Think of the universe as a painting. There’s the image made in paint, and the surface it was painted on. The canvas.
The stars, the planets, the gasses, the matter and energy and even the space between are the paint. What’s the canvas? Is there a canvas? Would the canvas follow the same rules as the paint?
The question hits on some of the most fundamental aspects of our current understanding of reality and theoretical physics. As another commenter pointed out, one potential answer delves into QFT. Just because OP used a metaphor doesn’t warrant you saying they had “too many pot brownies” and there’s absolutely no need to be a condescending jerk here.
I agree completely. As someone who’s fascinated with cosmology, I think this is a perfectly reasonable question and a perfect fit for this community.