Bad Thoughts ending explained: Was it all a dream?

Bad Thoughts, a dark comedy series, premiered on Netflix on May 13, 2025. According the Netflix, the season consists of six episodes, and its synopsis reads,

"A collection of hilariously disturbing stories that push the boundaries of decency in ways only Tom Segura could imagine."

Disclaimer: The article contains spoilers for the series. Reader's discretion is advised.

Created by stand-up comedian Tom Segura, each episode features a standalone, disturbing story in which characters face deranged situations that test their limits. Bad Thoughts includes Tom Segura, Robert Iler, and Daniella Pineda, among other actors. The show draws a comparison to "Black Mirror" and "Chappelle's Show," as it showcases unpredictable consequences of seemingly trivial decisions.

The sixth and final episode, titled Health, shows Tom Segura as a college biology teacher, an extremely indecisive individual. The episode proceeds through a series of disturbing and wild scenes after Tom joins the gym. However, by the end, he snaps out of it and realizes he's just been dreaming and trying to talk himself out of it.

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Bad Thoughts: final episode explained.

A still from episode 6 of Bad Thoughts (Image via Netflix)

The final episode of Bad Thoughts consists of a monologue by Tom Segura, where he talks about the importance of health and what people do to achieve it.

"Health. There are so many things you have to do to master it. Some people eat right, some people do yoga. And for some people, the only way they can function is to experience the nonstop laughter with millions of fans, knowing it could all go away at any moment," he says.

The scene then shifts to Segura placing a gun to his forehead, about to take his life, before he receives a phone call. He then stops and says:

"My show got renewed!"

The episode then shifts to Segura's character as a college teacher, who is bullied by his students for not having the perfect physique. This causes him to go to the gym to become fit. Before signing his one-year membership form, he tells the gym staff that he always finds a way to talk himself out of things and is seen contemplating his decision.

The episode then progresses through unexpected changes that happen to Segura's body. This is caused by the pre-workout shot that he takes every day before working out. Soon, however, Segura regrets his decision and goes through a traumatic experience before snapping out of his dream.

The whole sequence of events happens in his head as a way of convincing him not to hit the gym. The episode uses satire and dark comedy to talk about how people will make the most bizarre excuses to not take care of their health, rather than making important choices and following through with them.

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Tom Segura on Bad Thoughts

In an interview with the LA Times published on May 7, 2025, Segura opened up about making his special. Shooting the first episode proved extremely expensive, however, his agents convinced him to pursue the project and market it.

“Our agents looked at it and they were like, ‘You have to shop this. We know you can do something with this.’ I was in the middle of my tour at that point, so it wasn’t until 2024 when I was like, OK, we have to get on this,” he explained.

Netflix decided to acquire Bad Thoughts after Segura showed it to them.

“It’s six episodes, but we got to use two of the stories that were in the original presentation. Two of the three are in the actual series, and you can tell because I weigh 40 pounds more in them,” he added.

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Bad Thoughts is available to stream on Netflix.