American encounters a fake celebrity drifter and invites him to speak to the audience, and he becomes an overnight sensation.
When Rhodes bites the hand that feeds him and pokes fun at his sponsor, a mattress company, it initially pulls its ads, but when his adoring audience revolts by burning mattresses in the street, the sponsor discovers that the issue actually increased sales. Rhodes returns to the air with a new awareness of his persuasive power.
Rhodes is offered a deal—put together without his knowledge by Joey, the overambitious assistant to the owner of the mattress company—to star in a new television show in New York; the rising star accepts the offer and signs a contract that allows Joey to manage him. Rhodes also becomes the national spokesman for the energy supplement firm that sponsors his show, and his buoyant charisma tremendously increases their sales. As his fame, influence, and ego increase, Rhodes is enlisted to improve the appeal of a presidential hopeful, Senator Worthington Fuller of California, and rebrands Fuller as an everyman with the folksy nickname "Curly".
In contrast to his friendly onscreen persona, Rhodes has become an egomaniac who berates his staff. Problems begin to mount, first when a young woman claims to be his legitimate wife, and again with an underage 17-year-old drum majorette. Then documents begin to emerge and the news media writes exposés on Rhodes. Other men have affairs with his young wife. However, he cannot extricate himself from an arrangement. Rhodes announces his political ambitions.
Rhodes's future: his career is not completely over, and he will likely find further TV work soon, but will never again enjoy the same level of popularity and prestige. After leaving the building, Mel and Marcia hear Rhodes screaming from the penthouse for Marcia to return to him, but they ignore him as they depart. Marcia expresses guilt for having elevated Rhodes to power, and Mel replies that a faker like Rhodes may fool people for a while, but "we get wise to him―that's our strength".