Good-humored jokes and little pranks can be a fun way to ease tension, especially at family functions that can otherwise seem a bit awkward and stuffy.
But in order for those to land well and earn a laugh, they have to be, well, good… and definitely not at the expense of someone else.
That was certainly not the case for a woman on Reddit who dumped her boyfriend after he announced a fake pregnancy to his “traditional” family on Thanksgiving, so she turned to the “Am I The A**hole Here” (AITAH) subReddit to seek feedback from fellow Redditors.
Redditor Crystal_Serenity asked:
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
“Alright, so I (20/F[emale]) went to my boyfriend Jake’s (22/M[ale]) family’s Thanksgiving dinner last week.”
“We’d been dating a year, and this was my first time meeting the whole squad, so I was already kinda nervous.”
“Before we left, Jake joked about how his family was super traditional and said I should ‘be ready’ for some old-fashioned vibes.”
“I just laughed it off.”
“Dinner starts and everything’s fine until Jake suddenly goes, ‘Hey everyone, we have big news!'”
“I’m sitting there like, what big news?”
“Then he grins at me and says, ‘Tell them, babe.'”
“I’m panicking, so I just sit there confused, and his mom is already emotional asking if we’re engaged or something.”
“Then Jake drops, ‘She’s pregnant!'”
“Y’all, I am NOT pregnant.”
“I immediately start denying it, but Jake’s cracking up, saying it’s ‘just a joke’ and telling me to ‘play along.'”
“His family isn’t laughing.”
“His mom legit FAINTS, his dad starts yelling, and his grandma is praying under her breath.”
“I’m mortified.”
“I stand up and go, ‘Actually, the real joke is Jake thinking I’d stay with someone who’d pull this,’ and I walked out.”
“Jake’s been blowing up my phone saying I embarrassed him and ‘ruined Thanksgiving.'”
“His family is apparently mad at me for causing drama, but like… I didn’t announce a fake pregnancy and traumatize his mom??”
“AITA for walking out and leaving him to deal with the mess?”
Redditors weighed in and decided OP is not the a**hole (NTA) in this situation.
“I don’t see how you are the AH here.”
“His family sounds awful and he sounds immature.”
“You can definitely do better.” – Far_Information_9613
“NTA.”
“Your now probably ex-boyfriend thinks that putting you on the spot immediately with no warning in front of your family is totally ok.”
“Nope. OP good job on that.” – GhostPantherAssualt
“bro really thought a fake pregnancy announcement to his whole traditional family was gonna be peak comedy.”
“NTA, let him deal with the mess he made” – joshuadefty
“NTA”
“First off, what he was epic embarrassing, disrespectful, and stupid.”
“Second, you did not ruin Thanksgiving. It was his doing start to finish.”
“Third, if IF (I mean IF) his family is mad at you for drama… um, who cares?”
“You are hopefully dumping him anyway, and who cares what a random family thinks of you in the world somewhere.”
“And if you aren’t dumping him, there was no way for you to stay there and somehow make that entire event not awkward as hell.”
“Also, you are hearing this ‘they’re mad at you for drama’ from him, not his family, and he’s already proven to be unreliable in life skills, so he’s probably lying anyway.” – Zestyclose-Sky-1921
“Jake, aka: your ex, has no respect for anyone, you dodged a bullet OP, NTA.” – Silly-Scene6524
“NTA.”
“The fact that his family is blaming you explains why he thinks that he can get away with a rotten prank like that– they have never called him out for any bad behavior, which is another reason to stay broken up with this guy.” – Fredredphooey
“NTA.”
“In a healthy relationship he would have set you up for success with his family so they would like you for decades.”
“Instead he set you up for them to never be able to see you for yourself or support you.”
“All for a quick ‘joke’ that was only funny to himself.” – Big_Zucchini_9800
“NTA. it’s understandable that you’re feeling frustrated and embarrassed by the situation.”
“Jake’s joke about announcing a fake pregnancy was highly inappropriate, especially in front of his family.”
“It’s one thing to joke around with your partner, but publicly making a false claim like that—especially about something as sensitive and significant as pregnancy—is bound to cause confusion and stress” – BigBossSoldTheWorld
“NTA.”
“Definitely stay away from them, especially if they want to blame this on you.” – Dry_Ask5493
“Jake really woke up and chose chaos for Thanksgiving dinner.”
“Imagine thinking a fake pregnancy announcement is prime dinner-table humor when your mom’s one faint away from the ER.”
“Honestly, you didn’t ruin Thanksgiving he served it on a platter of awkward and called it ‘family bonding.’” – chocolattetreat
“NTA but Jake is he is the one that caused all the drama, and now he is learning that if you play stupid games you win stupid prizes.” – Serious_Bat3904
“NTA. Not a joke.”
“Your ex is a major a**hole” – mrp0972
“NTA, you handled it well.”
“Your boyfriend’s prank was disrespectful and thoughtless.”
“You deserve better.” – PearlFerinya
“NTA.”
“You do not want to be a part of that family. Ever!” – Choice_Anything8880
“NTA.”
“Stick with the mindset you had at the Thanksgiving table: why would I stay with someone who would make such an inappropriate joke.”
“Keep that thought.” – MadCityScientist
“NTA.”
“Your boyfriend told you they’re super-traditional, and he used it to bully both you and his family.”
“Whatever rage he feels that he expressed toward his family will be directed at you if you stay.”
“There is no saving that situation or relationship.”
“Be kind and let his family save face, too, by blaming you.”
“But please, run from this jerk.” – atmasabr
“NTA. Great job!”
“Very proud of you for standing up to his horsesh*t.”
“Never speak to this bum again.” – Active-Pay-8031
“‘Causing drama’ lol”
“He f**ked around and found out. That’s his mess, not yours.”
“You’re 20. Noping out of fu*kwitted sh*t like that is wise beyond your years.”
“Go you!”
“If his family are actually annoyed at you, then that’s a double nope.” – boopbleps
“A 20 year old who stood up and said ‘nope!’ and walked out? Well done!”
“Your parents ought to be real proud of you! NTA, of course!” – Hyacinth_Bouque
“NTA.”
“His family is mad at you! Not their arsehat son?”
“You have dodged multiple bullets here.” – jmelross
“Yikesssss. NTA.”
“This ‘joke’ sounds borderline manipulative to me.”
“He knew his family would have over-the-top reactions.”
“He knew you would be put on the spot.”
“He’s the one who ruined Thanksgiving.” – AdorableEmphasis5546
“NTA but you’re definitely my new hero for not taking that sh*t, saying that epic line, and just walking out.”
“I’m more than double your age (mid-40sF), and I want to be you when I grow up.”
“👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏” – Substantial-Image941
“NTA, block his number, and don’t look back.”
“I’m proud of you for walking away from that toxic mess” – Practical-Ant7330
“🚩🚩🚩He likes to f**k with people.”
“His own family. You included.”
“In my opinion it’s one of the worst and most annoying traits in a person.”
“NTA.” – Comprehensive-Toe333
“Good on OP honestly.”
“He acted less like a 22-year-old and more like a 16-year-old.”
“I mean, if his family thought it was funny, I could see how it could all be brushed off and turn into fun banter, but clearly, he didn’t stand up for you afterward and take ownership for his stupidity in embarrassing you.”
“It’s one thing to be kind of goofy but to be goofy and stupid?”
“Yeah good on OP for not taking his BS before things got too serious.” – Federal-Savings-3589
“nta – and jake is 100% lying to you about his family blaming you.”
“he’s trying to guilt you back into a relationship.”
“if it’s truly bothering you, write them a letter or email and settle it, but don’t go back to that immature peice of sh*t.” – az-anime-fan
“NTA and I love what you said.”
“Jake ruined his own Thanksgiving and he did it intentionally and maliciously.”
“He knew what would happen and he didn’t care about them or you.”
“But leave it to a narcissistic douche bag to blame it on everyone else.” – MeekaD920
“YOU ruined Thanksgiving?”
“Talk about some serious projecting!”
“He made the joke! He caused his mother to faint.”
“NTA…your ex-BF should reap the whirlwind from his family for his stupidity.” – PhilaBurger
“Oh my goodness.. absolutely NTA.”
“Jake needs to grow the f up.” – Alternative-Job-8344
“I would’ve froze for a second and then acted all shocked, asking how he knew???”
“I only took the test this morning and haven’t had a chance to figure out how to tell you.”
“Basically act like you really are to freak him out, then when he’s hooked in, ask him how it feels to be lied to about something so huge.”
“NTA” – DissconnectNotReady
Well, OP’s fellow Redditors are certainly proud of the way she handled the situation.
Hopefully she sticks to her guns and avoids future drama.