Was the success of Rupert Pupkin real in King of Comedy?

Question

In the final scene of Martin Scorsese's 'King of Comedy' a news report suggests that Rupert Pupkin (played by Robert De Niro), after coming out of prison, becomes a sensation and releases his much awaited autobiography. At the same time he is shown to be holding various offers for shows.

Is it possible that he would have imagined this bit too like his previous conversations and stage shows with Jerry Langford? Is there any suggestive evidence leading to reality or otherwise?

Answer 1

There appears to be some debate over this (on IMDb boards and Rotten Tomatoes et al), but I found a wiki snippet that suggests the following:

Film scholar David Bordwell, writing in Film Viewer's Guide, mentioned the (un)reality of the ending as a topic for debate. A number of scenes in the film — Rupert and Jerry in the restaurant, Jerry meeting Rupert after having listened to his tape and calling him a genius, Rupert getting married "live" on Jerry's show — exist solely in Rupert's imagination, and Bordwell suggested that some viewers would think the final sequence is another fantasy.