Smosh Reads Reddit Stories

Exes And Oh NOs | Reading Reddit Stories

December 13, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • Demanding a partner reveal private professional information, such as a pen name, and attempting to access their devices without permission is viewed as controlling behavior and a major relationship red flag. 
  • A relationship 'pause' lasting six weeks with no communication is interpreted by the hosts and Reddit commenters as a de facto breakup, making the returning partner's expectation of an immediate 'unpause' unreasonable. 
  • A husband's extreme reaction (name-calling and snooping) to a 16-year-old consensual transaction made by his wife before they met strongly suggests projection, especially when the update revealed he was actively cheating on her. 
  • Photoshop manipulation of a boyfriend's ex out of family photos, especially those involving children, is viewed as a highly immature and potentially traumatic action warranting an 'asshole' verdict. 
  • Making highly offensive or crude jokes about one's spouse during a wedding speech, even if previously shared privately, is considered a severe breach of respect that can lead to immediate marital crisis. 
  • Cruel or controlling behavior regarding bathroom access in a relationship, such as intentionally delaying use when a partner has medical urgency, crosses the line from teasing into abuse. 

Segments

Demanding Author Pen Name
Copied to clipboard!
(00:03:34)
  • Key Takeaway: Demanding a partner reveal their professional pen name, especially for self-published erotica, is seen as controlling, and attempting to access their password-protected laptop confirms the partner’s trust concerns.
  • Summary: The OP demanded his girlfriend reveal her romance/erotica author pen name, accusing her of not trusting him when she refused due to privacy concerns. His attempt to check her laptop after she refused confirmed her fears about his controlling nature. Reddit overwhelmingly judged the OP as the asshole for demanding access to her private professional identity.
Dog Adoption After Break
Copied to clipboard!
(00:16:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Six weeks of no contact following a vague request to ‘pause’ a relationship constitutes a breakup, justifying the remaining partner’s decision to adopt a dog incompatible with the absent partner’s allergies.
  • Summary: The boyfriend claimed he only took a ‘break’ while visiting family, but six weeks of zero contact, including unanswered texts asking if they had broken up, led the OP to adopt a dog. The boyfriend’s return, expecting to ‘unpause’ the relationship and discuss moving in, was met with the dog, leading to an argument over whether the initial absence was a break or a ghosting/breakup.
Husband Snoops on Phone
Copied to clipboard!
(00:29:45)
  • Key Takeaway: A husband’s intense reaction and verbal abuse over a 16-year-old message, discovered via snooping, strongly indicates he is projecting his own infidelity onto his partner.
  • Summary: The husband snooped on his wife’s phone, finding a 16-year-old message where she sent nudes to a mechanic for car repair money when she was poor, and reacted with extreme name-calling. The update confirmed the husband was cheating, having been with another woman for over a year while telling his wife he was staying with religious parents after leaving his ‘wife’ (the OP).
Photoshopping Ex Out
Copied to clipboard!
(00:45:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Secretly altering a partner’s personal family photos without their knowledge, even if motivated by discomfort with the ex-spouse, is an immature and deceitful action that violates boundaries.
  • Summary: The OP, uncomfortable seeing her boyfriend’s ex in three family photos with his children, secretly scanned, photoshopped the ex out, and replaced the originals while he was at work. When confronted, the boyfriend became livid, demanding the originals back, and the ultimatum led to the OP being asked to leave, highlighting a conflict over respecting past memories versus current emotional comfort.
Photoshop Ex Out of Pictures
Copied to clipboard!
(00:50:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Demanding a partner remove photos of an ex is often an unreasonable request, though adjusting placement for comfort is a fair compromise.
  • Summary: If a partner’s behavior regarding photos of an ex becomes too much, leaving the relationship is a valid choice, but controlling the partner’s existing possessions is not. A fair compromise involves adjusting the placement of the photos if they are constantly confrontational. The lack of full context in Reddit posts often obscures the true nature of the conflict.
Wedding Speech Joke Fallout
Copied to clipboard!
(00:56:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Jokes acceptable among a small, intimate circle are inappropriate and potentially relationship-ending when delivered publicly at a wedding reception.
  • Summary: The poster made a highly crude joke about his wife, referencing a private nickname (‘cum dumpster’), during his wedding speech, causing immediate distress and threats of divorce. The defense that ‘it was just a joke’ is invalid when multiple people, including in-laws, are deeply offended. A wedding speech should aim to compliment the spouse, not center attention through offensive humor.
Petty Revenge Bathroom Torture
Copied to clipboard!
(01:11:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Intentionally withholding bathroom access from a partner with bladder control issues or IBS constitutes abusive behavior, not petty revenge.
  • Summary: The original poster retaliated against an ex who repeatedly locked them out of the bathroom by defecating and urinating in a cat litter box, which the ex then cleaned without knowing the source. This act of asserting dominance through bodily functions is noted as a primal response to prolonged emotional torture. The segment concludes by defining healthy humor as something that makes both parties feel good, contrasting it with acts that cause distress.