Family Matters | Reading Reddit Stories

- Hello and welcome to "Smosh Reads Reddit Stories.". I'm Shayne. And today's theme is family. That was my Vin Diesel impression. Not that good. - That was good. - Pretty good. - [Tommy] It was good. - I'm working on it. But it's about family, which is notoriously zero problems. Like, families thrive. Most people I know, their families are great. There's never an issue. Smooth sailing all the time. I'm joined by two people who are part of the Smosh family, Tommy and Arasha. - Wow. - Look at all that up there.

- I know. - For those listening, there's a bunch of Smosh family portraits. all over the place of all of us. - Oh yeah. - It's very lovely. - Old me with my dark hair. Wow. - Yeah. Honestly, that could be your brother. - The trio you always wanted. (Arasha laughs). Anyway. - I love that. And then there's just Shayne. - Yeah, and then there's me by myself. - You're all alone over there. - Which is cool. - Our son, you know? - So today we're covering everything. Sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, moms, and dads.

All kinds of family stories today. And we all have families. - That's right. I'm an only child, but... - Still. Everybody has like their own unique family experience. - The producers did not know that, so... - [Producer] I did. - Okay. - But you've got lovely parents. - But I've got lovely parents. - Yes. - And when they're gone, it's just me. - Yeah. - No. No darkness. (everyone laughs). - You can't spell family without ily. - That's why I have sisters.

- Sisters. - Sisters. - Sisters. - Our first story, I love this title already, comes from Am I the Asshole. "Am I the asshole for calling my boyfriend daddy. "in front of his mom?". (Arasha gasps). - I bet the dad was so confused. - This has to happen all the time nowadays. - But that's me. - I really hope that it happens all the time. - That'd be great. - I'm incredibly excited. - Okay, we'll see. - "Hello, Redditors. "I, a 24-year-old woman, "and my boyfriend, a 28-year-old man, "have been together just shy of one year. "Like any ordinary couple, "we both have our list of nicknames for each other.

"His range from baby girl, cinnamon bun, "cutie pie, and so on. "Mine range from baby, booby, handsome, "and my personal favorite daddy. "Just for reference, before I get into the story, "let me mention one thing. "My boyfriend's mom, who we live with, "calls her husband, my boyfriend's stepdad, papi. "in front of us. "The other day around five-ish, "my boyfriend and I are cooking in the kitchen. "When we cook, we like to make it fun, "so it doesn't feel like a chore. "So our cooking sessions often involve some light music,

"dancing, bad singing, and pecking lips here and there. "That said, there is a small open section of wall. "between the kitchen and living room. "While we were cooking, "his mom was standing right by that open wall. "and overheard me call her son daddy. "She looked offended and said, "'What the hell did you call him?'. "At first I thought she was just joking. "as she is quite a sarcastic lady. "But after a few seconds I realized she was dead serious. "I looked at her surprised. "because I had no clue she was there the whole time. "and responded with, 'Daddy.'. "She was in disbelief.

"and told me to never call him that again. "I had the audacity, as some might say, "to respond by saying, 'How is this any different. "'from you calling your husband papi around us?'. "My boyfriend's jaw dropped. "I think his dogs did too. "She couldn't even look at me at that point. "It's been two weeks now, "and my boyfriend has been begging me to apologize. "to his mom, but I genuinely don't understand. "how I'm in the wrong. "Redditors, what would you do if you were me?". So from what is being explained to me, papi is a little bit more of a term of endearment.

It has a wider range of-. - Yeah, hey, papi. - Papi. - Whereas daddy, it's like anyone who's around. knows what that is inferring. - Right. - Like, that is very much, it's like, yeah, we get it. - Except for my dad. My dad doesn't know that that's like, you know. - Well, if you have someone-. (Tommy laughs). - No, really like, and he's like, you know, like, you know, whenever we're talking, he's like, you know, just ask me if you need something. Like, just be like, "Daddy, I need something.". I'll be like, "I can't say that.". - Okay, well that's... (everyone laughs). That's different. This is a very recent-. - I can't, Dad.

- This is a very like, and this is a very recent terminology that is... - But I guess it can be sweet, like in the way that he described. that it's his like favorite name. - Yeah. - The way that the boyfriend's reacting has me wondering. how it was said. Like, how was it said between the two of them, whatever. Now do I also think it's fair that the mom's like, "You can't call him that.". It's like, hey, they didn't know you were around. In their privacy, they're allowed to speak to each other however they want.

- Yes. - Right. - But I think the thing is now she's, "How is it any different. "from you calling your husband papi around us?". - Is what she's upset about. - Is probably the core of what's going on right here. - Right. - Is that what made her an asshole or not? - Yeah. - I'm sure it basically is from the point of view of like, don't be like sexual in my house if you can. or like keep that over there for you guys. Maybe from like a more, you know, conservative standpoint. or something. But then to come back and be like, "Well, you do it too.".

It's like... - Yeah. That's I think what the upsetting part is for me. You're right. Like, these are two consenting adults who are allowed to, you know, be playful with each other. They're cooking, it's getting spicy. They're like, "Daddy, pass me the cinnamon," you know? (everyone laughs). And the mom was like, "Alarms. "Oh my god, that is my little baby boy. "He's not daddy. "He's not that.". And if she is calling her partner papi,

maybe she understands the implications of that. and is like, "Oh my gosh, now I'm associating these things,". and she's uncomfortable. And then when she sort of addressed that, it was met with this retaliation of like, "Well, you do this,". and it just became this like much bigger thing, I think. - Yeah. It's also like, is it a situation, you know, I'm never a fan of lying, but is this a situation where you just go like, "Oh yeah, for sure. "Sorry about that. "We won't. We won't.". And then just like, okay, like make sure mom doesn't hear us say this.

- That's usually what people do. - To like keep the peace. 'cause it's like, well, we live in the same house. So the boyfriend's there mortified like, oh, now my mom and my girlfriend are beefing. - Yeah. - And we're all in the same house. - And you just don't want that confrontation. - You don't want that energy in the house either. - They've been together just shy of a year. We don't know whose house it is. Like, if it's the mom's house, they're living there, or if the mom is living with the son or whatever. The verdict was asshole. - Okay.

- And the comments we have, "We all know that that word has a sexual connotation. "You're the asshole. "Based on the comments, "I know people are going to down vote and disagree with me, "but like nobody wants to hear that. "If you're in your own house, sure, go ahead. "But if you're in his mother's house, then that is not okay. "I don't know about your boyfriend's mom, "but papi is used in Hispanic culture a lot. "as a term of endearment. "It can be sexual, but not always. "I've heard moms call their sons that. "as a term of endearment. "I've heard people call their dogs that too.". Someone said, "Daddy does not necessarily equal papi.

"Papi is more universal. "and can be used between people platonically. "Calling a boyfriend. "who is not the father of your child daddy. "has a predominantly sexual connotation across orientations, "whether you intend it or not, "which is probably what she was reacting to. "Since you live with her, "it's worth it to suck it up and apologize. "There's no reason you have to call him that. "around her in her home.". Lastly, someone said, "You're the asshole. "I find the whole daddy thing weird in general, "so I might be a little biased already, "but in front of his mom, ew.". I think where I'm like...

Where it's weird for me. is that they didn't know the mom was there. Like, if she was on purpose saying it in front of the mom-. - That's a different story. - It's inappropriate. - Whoa, yeah. That's very sexual. Like, that would make a mom uncomfortable. She didn't know that. - They are in a kitchen, which is a public space. - But I think her reaction would've kept this. from being an asshole verdict. - Right, exactly. - It's that she went, "Well, you call your husband papi.". - That was the decision. - All you had to do is go like, "You're so right. "Sorry about that." - You're so right.

- Totally. - Sorry about that, mommy. - That's what you, you know. - Yeah. - Sorry, mommy. - Sorry, mommy. Yeah. I think, no, and truthfully too, I think what I'm also finally understanding as well. with those comments is maybe something. that you are okay embracing. in terms of things of sexual nature, it's okay for you and for your partner, but there might be another person unknowingly in the circle. and they are expressing that they are uncomfortable with it. So instead of being like, "Deal with it,".

it should be sort of treated more like, "Okay, understood. "It's your house. "This is your son. "Like, you didn't necessarily deserve to hear that, "So let's just separate.". Instead of, "Get used to it," you know? Maybe that kind of energy. - For sure. - He's my daddy, get used to it. - Right. Right. - For sure, 'cause yeah, that gets into territory of like, you're in a shared space, so like anything sexual, it's like, hey, like everybody who lives here. and uses this shared space. probably needs to be comfortable with it. - Yeah.

- Yeah, it's interesting. - I love that he loves it though. - I think we're misremembering. that she says her personal favorite to call him-. - Yes. - Is daddy. So he has not... We have no information that he is a fan of that. - Right. - And is pushing for that. We just know that when this happened with his mom, he was very uncomfortable. - Yeah. And he was asking for an apology, so maybe there is-. - Maybe he doesn't like it. - Yeah. - And he's like, "(gasps) my mom was against it. "Maybe I can make her stop.". - He's like, "Mommy, hide behind the wall.".

- Mommy. Mommy, hide behind the wall. Mommy, please. Mommy. - Mommy, she's calling me daddy. Please make her stop. - Mommy. Mommy. - Okay, hate it now. (everyone laughs). - I'm so curious. I feel like I wish I had so much more info on that one. - [Arasha] I know. - It's interesting. I feel like that is not the only incident. of that happening in the world. Oh, I think that's gotta be happening all the time. - Yeah, well there's that, there's like a comedy behind it now, right? Like, the whole family being at the dinner table. and somebody being like, "Daddy, pass the salt.". And the father and the boyfriend both reach for it.

and it's like, oop. - And they touch hands and then they go... - Daddy. (everyone laughs). - Today's "Reddit Stories" is brought to you by Zocdoc. I don't know about you, but my feed is full of health trends like chia seeds, lemon juice, and water aid your digestion, or cottage cheese is an entire nutrition plan. Instead of relying on the algorithm, I am going to leave it to a professional and use Zocdoc. Zocdoc is a free app and website where you can search. and compare high quality in-network doctors. and click to instantly book an appointment.

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because I can search for that. Stop putting off those doctor's appointments. and go to zocdoc.com/pitreddit. to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. That's zocdoc.com/pitreddit. Zocdoc.com/pitreddit. (bright music). Back to the show. All right, our next story. - Yeah. - "Am I the asshole. "for not following my husband's family tradition? "My," this is a 28-year-old woman, "My husband, who's 29, comes from a very traditional family.

"While we disagree with his family on many things, "it has never really been an issue until now. "I am currently eight months pregnant, "and my husband and I couldn't be happier. "as we've been trying for a while. "Since I first found out I was pregnant, "we've been discussing names for our child. "In my husband's family, "the tradition wants the child to be named. "after his grandfather. "Basically firstborn men in his family. "only have one of two names, James or Henry. "My husband's grandfather was James, "so his name is James too.

"My husband's father is called Henry, "so our child should be too. "And so on and so forth. "But my husband and I didn't really. "feel like calling our child Henry. "And although it's a beautiful way to honor family members, "we really wanted our child to have a name. "that would be personal, that would truly be his. "So we chose another name and decided to wait. "until after the birth to reveal it to everyone. "This week my mother-in-law came to visit us. "and help us sit up for the baby. "She brought us some presents. "amongst, which was a bunch of clothes. "on which she hand embroidered the name Henry.

"I said that it was nice and thanked her for it, "but told her that we wouldn't be naming our child Henry, "as we had already told her in the past. "She started insisting and saying that it was a tradition, "so it had to be that way. "I explained to her that we'd rather give our child a name. "that we chose and that Henry could be his middle name. "She immediately went to my husband. "and started saying things like, "'You're not going to let her do that to our family,'. "and making it very dramatic. "saying that I was breaking a tradition. "that went back hundreds of years,

"honestly, not sure about that. "My husband tried to explain that we both agreed on the name. "and that all the reasons why we made that choice, "but she wouldn't listen. "She suggested that we name him Henry on paper. "as his legal name and then call him something else, "but I thought that would be confusing for him. "and told her that he would be named what we chose. "She kept begging my husband. "and saying that I was ruining the family tradition, "and at one point I lost it, "which is partially to blame on hormones, I think, "and told her that it was our child, "so we did what we wanted. "and we didn't have to follow a stupid tradition.

"She stormed out and my husband has since received texts. "from his father and sister accusing me. "of making his mother feel really bad. "and some other stuff that I don't really remember. "I get the importance of tradition. "and it can be really beautiful, "but also I feel like that shouldn't be an obligation. "and it's okay to change things. "We won't change our baby's name. "because we're really set on that, "but maybe we were wrong for not following the tradition. "I'm not entirely sure. "and am mentally exhausted by all this drama.". Edit. "I've seen many comments mentioning they saw similar stories. "in the past. "I'd like to clarify, those weren't mine.

"All of those events happened two days ago, "but it's crazy to see how many families. "have similar traditions. "I really thought that was a super rare thing.". I mean, we've read a million tradition stories. that are sort of like this, just like, you know, like, "Well, we've done this for generations, "so we have to keep doing this.". - And I'm so passionate about breaking tradition. I mean, like, my next tattoo is truly going. to be break tradition. - Yeah. - I understand the historical relevance of a ritual,

and a lot of the times it can be tied to religion. and faith and spirituality. Absolutely. But at least question tradition. - Yeah. - Why is it around for so long? What's the importance of it? Is there a way of a compromise? The middle name sounded perfect. - I feel like that's what so many people do. - That sounded like such a great option. and a way to include people. rather than bulldozing their ideas and perspectives. and forcing them to join this tradition.

- Yeah. - I have a question on one of the details. His name is James 2? Not junior? Two? - No, his name is just James. - Oh, T-O-O. Got it. - Oh. (laughs). - I thought his name was James 2. And I'm like, this tradition is crazy. - No. - Henry 5? - It's actually kind of a funny tradition to me. because yeah, none of 'em are juniors or the third. or something. It's like, no, you're James, and your dad's Henry, and his dad's James, and his dad's Henry,

and his dad's James. - And regardless of the name, you're still genetically the family. - It feels like this tradition is almost rooted. in this comfort from the family. Like, it's important to them that this child is named that. It doesn't seem like they're doing a lot of. around the table consideration. of what other people find important about this kid. and then certainly not the child himself. - Yeah, this feels like more of a thing of control.

And like, I like traditions too, but I think I like traditions that are more like, oh, we do this get together every year. Or like there's something that happens. - We go to Applebee's in February. - Yeah, yeah. Like, hell yeah. - [Tommy] You know? - But just like, no, your name is this, just feels, I'm like-. - It's longer lasting. - Yeah. - Yeah. - It's heavier. - That's not legacy to me. Like, that's not family to me. - Yeah. There's also I think a beauty in voluntary participation.

in traditions, right? Like, something like Applebee's in February. feels like something everyone can be like, "Yes! Let's do it!". - [Shayne] Yeah. - Rather than like, "We gotta do this,". or, you know, "We made a reservation 15 years ago. "and we have to do it.". (everyone laughs). - That's really funny. I think that's something that I have a hard time. getting behind when I know like people are like, "Oh, you're gonna name your son James.". They're like, "Well, we don't want to.". And it's like, "Well, you should though.". But I'm like, wait, if you know they don't want to,

isn't that gonna make you uncomfortable forever. that you've made them do something they don't want to do? And it's gonna kind of like be boiling under the surface. - They have to be around their kid longer than you do. - And what if like, their ex-husband's name is James? - And what if? And did you consider that? - Did you think about that? Could be really harmful to name your kid the name. of your ex. - Ex. - Just thinking about it like that. - There's also the underlying patriarchal shit of this. of like, they don't give a shit.

what her family traditions are. - Totally. - It's like, well, this is ours, so it trumps yours. - And what if there's a girl? What if it's a baby girl? Henry the girl? - By the sound of this family, they'd be like, "Oh, well then we don't care.". - Well, then we put it back. (everyone laughs). - We return to sender. - Exactly. - It's interesting. that it's the mom like pushing this so hard. I mean, probably, the rest of the family feels the same way. I think we get that from this. But like clearly the mom went along with the tradition.

and so now she's not, and it's gotta be this-. - She's forcing. I had to do it. - Yeah. - [Tommy] You do it. - I feel like everybody's heard that of like, "Well, we did this, so that's normal.". But I think it's like a reckoning. that I'm sure we'll face too as you get older of like, oh, this bullshit we went through and tolerated, and then younger people are like, "We're not gonna tolerate this.". And it's like, well, you should because I did. It's like, oh wait, you not tolerating it means, and somewhere in my head I have to face the fact.

that maybe I didn't have to. - Right. - But it's like, no, like the world changes. - Yeah. - And it's a different world than it was then, which is also like traditions change. 'cause the world changes. Like, we're not in the 1800s anymore. - Right. I feel like 'cause our world is changing so much, so frequently, at least me and my peers, us here, I feel like we are gonna get to that stage. and we'll be open to be like, you know, oh, it's different for you guys. Great. I'm glad it's different. Not like, oh, well we did it this way,

so you gotta do it that. You know, it's like, I paid off my student loans. (moans). - Yes! (Shayne laughs). - But I want the rest of the student loans to be forgiven. I'm like, just 'cause I paid mine off, you had to... No. - [Arasha] Yeah. - [Shayne] Yeah. - No. Be free. - I agree, 'cause yeah, it's like, oh, when I went to college, the world was different. - Right. - You know, 10 years ago. Like, the world is different now and humans adapt. Right? Like, so it's gonna be this weird thing of like,

I'm sure when I'm 80, I'm gonna look around at young people. and be like, what the (beep)? - The (beep) is this? - Are you doing? But I'm like, oh, right. 'cause the world's different and you all adapt so well. - Right. - That you've adapted to this new world. and you're built for it. - Yeah. And in a twisted way though too, it's like this level of adaptation and flexibility. is also new, if that makes sense. So like just sort of to give grace as well to that, to the woman, the mom of that family. Like, there is, I think, we need to acknowledge that like, it's almost,

it can be like these deep rooted-. - Yeah. - Issues, right? Like, they say trauma is passed down. from generation to generation. until somebody is brave enough to feel it. - Yeah. Whoa. - Right. Right. - Wow. - And it's not that the people before. aren't brave necessarily, it's just that they don't have the tools yet, so they're doing their best. and they're operating with what they need to operate with. in order to survive. But now hopefully there can be somebody.

or something that can help navigate it to be like, "Hey, like let's unpack it. "Let's actually understand it. "Let's break it down. "in a way that re-filters some of that agency.". - [Shayne] Right. - For the women that came before her. - Yeah, 'cause for one OP has a husband who is backing her. and also agrees on this change. - Yeah. - But also, yeah, there's the aspect of like, it's also 2025 as opposed to, the mom trying to be like, "Oh, let's break tradition.". It's the '90s. It's like, it's a different and completely different vibe.

- Yes. - And a completely different husband, so we don't know. - Different support system, different norms, different references to point to historically. Like, it's a whole nother thing. And it's unfair to just expect, like, you should also be open and flexible. - Right. - You know, it's both ends. - But also acknowledging how deep this goes. with the whole family and the mom. - [Tommy] Right. - It almost like furthers the point of, yeah, you gotta do your own thing.

- Right. - Yeah. - You can't unravel this, so go your own path. And they're gonna be upset. because they have not reckoned with everything. that's going on. - Right. Right. But hopefully this can initiate the beginning of that. - Hopefully. I mean, families (chuckles). We don't always have those moments where it's like, "You know what? "You're right." - You're right. - Yeah. (laughs). - Yeah, yeah. - Okay, what if, okay, in the future, baby Carl, we're gonna call him Carl, baby Carl has a family. And he's like, "I'm gonna name my kid James 5.".

- Yeah. - He's like, "We're bringing it back, baby.". - We're bringing it back baby. - You're not naming your kid Henry? What are you naming him? Benry. (everyone laughs). - Benry 8. - Benry 8. - Oh God. - Naming your child like something junior. but they're not a junior-. - Is awesome. - [Shayne] Insane. - That's funny. - That's awesome. - That's awesome. - "Tell your in-laws that the thousand year long tradition. "in your family is that the mother. "and father of the baby choose the name. "and you'll be following your family's tradition. "Not the asshole.". 10,000 up votes. Someone said, "Your husband needs to snap back. "and say, 'This is my decision,'.

"instead of allowing them to blame you.". OP says, "He's been trying to, but his family won't listen. "and they're convinced that I manipulated him or something. "But at least he's standing up to them. "So there's at least that.". Someone responded to that saying, "Oh man, this was me. "Anything my partner did. "that they didn't like equaled my fault. "Any disagreement about anything. "was because of my brainwashing. "I was like, I can't even get them. "to hang up their towel after a shower, "so I'm not sure where this is coming from.". Someone said, "Not the asshole. "My family has the same tradition. "I remember being unhappy. "when my brother and his wife didn't follow it.

"Shame on me. "I was too steeped in traditions to consider an alternative. "Good on my sister-in-law for being independent. "I learned from her. "You are giving your child freedom. "Good for you.". Whoa. A family member who learned something. - There you go. - Someone said, "Not the asshole. "Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people.". - Whoa. - I agree with that. I think some traditions though are great. as long as everybody's down for it and having a good time. - [Tommy] For sure. - [Shayne] But plenty are just weird. - Plenty are just existing.

because it's what we've always done. - Yeah. - And that's a bad mindset to have. - Yeah, yeah. - Totally. I definitely agree in questioning it constantly. - Constant. And again, it might be that you evaluate it and you're like, "Yeah, let's keep it." - This is good. Right. - For sure. - But you gotta at least be able to question it. - Absolutely. - [Shayne] Yeah. Absolutely. - Assess. - Do you guys have any like fun family traditions? You mentioned Applebee's. - In February. - That was a bit. - I believe it. - I don't think the Bowe family. has ever stepped foot into an Applebee's together.

- That's a tradition. - That's a tradition. (laughs). We'll never go. - I'm actually sad. My grandma... My mom cares a lot about traditions. But the traditions are all like family get togethers. It's more about just like like, let's keep the family together. and like hang out and talk and stuff. And I'm like, that's the tradition I can get behind, 'cause it's so easy for that to drift apart. and then you're not talking, then you're not getting together. My grandma, for the longest time, we had this tradition of just like,

St. Patrick's Day was just a big party at her house. It was just like, yeah, like... You know, we're American, but like, we still are like, oh, but we're Irish heritage. So it's just this insane party. where we just have like green everywhere and stuff. But it was really just an excuse to get together and stuff. - That's my family's too. Christmas Eve, it was always grandma, grandpa's house, and she would cook and she'd make cookies. It was always like, it's kind of like her doing all the tradition. We just get to come and enjoy it. But they got old. and it was like, she doesn't want to do all this.

And then like, one day we ordered Italian food. and we had like Italian takeout, and we were like, well, this isn't quite the same. And then we were just like, you know, let's just have, let's scale it back and just have like a, we come, we open gifts, we talk, we go. - [Arasha] Yes, yes. - We have some dumb ones. Like, in my family for Christmas, we have a snowball fight, but it's just at my brother's house. And we just have these like, they're like little snowball, like, I don't know what they're made of, but they're just like, these squishy, like-.

- Like bean bags? Like hacky sack? - Not bean bags. They're very soft. But we truly just like all split up in this big room. And then it's all the adults versus all the kids. - [Arasha] Cute. - And so it's kind of excuse for us to just pelt kids. with these- - That's really fun. - But now the kids are getting older and they're now winning. and their endurance is just endless. - Of course. - So we get tired, and then we end up just laying on the ground. while they're just like hitting us with snowballs. - That's a great tradition. - You're like, "My knees.". - I'm like, "My back!".

- That's awesome. - Yeah, like that kind of stuff is fun. - Yeah, I relate to you guys too that, you know, I think for me and my family also, our tradition is also just sort of gathering. in the holidays, taking those as an opportunity of we have off work, so let's just spend that time together. I think for me too the difficulty with traditions. is that it feels like it comes with expectations. - Sure. - It feels like, okay, we have to do everything that we did before, otherwise it's not fulfilling. At least that's the way that I interpret it. So I feel like I have to be very delicate with my rituals.

and that's why I use the word, like this voluntary participation. I feel the need to be very excited about the tradition. Otherwise it could snowball into something. that's like, oh, it's not perfect, it's not what we had last year, and now I'm not having any fun. - Yeah. I think being a little lax on it is nice. - Totally. - Like, my brothers and I do a camping trip every year. and this year it didn't work, like we were traveling too much. It was like, all right, yeah, we'll do it next year. Like, it's just like, it's not a big deal.

- Totally. - We can get back on it. Like, it's okay. Yeah. It's just like, it's just hanging out. with a little bit of structure. - Yeah. - Like, if you think about it like that, then it's fine. - [Arasha] Yeah. - And it's just like, oh, let's give ourselves an excuse to hang out more. - Yes. That's cute. - Yeah. All right, our next story. It's a Today I (beep) Up. "Today I (beep) up. "by forgetting I was on an Amazon family plan for years.". - Uh-oh. - "So I just got an email notification. "stating that I was removed from my Amazon family plan.

"I completely forgot that years ago, "my sister and brother-in-law added me to their account. "as a teen so I could mooch free Prime from them. "Upon seeing this, I started getting a panic attack. "because I have made many spicy purchases on there, "things I know they don't wanna know. "about their little sister. "I quickly Googled to see if there's any chance. "they've been privy to these purchases. "and there plain as day it reads, "'Yes, if you are a teen on an Amazon household account, "'your parents will be notified about your purchases.

"'because they need to approve them.'. "My brethren in Christ, "my sister has been approving every single purchase. "I've made for years. "The mundane ones, the questionable ones, the impulse ones, "the downright horny ones, everything. "And she's never said one word about it this whole time. "My last purchase made was two days. "before being notified via this email, "and yes, it was a horny purchase. "I'm afraid that she finally got fed up. "with knowing this many intimate details about my life. "and finally decided to end it. "But maybe just maybe it's a coincidence.

"I'm too afraid to ask. "Honestly, I'm not sure that I want to know. "FML.". Okay. - Well... - I need to know what these purchases are. - Absolutely. I mean, I guess, there's a win that it's a sister, not necessarily mother, father, right? - True. True. - I think that objectively is a little bit better. Hopefully. - I would agree. I agree. - Nothing too crazy. - It's still like, just is like, oh shit. I did not know anyone was seeing this. - Yeah. Which is tough. - So if anything it's just lightly embarrassing.

and now you have to spend money to get Prime again. - Yes, yes, yes. - My instinct would say. that it's probably Amazon kicking her off. 'cause I feel like-. - That's what I imagine is they outgrew it. - These type of things are just always finding ways. to like screw people over. Like, it's more expensive every month, and then it's like, no, you can't have more people on your account. - Yeah, and if she was uncomfortable with it, she probably would've either said something. or before not approved those purchases. - Right. I mean, once you say yes to dildos three times,

what's the (beep) fourth? (crew laughs). Yes. You got it. Take it. Get it. I feel like it wouldn't-. - Can't say I've searched that on Amazon, so I'm so curious. - I'm sure they're there. - Okay, oh, okay. So it's not, I don't know why I'm thinking of just. like watching movies and stuff. Okay, so she's buying just items. - Yes. - Well, I don't know why my head. was just like buying like movies and stuff, renting movies. I think I was thinking like, oh, your Amazon Prime like watching stuff. - She's taking action. - She's buying things. - She's getting things that vibrate. She's getting things...

- That go around stuff. - Some slick things. Yeah. - Suctions. - Whoa. Yeah. - Rubs. - Damn. - What else you got? (everyone laughs). - I went somewhere. - Love the sister. Just going like, "Yeah, sure, get it. Take it.". That's what makes me think they got kicked off, and that it wasn't like-. - Yeah. - 'Cause it's like-. - What did she order that was too horny? It sounds like she's already been to the moon and back. - Right. Unless it was like the weirdest-. - Yeah. It's like look-. - Buy this book if you're racist.

And she bought it and she's like bought. And then the sister's like, "What? "No.". - Now it's changed. - Now it's too much. - I'm fine with every dildo on earth, but not the this is how to be racist book. - Not racism. That's where we draw the line. - Comments. "Your sister's a real one.". 16,000 up votes. Someone says, "It makes you feel any better, "I gave my boyfriend my public and curated Amazon wishlist, "which he shared to his mom and grandma. "They purchased things I completely forgot about adding.

"to my wishlist a long time ago. "because Amazon showed them my private shopping list. "with all sorts of lingerie and spicy appliances. "It was our first Christmas. "and I was mortified when I found out.". - Spicy appliances? Like a kitchen? Don't put a KitchenAid down there. (everyone laughs). - Or do. - Or do. - Grandma's like, "I got a great toaster.". (everyone laughs). - No! - Ding! - The brave little toaster, one might say. - [Arasha] God.

- Someone said, "Perhaps it's your brother-in-law. "who's been approving your purchases and has protected you. "and your sister from knowing too much. "Either way, someone deserves a thank you.". OP said, "Somehow I think that's even worse.". Yeah, I think that's worse. I think both of 'em have to know. - I think so. - 'Cause they're rolling through. - For sharing the, yeah. - Buying so much stuff. - Yeah, maybe it's easier said than done, but I just feel like if that happens, I feel like you have to have a conversation. and just, you gotta just be honest and be like, "Listen, I didn't know and I'm really sorry. "and I appreciate you proving them.

"Like, did you guys happen to kick me off? "Is that just Amazon?". Like, you gotta address it. - And as you know, I have a surplus. If you want to borrow any... - You need any... - I have a chopper for you. - Get in the choppa. Yeah, exactly. - She climbs in through her sister's window. because she tied all the dildos together. Climbed up. - Oh my god. - Holy shit, dude. - Spicy appliances. - Spicy appliances. - Can't shake that. Can't shake that. - Yeah. Yeah. - Oh, be careful with my fridge. You can (beep) it.

- Yeah. Share my Amazon. I've been making horny purchases. Wow. - Wow. - All right. This comes from Am I the Asshole? "Am I the asshole for refusing to let my mom wear white. "to my wedding even though she claims it's her last chance. "to feel beautiful.". (everyone laughs). - Please! Please! Please! Please! - Oh God. - I felt like I just got punched 50 times. - Somehow, all of us just got a swing. - Like, because I'm like, no, of course she shouldn't...

Oh, no. That's so sad. - I've never heard a reason. where I was like, oh, maybe you need to. - Maybe you better. - That is the only reason you can do that. - I think you have to let her. - Oh, maybe let her. - (beep). All right. - You're like at a wedding, you see like a mom wearing white. and you go up and you're like, "Ma'am, you need to leave.". She's like, "This was my last chance to feel beautiful.". - And you're like, I'm so sorry. - I'm so sorry. You are beautiful. - You just turn the dust and like... - (beep). Well, it's time to find out if she's a beautiful woman.

Let's do it. (Shayne laughs). - "I just turned 23 and I'm getting married in October. "My mom and I have always had what I would refer to. "as a rocky relationship, especially since I got engaged. "She's been oddly competitive, commenting on my body, "comparing our rings like we are in a competition, "saying things like, "'This day is as much about me as it is about you.'. "I honestly thought she was joking. "until she showed me the dress she bought, "a white floor length gown. "that looks exactly like a bridal dress. "And I told her flat out she cannot wear that.

"because in my opinion it doesn't match the occasion. "She got quiet, then burst into tears saying it's her. "And this was an opportunity to feel beautiful. "before getting old, and that I'm selfish. "for not letting her have this one thing. "I felt really bad about this, "so I also offered to go shopping with her. "to find something elegant and more appropriate. "And all of a sudden her countenance changed, "and then she told me I was controlling and ungrateful. "What gave me peace was that my fiance backed me up, "as did my maid of honor.

"Now my mom is threatening not to come to the wedding. "and my aunt says I should just let her have this. "to avoid drama. "I don't think I'm wrong for drawing a line here, "but now part of me wonders if I'm the asshole.". - All right, well, it's not as pathetic. as we thought initially. It turns out the mom's just being a-. - A pick me. - A pick, yeah. - The mom is awful. - A huge pick me. What do you mean this day is just about, is just about me as it is you. What? - Before I get old. You can be pretty, beautiful, and old. - Yeah. - What are talking about?

- Yeah. - Dude, Helen Mirren. - Helen Mirren. - Come on man. - Dude, you love Helen Mirren. - Okay, Helen Mirren is objectively, ridiculously hot. - Dude, we're talking about moms right now. - Yeah. - Oh God. - I think she is one. - Shit. - She is one. - I made it worse. (everyone laughs). - Exactly. - Yeah, the mom needs to not be wearing the dress. I don't... I've never been wed nor have I planned a wedding, but I'm aware that it's very stressful. I don't know what I would do in this situation.

where it's like, oh, then she won't come if she's gonna wear, you know, like I'll have my mom not come to my wedding if she-. - Right. - But then it's also like, don't wear white to my wedding. and she doesn't want to change the dress. She offered to go shopping, so it's like, what do you do? - Right, no, that's actually just such an impossible situation, I think. Like, from us not knowing these people, it's so easy to be like, oh my god, this mom. But if we were that, if we were the bride. and that is your mom expressing those very deep. and sad, painful things to you.

It's going to be so hard to say no. - It's gonna be tough. I can respect OP for being like in a conflicted place. - [Arasha] Yeah. - But I also think these are those situations. where the mom's like, "Well, I'm not gonna go to the wedding. "if it can't be about me.". Then it's like, well, then you're not coming to the wedding. - Right. - 'Cause it's not about you factually. I think this is a clear indication. that her mom is not even thinking about her. - Well, no. - Her mom is like stealing from her. Like, leeching the life from her. That is situations where I'm like, oh, if you wanted to cut your mom out of your life,

I get it. 'Cause she is being a parasite to you. She's not being there for you. She's in fact the opposite. - I think if there's hope. for a more permanent change for the mom, it's definitely not gonna be through escaping. through this wedding, you know? - It's not gonna be-. - [Arasha] Just no. - The answer is not in giving her everything she wants. - No, no. Because then it's maybe like, oh, I'm having a baby and now the mom is like, "It's mine.". - Right. - There's also been stories, I don't know here, but perhaps,

where like a mom will not approve of like a gay wedding. or something like that, which is way different than this. And so the, you know, the kids and their partner go like, well, then you're not, then, you know, if you don't approve, great. We're gonna have the wedding anyway. - Yeah. - And then they go and when it gets closer to the wedding, the parents go, "Man, shit. "I want to be there and I wanna...". And they change. So maybe what needs to happen is it's like, great, you don't wanna change your outfit, you're not coming to the wedding. And then as it approaches the mom's like,

"But then I won't be there at all, "and then I can't make the day about me if I'm not there.". - [Arasha] Yeah. - Then, oh, then I will change my dress. and I'll make a deal out of it and I will show up. - She might have a realization, yeah. I think what concerns me too is the aunt, you said right? - The aunt was on the mom's side. - Yeah. I mean, that's what worries me, that it is just something like. that this woman is just going through. and her sister is just trying to make her feel better. - Let her have it. - Yeah, let her have it? - Yeah. But she says-. - [Arasha] That's terrible advice.

- OP says that her and her mom. have always had a rocky relationship. Oh, since she got engaged, she's been oddly competitive. But still it's like the aunt is indicating. that the mom has kind of always been a little bit this way. where it's like, "Well, just let her do her thing.". - Yeah, she just deals with her sister by being like, "That's her.". - And I'm like, when you do that, it just never changes. - Right. - It's guaranteed to never change if you do that. - You just do that. - So you have to put a hard stop to it. and hope it changes, but it may not. And then it's in the mom's court. - But it indicates that her behavior is acceptable,

which it's absolutely not. - No. - The verdict is not the asshole. Comments. "Now my mom is threatening not to come to the wedding. "Your mother is extremely manipulative. "Take her up on that offer. "Not the asshole.". Someone said to that, "100% this, OP. "Not the asshole. "She'll only find another way to make the day about her. "She should be making the day about you. "If she can't let you shine, you don't need her drama.". Someone said, "Not the asshole. "This is not her last chance to be beautiful. "This is your wedding, not her funeral. "She can't be that old if her daughter. "is getting married at 23,

"and she should want to look beautiful, "not like she's pretending to be the bride. "People will think and say unflattering things about her, "they'll joke at her expense that she's desperate. "for attention or hoping to steal the groom. "that she's turned into Miss Havisham.". This is a character from "Great Expectations". by Charles Dickens. She's a wealthy spinster who lives in a decrepit mansion. and wears her wedding dress every day. because she was jilted at the altar. - Well, that's a fun way to manipulate the manipulator. is be like, oh, well people are gonna make fun of you. if you're dressed in white like me.

Don't you want to be beautiful and the star of the show? Maybe you dress like a normal lady. and be normal at the wedding. - Wear green. - They continue on. "She can buy a beautiful formal dress. "and wow the guests looking like she's ready. "to pick up her Oscar in any color but white.". OP said, "I don't understand why a mother. "would want to steal her daughter's day.". - It doesn't seem to me like it's about beauty and vanity. as much as it feels like it's specifically. about being a bride again. - Yeah. - Comparing the rings, needing to wear a white dress.

as opposed to, yeah, the alternate. of just wearing another beautiful dress that isn't white. - [Tommy] She wants to be married. - She wants to be married. She wants to be a bride in some way. Like, it seems like, again, psychologically. that's what it feels like it sticks out to me, that that is what she's harping on. Not necessarily feeling beautiful. Maybe she's just like filling in other words for it. and it's getting misplaced. So not to, you know, say that that is what she's going through, but my point is I think that she just needs to deal.

with that separately. - Right. - [Tommy] Yep, yep, yep, yep. - Right. Yeah. - With therapy. - Absolutely. - What? A parent going to therapy? - I know. - Unbelievable. - Moving on to our next story. This is also a Today I (beep) Up. "Today I (beep) up by bringing my dad to my first open mic.". Wow. - No. - This was posted a day ago as of filming this. - This was yesterday? - We are reading this less than 24 hours. after it's been posted. - So the open mic was like last night.

- Yeah. So if anyone doesn't know what an open mic is. in standup comedy, it's when you're like, oh, I can do standup comedy. I'm gonna go to this open mic and try jokes that I wrote. and have never said in front of anyone ever before. And usually it's a lottery system, so you're gonna go and wait maybe like two and a half hours. before you get called up. and you have your three minute window. to do your jokes to a bunch of comedians. who are either in their head waiting to go up. or pissed off at how their set went. or outside smoking a cigarette,

and it's just a hellscape. - If I may add too, these days, you also have to pay for your performance time. - Yes. - So you have to put down $5 to go have five minutes. - [Tommy] Right. - And it is truly just a dark hellhole. - And to bring someone, now listen, and that's still an opportunity to like network. and it is the best place to try your stuff out, unless you get booked on shows often, you can sneak in one or two every once in a while. 'cause you don't wanna do fresh stuff at a show.

But to bring someone who is not trying to get into standup. to an open mic, it's like you might as well have them. in the passenger seat and drive off a cliff into the ocean. - Truly. This is a punishment on everybody's front. - Yes. - [Shayne] Wow. - Okay. That just needed to be said before we hop into this. - Yeah, but we don't have very many feelings. about open mics. - Yeah, no, I'm very neutral though to open mics. and standup in general, yeah. - Okay. Yeah. I have only heard this over and over again about standup, like open mics and stuff.

It is like a nightmare-. - It sucks. - Career to pursue. - Yeah. - I've never heard anyone say a good thing about open mics. - No, no. - I did standup for a year and then I said I hate this. - [Shayne] That makes sense. - And that's our story. - All right. - All right. - Tell us yours. - "I'm visiting my dad's home across the country. "for the first time and I hear about an open mic. "coming up in a couple days. "I've come up with a handful of standup bits over the years. "and I always wanted to give it a try. "I'm not seriously pursuing a career in comedy, "but I love it and I have fun making people laugh.

"I spent the last few days writing a five minute set, "and tonight my dad took me to the venue. "for the moment of truth. "We got there early and sat at the bar, "which was the first mistake. "because the bartender talked my dad. "into buying one of those high alcohol hipster beers. "He tried to sell me on one too, "but I told him he asked me 12 years too late. "and got a seltzer with lime instead. "I asked my dad to take video of my set, "so I could show my girlfriend later. "So we got settled at a table close to the stage. "and he started fiddling with his phone. "to get the best shot.

"He's a decent photographer, so it's not unusual for him. "to be picky about this process. "I was first on the signup list.". - Incredible. - "So it seemed rational to get the phone ready to record, "but the host did five minutes herself. "Then one of her friends took a turn. "and mentioned the awkwardness of my dad recording. "He assured the comedian that he wasn't recording. "The phone was shooting blanks.". Shooting blanks. "This led to a few more awkward jokes. "until another opening act took the stage.

"At this point, a large man dramatically sat down. "at the one table in front of us and blocked my dad's phone. "I knew right away this guy did it on purpose. "to stop us from recording. "By then, my dad had actually started recording. "because he thought it would be a cool idea. "to get the act before me and give my act some prologue. "But my dad didn't get the hint. "He just thought the guy in front of us was inconsiderate. "He complained about him and I said, "'Dad, he's doing it on purpose.'. "And made a motion with my hand for him to calm down.

"The guy turned around and started arguing with my dad. "who got loud back at him talking. "about how he has every right to record. "Now the comedian starts yelling at my dad too. "Someone in the crowd yells out, "'Put the phone away and only record your son bombing!'". - Got his ass. - Oh God. - Got his ass actually. - We're really setting the son up for success here. - "At this point, "I got up and told my dad we might as well leave. "There's no way anyone is going to laugh at my jokes now.". - [Arasha] Get out. - "I've been wanting to try standup for over a decade now.

"and I was pissed it all fell apart. "I had the set memorized, and I knew I was gonna nail it.". Okay, buddy, I... I've never done standup, like a real standup. There's no such thing as nailing your first. You're gonna bomb. - Right. - You're gonna bomb. You're gonna bomb, and that's okay. - That's okay 'cause you gotta. - That's what's gonna happen. - [Arasha] You gotta be okay with bombing. - You're not gonna go do a five minute set. for the first time ever and nail it. - And certainly not in an open mic night. - And also, no matter what city you're in, there's an open mic night.

- Yep. - Go tomorrow. Day after, there's gonna be one. Applebee's in February, open mic night. - Right. Bring a tripod. Let dad sit in the back. - Oh my god. The confidence on this guy to be like, "I am going to try it for the first time. "and it's gonna be so good that my dad's gonna record it. "and I'm gonna show my girlfriend. "and everybody's gonna love it.". I'm like, man-. - All right. - Okay. You are... - Have fun. - This reminds me of like the random times in history. where the NFL is like,

oh, we need to have open tryouts for teams, and people are like, "Yeah, I'm gonna go and I'm gonna make the team.". I'm like, you're gonna die. You're gonna be murdered. - But you know what? I love the confidence. You need to have it. - Oh sure. - I love the confidence. - You do have to be delusional a little. - You have to. You have to be like, "This is funny stuff.". - Right. So you can, you know, deliver it right. - He was smart to realize there's no point in going up. But also, I know he just wanted to do this as a one time. He wanted to do this as a passion project. - Yes. - But it's like, yeah, nobody was probably gonna laugh at your stuff anyways.

- So that's it? That's the story? - That's where it ends. - Oh thank God. - He should definitely, listen, he likes comedy, he wrote this, he spent time. He should go and perform it somewhere. - Go do it. - Go tomorrow and have someone in the, just don't bring your parent if you don't want to. People are there recording anyway. Just ask someone to record. - [Arasha] Yeah. - Or set the phone up yourself. and just press the record button. - Absolutely. - And just record your set. - Yeah. Just record your set. You should not be recording other people's sets. - Yeah. That definitely was also weird of the dad to be like,

it's a prologue. (everyone laughs). I don't know. - We know we're in the setting of standup comedy. We don't need a wide. where we see- - When I watch I standup, I wish I had a prologue. - I'm gonna set the scene with an opener. I don't wanna watch my son. - Oh my god. - Gosh. Oh man. - Standup is so brutal, dude. - Yeah, but sweet supportive dad. who you know was just really trying to be there for his kid. - It's really hard. 'cause like I've been around standup comedians.

and like I've been in comedy for so long. that people think like, oh well I'm funny and I make my friends laugh, I'll nail this. I'm like, it's a complete, it's its own thing. - It's its own art form. - You're up there alone. - It's weird how much it's its own thing. 'Cause we've done light, like "Try Not To Laugh". where we're like, oh, we do standup. And I'm like, oh, man, it's a whole like language. that you have to learn. - And it's an act in a way that's like, you have to present yourself in a specific way. with your specific writing. You can't just be like, I got these jokes. Let me just say it. - Right. Right. - I mean, unless it comes so naturally to you.

- Unless you've been doing it for like... I've heard people be like, you have to perform weekly for 10 years. for it to start clicking. - Yes. Yes. - I've heard that like a few times. - Well, 'cause for me too, the best standups I think are the ones that are just, 'cause you know what I've heard too? I also did standup for a very short amount of time, and it's all about the crowd. Not necessarily crowd work, but every single time you get up there, it cannot be, and now I start, and this is my act. It's gotta be like, okay, this is the audience.

that's going to receive this specific performance. I need to be listening to them. If somebody says something or something funny happens. in the crowd, I need to be able to adapt. I need to be able to like shift my set. and have funny things just like in my Rolodex of who I am, rather than like, this is how the joke is supposed to go. and this is how I'm supposed to say it. It's such a difficult, difficult world to be in. - And God forbid the person before you bombs. and then you have to come up and the audience is like upset. and you're like, okay, I have to get you to like me and trust me.

I have five minutes. I guess I'll take the first minute to get you there. - Exactly. And usually that means calling, like referencing the person who came before you too. And like just, it's such a tough language. - Or just coming in with all that energy being like, Hey guys, all right, let's have some fun. You know? Yeah. Anyway. We could talk about it forever. - Yeah. - I think my biggest, my only real... I mean the dad is ridiculous. Kind of hilarious. But is him being like, "Oh, we need to leave. "There's no way anyone's gonna laugh at my jokes now.".

I'm like, you're not doing it 'cause people are gonna laugh. You're doing it 'cause you-. - You want to do it. - Want to do this and you love this. And I think like, you shouldn't have to be good at something. to go and do it. - No, not at all. - Like, you just want to wanna do it and enjoy it. - That's why he should do it. - We just have a couple comments 'cause this post is so new. Someone said, "At least you have the video to show your girlfriend.". And someone else said, "It's gonna get way worse. "That's part of it. "Keep going.". - Yep. - Someone said, "Bummer, dude. "Try it again without your dad and probably somewhere else.".

Yeah. - Yeah. Exactly. - There's a million spots. - Emphasis on the keep going. Emphasis on the somewhere else. Like, this isn't like a failure, this isn't a stop. This isn't ha ha you're gonna-. - This is something that if he actually got into it. and in a few years if he actually, like-. - He could actually-. - This is a story he could tell. - This is his set. - Absolutely. - Like, you actually kind of need those situations. to be a standup. - Totally. Totally. - Absolutely. - 'Cause every standup is just telling embarrassing stories. from them their lives. - What I really liked too. was that he said he is not necessarily.

trying to pursue a career in it. It's just like a hobby. It's just for fun. - For fun, man. - Which is even better. You're not placing that much pressure on it. It gets to be something. that over time you'll loosen up with. - I hope he is not too discouraged. - Yeah. I hope he goes and does it. - He should do it. - Yeah. - All right, our next story comes from Am I The Asshole. "Am I the asshole. "for telling my sister she wasn't always the chosen one?". Chosen. - Interesting. - Interesting. - [Arasha] Wait a minute. - You were never the chosen one.

I was. "Before my brothers and I were born, "my mom had a child with an old boyfriend, Penny. "Her boyfriend/Penny's bio dad didn't stick around. "My mom then met my dad when Penny was three. "and they got married. "My dad adopted Penny. "My mom then went on to have me and my brothers. "with our dad. "Growing up, Penny was always the apple of my dad's eye. "He gave us all attention, "but he always went out of his way to make it equal. "Around the time she entered her teens, "Penny would make the joke, 'Dad was stuck with you guys,

"'but he chose me.'. "Or refer to herself as the chosen one. "My brothers and parents always thought it was hilarious. "I thought it was obnoxious. "If our brothers and I were ever discussing. "what traits we got/didn't get from dad, "Penny would break in with, "'I didn't get anything from him except his last name. "'because I'm the chosen one.'. "Now we're all adults. "and Penny still trots that out from time to time. "Recently it came up when my siblings and I were out. "with our partners for drinks. "One of my brothers has a newish girlfriend, "so she wasn't aware of Penny's story.

"Penny was telling it, shoving in that she's the chosen one. "I admit I was a little drunk and I said, "'Chosen by our dad, "'but you weren't chosen by your first dad, huh?'". - God. - Oh my god. Saying that out loud. That's crazy. - That's so intense. - Oh. Oh God. - He was done with Penny. - That's like-. - Finished with Penny on that one. - That's like the peak moment in an Oscar winning movie. where it's like, oh, the worst thing you can say to someone.

- He was holding onto that. - [Tommy] Oh yeah. - Oof. - Wow. - "Penny got a hurt look on her face. "My brothers told me that was uncalled for. "Even the new girlfriend was looking at me. "like I was a douche. "I said this story is just getting old. "We've all heard it and it's a little ridiculous. "My boyfriend ended up calling us an Uber. "and getting me out of there. "Well, of course, word's gotten back to our parents. "and they're pissed at me saying I was rude. "I said Penny was just being obnoxious. "Am I the asshole?". Okay. - Yeah.

- Yeah, yeah. I think you are. Look, do I also think like... It's one of those things where it's like some behavior. is obnoxious, but you sit and you think like, where is it coming from? - [Tommy] Insecurity. - This one, I'm like, I read this story and I'm like-. - [Tommy] It's obvious. - I know exactly where this is coming from. I'm like, yeah, I'm sure if you sat down. and had some drinks with Penny and you asked her like, "Why do you say that all the time?". And you really dug in it's 'cause it's like, well yeah, 'cause I don't know what the (beep) my identity is. 'cause I've got this thing in the back. of my head telling me I'm not worthy.

- I'm not part of this family. - Like, anyone could probably piece that together. after talking to her for a second. - Five minutes max. - 'Cause that's gotta be so hard to have that lingering. of like, yeah, your other dad bounced on you and he's gone. I don't know. Like, you can't just move past that. And like I totally get where her, OP's dad is coming from of like, oh, like I know that we're gonna have our own, like, we're gonna have biological kids of our own. and I don't want Penny to think she's not part of the family.

so they like go above and beyond clearly. to make her feel part of the family, and it's created this like weird thing. But OP has clearly grown up with it and not registered. because it's just been part of her life her whole life. - Right. - And she, I don't know, like that's also such a rough thing. to like hear from your sibling. - Yeah. - That also kind of insinuates that OP doesn't feel like, oh, you're my full sister. - Right.

And it didn't just shut down Penny's like dialogue. It actually just shut Penny down entirely. - Oh yeah. - It's like, oh actually you're not, you're not my sibling. - Yeah. All those fears you have, they're real. - They're real. - [Shayne] Yeah. - Yeah. - I definitely do understand like, you know, there is naturally also going to be a reaction. from these siblings that, you know, they do have both their biological parents in the picture, and hearing this, like, I just wanna acknowledge, like hearing over and over that she is the chosen one, that there is so much effort being put into making sure.

that she feels included, maybe on the other end of that sort of seesaw, it's now made these siblings sort of feel like, well, there also is like some specialness to us, right? Like, we're also children and we're, you know. - I can see where the frustration comes from. - Absolutely. - Absolutely. - [Tommy] 100%. - I am also like, I think the parents (beep) up in letting that-. - Go on for so long. - It's like, no, 'cause that it also though still isolates her. It's like no, the basis should have been like,

no, you're all-. - You're all the kids. - You're the kids. That's it. - You're not different from them. - Yeah. - Like, you're all the kids. But this makes it this weird separation still. Even if it's a positive separation, it's still a separation. - Still a separation. - And the separation's more the problem. than whether you're lesser or more. - They're overcompensating. And the reaction of that now, the collateral damage is these siblings not knowing. how to coexist on the same plane. And yeah, I mean, in an ideal world,

they would sit Penny down and be like, "Let's break this down and let's talk about it, "so that we can all be on the same page.". - We're all siblings. - We're all siblings. But it's clear that right now. there's just like Penny dealing with her own things, internalizing it, and letting it out sort of in this comedic way maybe. And then these siblings being frustrated. at the way that she's letting it out, and so they're turning their back on her. And it's just this clash right now. And it seems like it just boiled into this one moment. of alcohol getting involved and just saying something.

that clearly they did not actually mean. It was just from this place of I've been so frustrated. at how you're making me feel, so now I'm going to make you feel. like you're going down a peg. - Yeah. - Yeah. Absolutely. - Yeah. 'Cause these things come out every, like, they are bound to come out, and she was bothered by it for so long, started off small, and then like just let it build to this point. It's like, well if you drink, it's gonna probably let loose.

But, man, that phrase was brutal. "Chosen by our dad, "but you weren't chosen by your first dad, huh?". It's like oof. - Gee. Yeah, that's a-. - You don't have to do that. - Brought a knife to a-. - Like, all you had to do is be like, "Dude, I'm sick and tired of you saying you're the chosen. "Stop. Stop.". - Stop doing that. Makes me feel like shit. - Please, we're all siblings. Like, say that. Say how it makes you feel. Don't throw like that-. - Don't shoot them in the head. - You have new partners there too. just sitting there like... - Yeah, you're bringing your family BS into the setting.

with these new partners. - Yeah. - It also feels like, I think the most tragic part of it too is, you know, if Penny had this sort of like secret, I guess, or this was like a trauma that wasn't something. that they were aware of that they had, you know, triggered. or had tapped into, that would be one thing. But this is something that they know, they already know that this very, very hard thing happened. to her and this person used it to hurt her in that moment.

- Yeah. - That's really heartbreaking. - And it's something she can't help, you know. - Exactly. - The verdict is asshole, but there's a lot of comments saying everyone sucks here. and not the asshole. So it's a bit all over. Comments. "Jesus (beep) Christ. "Yeah, obviously you're the asshole. "Penny's joke might be annoying, "but it's obvious she's overcompensating. "because being abandoned would cause such a big insecurity. "If you had a legitimate issue, "you could have discussed it privately, "not drop a nuke in the middle of a family dinner.". - For real.

- 19,000 up votes. Yeah. Someone said, "Everyone sucks here. "What Penny has been throwing around for years is annoying. "and childish and it likely stems from insecurity. "Someone should have addressed this with her long ago, "namely your parents. "What you said was rude and a low blow. "Penny can't help that her bio dad didn't stick around. "and that isn't her fault.". Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah, we can argue about what makes someone, what's a worse thing and what's, like, what counts as obnoxious and what counts as rude. and whatever. It's like the end of the day, they have shit they gotta talk about.

- Not in front of their partners. - Yeah. Not at Applebee's. Lastly, someone said, "Not the asshole. "Sometimes siblings need to be blunt. "Honestly, as someone with three younger siblings, "if I ever said this, "I'd expect them to get mad at me and say something. "But for it to be constant, yeah, it had to be said.". - I don't know about that. - What was said can range. Like, you could have said so many other things. - Absolutely. But those words together, no, no. - I agree something can be said.

in a better place, in a better time. And the phrasing can be so much better. - Totally. Totally. That kind of mature conversational also, I understand that siblings can have like talks. that maybe parent to child maybe doesn't have the space for, but it has to be, again, incredibly intimate and delicate. when you're dealing with these very real traumas. - Yeah. - You need to almost be trained. - Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, that's therapy that's needed there. It also makes me think there's... I am someone who very personally disagrees. with this desire for people to like dunk on other people. It's like, oh, I hate you, you're annoying, all this stuff, so what's the thing I can say that's just a (beep) slam. And it's like, yeah, you're humiliating them. You got it. You won. Congrats. Did it help anything? Do you think it's gonna help them? Do you think it's gonna help you? Or is it just gonna make everything worse?

'Cause like I see it so much online of just like, yeah, you (beep) got 'em. And it's like, and now somehow things are worse. Like, the rift is bigger. Like congrats, you feel cool, but that's all it is. - We've talked about this pattern too, right, in lots of Reddit stories. It's like, initially that's why we get everyone sucks, is initially somebody is doing the annoying, frustrating, bad thing, but then somebody else tops it somehow. or they think because they've been annoying or frustrating.

or bad, they have now a pass to be bad, to be badder. - Yeah, and I just personally disagree with that. I'm like, you know, yes, you're annoyed by something. You're allowed to address that. But go about it in a way that's gonna like heal things. - Try and leave the situation better than you started. - [Shayne] Totally. - [Arasha] Totally. - You love watching Smosh. I love being at Smosh, which is why Smosh partnered with Samsung TV Plus. Hi, you know me, I'm Tommy, a cast member here at Smosh, and I've got good news.

Samsung TV Plus has live TV channels. and on-demand movies and shows, and now we're a part of it. Curious on how to watch Smosh? Well, if you've got a Samsung device, then you already have it. Just open the Samsung TV Plus app and start watching. We've got your favorite episodes from "Culinary Crimes,". "Reddit Stories," "Bit City," "Smosh Mouth," and more. And now you can hang out with us all hours of the day. Check out Smosh for free on Samsung TV Plus. - All right, our final story. "Today I (beep) up by introducing my widower dad.

"to my husband's single mom.". - Ooh, we're-. - And it's Christmas time. - Oh. - And we live in a sweet little town. - And we're going to Applebee's. - And he's a prince. - Uh-oh. And unfortunately it sounds like he's daddy. - Oh. - Well, we need some photos to confirm. (everyone laughs). - Okay. "Obligatory didn't happen today. "My husband and I have been married. "for five and a half years now. "My husband was raised by a single mom, "and my mom passed when I was 16,

"so each of us only had one parent at the wedding. "Our parents met during the wedding planning. "and quickly discovered how much they had in common. "and how well they got along. "After a few too many glasses of wine, "they danced together at the wedding reception. "We noticed a little bit of flirtation between them, "but didn't think much of it. "until they started seeing each other regularly. "after the wedding, "going out together for drinks, "going on walks together, going fishing together. "Even though it was a little weird for us. "that our parents were ambiguously. "and later officially dating each other,

"we truly didn't care because they just seemed so happy. "Yesterday my husband walked his mom down the aisle. "to meet my dad at the altar. "My husband's mom and my dad said their vows. "and became husband and wife. "And my husband and I became step-siblings.". - What? (everyone laughs). You're kidding. You're kidding. - That's... But also whatever, I guess. - It's so funny 'cause like talk about tradition, it's like,

oh, this just all the legal parameters of this. is that it's like weird. It's also-. - It's just, but it's also sweet, but it's also odd. It's just odd. It's just odd. - Just a thing. We gotta sit here and deal with it. - Holy shit. - I'm so glad OP is cool with it. - Yeah, they're like LOL. That's great. - They want their parents to be happy. - I'm glad they're LOLing through this. - Exactly. - Oh my god. - That's... Wow. - That's a reality show.

- The priest is like, "I don't know what God thinks of this, but hey.". - Hey. - That's crazy. - That's wild. - Would you call your wife's dad-. - [Arasha] Daddy? - Daddy? No. (Shayne cackles). No, you no, no. Would you call him dad? - I don't think you have to. - [Tommy] You don't have to change anything. - I think they get to make their own new thing.

- Oh yeah. Yeah 'cause this is-. - Hey guys, this is a brand new thing. - This is a brand new thing. You can do whatever you want now. - The world is changing. - This is a whole new thing. - Wow. - Wow. You know, there's no like blood in the mix. - There's no blood in the mix. - [Arasha] It's just, it's just-. - It just is what it is. - And love is love. - Love is love. - And love is love. It all just is what it is. - I mean... - That's the only response I have. - The only take on this.

- I would've loved to go to that wedding. - So we got some comments. "On the bright side, "it definitely simplifies whose family they see. "for the holidays.". - Nice. - [Shayne] Someone said-. - That's some glass half full. - Got it. Someone said, "You think this is awkward? "Just wait until they announce. "they're expecting your little brother/sister.". - Right. Right. - I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. - Okay, so OP said, "My husband has been jokingly calling me step-sis. "since the wedding.". Now that... - Which is my favorite nickname. (everyone laughs).

- Someone said, "Family tree becomes an oval.". - Right, that's what I was... That's what I, yeah. - That's wild. Is there an update? - There's no update. - No updates this entire episode? I'm sorry, I'm yelling at you like you didn't choose. - I don't choose 'em. - Damn. - Wow. These ones were good. - This was quite a fun batch. - These were good. - We're all still in shock at that like, huh? Hmm. - Huh? - Being full disclosure, we read a lot of stories today where I'm like,

man, I'm like thinking about it and I'm like, I don't know if I'll agree. with everything I feel about it when I rewatch this episode. You know? 'Cause I'm just like, so much to think about. - I was just thinking that with the last story actually. Like, I feel like it was almost an easy response. from all of us because everybody was happy. It didn't feel like we necessarily needed. to resolve anything. It was just like, this is what's happening. and we've all been supportive, and so we are kind of naturally like good.

if everybody's happy. But what if it was presented more as like, "What do we do? "Do we let this wedding happen?". - What inevitably happens with every episode of this show. is I will see a comment that like points out just a sentence. that I kind of didn't pay attention to, or they'll just be like, "Well, think about this aspect.". And I'm like, oh, that changed my entire view of the whole thing. So like I don't really, these are my initial thoughts. - Yeah, we're responding in the moment with cameras. We're trying our best to say what we think and feel. and oh, so many times I wish I could have retaken a take.

Not that I like... Just how I say it. Kinda like how that person told Penny. - Yeah. - It's like you could say it better or differently. - Yeah. - But I don't have the time to do that. - Luckily our instincts I think are a little bit better. than Penny's sibling. - Yeah. - I think we're doing good. - Well, thank you both for being here. This was so much fun. - We're family. - Yeah, we're family. - Family. - Family. - Family. - We're family. - Thank you for watching.

Let us know your thoughts. on all of these stories down below. And let us know what other themes. and subreddits you want us to cover on this show. And we'll see you next Saturday. Goodbye. - Bye, fam. - Family. - Bye, fam. - Bye, Daddy. - Family. Whoa. Did you like that? Did you like that?