spot and Candy should have gone straight to her. She wonders how Samir suddenly got funny, and Samir tells her that he's not going on stage. Didi tells him that he can't stop and she came in to tell him that if Candy chooses Samir then it would be a good choice. She says that she'll see him on stage and then she'll come out ahead. Before she goes on her stage, Didi insults his Samir's manhood and tells him to kill it. Samir remembers Deven and smiles. Pete comes in and asks if Samir is ready, and confirms that Candy is there.
J.C. appears in the dressing room and tells Samir that it's Samir's big chance. He says that he warned Samir what would happen if he put himself out there, and tells Samir that he can't murder people who never existed. Samir wonders where they go, and J.C. tells him that he still has a chance and should finish it.
Samir goes to the stage and hears the people laughing at Didi's jokes. He smiles and then takes the stage after she finishes. Samir starts to congratulate Didi by name and then abruptly goes silent. He hesitates and finally says her name, and Didi disappears from existence.
Continuing his routine, Samir puts himself out for the audience and they laugh hysterically. Rena comes in and boos, and says that she found his notebook with the names. She tells Samir that his act is just taking other people down, and he should burn her up to get where he wants. The audience waits, and Samir says that he's been selfish. He then says that he wants to tell the audience about... himself. Everyone laughs, and Samir talks about how he tries to make people laugh because he wants money and validation. Samir admits that he doesn't know why he wants that, and says that he only has one thing left to give. He yells his own name and disappears, and the audience gives him a standing ovation.
Deven comes out of the club and greets Rena, and says that the routine was funny. Didi comes over and Rena tells her that she was hilarious. Once Rena and Deven leave, Didi sits at the bar and recognizes J.C. sitting next to her. She asks for any notes that he might have.
Written by Gadfly on Apr 2, 2019