Latest news with #Anonymous
Buzz Feed
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
24 Wholesome Stories Of Meeting B-List Celebrities
We asked the BuzzFeed Community to share their favorite stories meeting a lesser-known celebrity. We received submissions that feature Broadway performers, singers, actors, hosts, athletes, and models who took the time to create a memorable interaction with their fans. Here are a few of the responses: "I met Luke Wilson by chance once in 2009. I was in Southern California with my friends, and we were just cruising around from town to town checking out beaches. We didn't know where one was and saw a couple pushing a stroller, and decided to ask for directions. While he was explaining how to get to 'a pretty chill spot that feels like a private beach,' I kept thinking they looked so familiar. As we all piled in the car and yelled, 'Thanks, man,' it clicked. I snapped my fingers and pointed at him, smiling as we started to pull away. He just snapped his fingers and pointed right back, giving me that unmistakable smile. You could tell he loved just being asked for directions and not being recognized because the first look he gave us when we got his attention was an 'alright I'll sign an autograph and take a pic' look, but his face lit up when we just asked for directions!" —Anonymous "I met Franke Grande in the lobby of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in 2018. He was very friendly and took a photo with me." —Anonymous, 34, NJ "I was a 14-year-old summer intern in 2001 at a local radio station in Delaware when I met Kurt Angle. He and Stacy Keibler were in town for an autograph signing, and somehow, I ended up sitting next to him. He was so sweet and kind, he wanted to know about my school and my interests, and he was so encouraging about me pursuing a military career. He even let me wear his Olympic ring, which took up three of my tiny fingers. I know he's suffered a lot with injury and addiction, I truly hope he's OK. He's definitely one of the good ones." —jmoney1217 "I met Alison Hammond (UK TV presenter) on the makeup floor of my local department store. She was so lovely, she called my friend and me beautiful and took selfies with us, love her!" —Anonymous, 34, Staffordshire UK "On a New Year's Day flight back to the states from Belgium in 2011, I ran into T.J. Thyne, who played Dr. Jack Hodgins on Bones, which was really popular at the time. He was by himself, and I originally noticed him in line behind me at customs. When I discovered we were in the same terminal, I went looking for him. I found him in line for smoothies. He was so kind, chatted with me about my travel plans, and took a photo with me. He even let my friend take multiple photos to make sure I had a shot that I liked. He was so down-to-earth and made my day!" —coolfan188 "When I was 5, my mom took me to a Mr. Dressup live show (think Mr. Rogers, but Canadian!). Afterwards, we saw a few families waiting by the stage door for him to come out, and she decided we should join them. After waiting a few minutes and noticing that all the kids had flowers to give him, I realized I didn't have anything. So I ran outside and gathered up some autumn leaves. When he came out, he took time to sign autographs and talk with each child individually, but when he came to me, I was so overcome with emotion that I burst into tears. And he was SO kind. He accepted my leaves with the same excitement as if I'd given him some grand present. He signed my cassette tape (this was wayyyy back in 'the late 1900s,' lol), and someone took a photo of him and me, which I still cherish." —leahm491b1c910 "Lucky Blue Smith, the famous model married to Nara Smith. I went to church with their family when they were young. Nicest family EVER, so down-to-earth and genuine." —Anonymous "I met Dee Wallace backstage after a play (Annie Get Your Gun) at Kansas City's Star Light Theater. She was such a down-to-earth, friendly person! She talked to me for several minutes and signed my program. Not once did she act like she was in a hurry or had better things to do. I was about 23 at the time, and was absolutely smitten. I've never forgotten my encounter with her." —slyarcher446 "My husband and I were visiting friends in Beverly Hills, California, back in the late '70's. I don't recall why she was there, but Terri Garr was one of the guests. She was much more beautiful than she looked onscreen. She was charming, intelligent, funny, gracious, and self-effacing. She was a natural-born comedian. This rag-tag group spent the entire day eating, sunning, and lots of laughing. She is one of the loveliest 'famous' people I've met over the years. I was deeply saddened by her death. There was a very funny quote of hers written in one of the many articles I read following her death. She famously said, 'I've spent my entire life clawing my way to the middle.' Very Terri!" —messymagazine835 "I've met a member of Celtic Thunder and he is an absolute gem. Not only does he have a great voice, but he's nice, cares about his fans (the best he can, because he's busy), and is willing to stay until everyone gets their pictures." —Anonymous, 39, US "I grew up in '70s Los Angeles and got used to seeing location shoots for TV and movies. As a kid, I always begged my parents to stop so I could watch and get autographs. One night, on the way home from a Cub Scout meeting, we saw the studio lights in front of a hospital, and my parents stopped so I could watch. We were standing there while they were filming when James Garner and Noah Berry ran through the front doors pushing a man on a gurney. After the take, the two walked back up the driveway, and Mr. Garner sat in a chair right next to me. He saw me staring and said, 'Hello! Who are you?' I stuttered my name. He then started asking about me and all the pins and badges on my uniform. I was able to get his autograph. The best part came a little while later, after another take. Again, he was sitting next to where I was standing. Another man from production was there too. Mr. Garner saw me, put his arm around my shoulders, and introduced me as his friend!" —parkerholsters "Jennifer Knapp is one of the kindest, funniest people/celebrities I've ever met. I haven't met many, but she was an absolute delight. She chatted with me for a while before her show. I met her while she was on tour with Derek Webb, and he was equally delightful. It was surreal meeting her because my bestie and I used to scream-sing her albums in our dorm and dream of singing with her someday." —micahdr "Me and my mom went to see the band Chicago (we loved playing their songs during road trips). She paid a decent amount of money to get a picture with them, and she was stoked. Fast forward a year, and they were doing a concert in California. We went to the concert, but didn't spend too much money this time. We went back to the hotel (not a fancy one or anything), and one of the main band members was enjoying a drink at the bar. My mom sat next to him, and they sat for hours talking. He ended up adding her on Facebook and hooking her up at future concerts. My mom passed away two years ago this month from brain cancer. Before she died, she was still able to attend one last concert. It was so awesome, and it's such a cool memory." —puertorican "I met Peter Facinelli (Carlisle from Twilight). He was so nice! I was probably 11 at the time, and told him he was much more handsome in person, and he laughed and said thank you. Seemed super down-to-earth and easy to talk to." —Anonymous, 23, Romeoville, IL "My favorite actor is the criminally underrated Toby Schmitz, probably best known for Black Sails and Boy Swallows Universe. Back in 2017, he appeared in an all-Australian production on Broadway called The Present starring Cate Blanchett. I convinced my sister to go see it with me, and to my everlasting delight, she and I met him on the street before the show. He seemed genuinely surprised that I approached him and told him I was a fan, and he was so incredibly nice. That would have been amazing on its own, but after the show, once the crowd at the stage door left after Cate Blanchett, he came out. Though I'm sure he was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed, he took more time to take pics, signed my program, and just chatted with us. Still my favorite actor and always will be, I wish more people knew his work!" —Anonymous, 43, West Yorkshire "I used to work at a nightclub that would bring in all the reality and UFC stars. Jersey Shore's Snooki, Vinny, and Ronny were all awesome. They all knew they were reality stars with 15 minutes of fame and were smart enough to realize being kind and respectful offscreen was the best way to make it last. They all spoke to staff like they were one of us and were more than happy to take pics and chat. Vinny and Ronny showed up before the club opened and palled around with us while we set up for the evening. Cool dudes. Snooki was SWARMED by fans. The way security had to protect her, you'd think the Queen of England was at the club. Security said she was super sweet and a delight to talk to." —Anonymous, 37, Edmonton, Canada "Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights) used to come to my job in Los Angeles almost every Tuesday morning when he wasn't filming (I don't want to say what it was, but it was a small, open-to-the-public, niche sport). They say don't meet your heroes, but they've never met Kyle Chandler! If I hadn't seen his driver's license, I would've wondered if he was just a doppelganger. He never asked for special treatment, was always polite, kept to himself, and never left a mess. I respected him even more for that. The staff never let on that we knew who he was, and no one bothered him, so I hope he felt safe there." —Anonymous, 39, Los Angeles "When I was a kid, my dad and I used to listen to The Thrilling Adventure Hour, this podcast that I absolutely loved. Specifically, I loved this one recurring segment: Sparks Nevada, Marshall on Mars. Sparks was played by Marc Evan Jackson, and the cast had a meet and greet one night in LA. My dad and I went, and I had drawn a picture for 'Sparks' with an inside joke from the show. I was so nervous, and was a pretty shy kid, but he joked along with me about my drawing in character, and the other cast members told me it was amazing. All of them signed my copy of the comic that the event was for, and Marc wrote 'thanks for the awesome comic' right in the front. I went from nervous to over the moon that my idol had taken and liked my drawing for him! Looking back, he was just so sweet and friendly, and now whenever I see or hear him in other work, I always get so happy. I just love the guy!" —Anonymous, 18, CA "I met Demian Bichir (Hateful Eight, Weeds) when he was a guest speaker in a class at UC Berkeley. After class, he stayed and spoke with the students and took photos. He shook my hand, gave me a hug, and asked my name and about the class. He was so unbelievably lovely, kind, and genuine. He's a wonderful actor and human!" —Anonymous, 36, California "I met Jamal Murray, the point guard for the Denver Nuggets, at the airport the other day. He's my favorite player, so I was actually wearing his jersey by coincidence. I went over and said hi and thanked him for a good season. He was super nice and dapped me up. I thought that was the end of it, but he actually turned around after I left and offered to take a selfie with me. It was really busy, so he really went out of his way to do that. He's my favorite player because I tore my ACL a few years after he did, and when I was in a really low place in my recovery, I watched him in the 2023 finals. The fact that he was able to recover so well from his injury was really inspirational for me. It's so sick that he's actually really nice in person, too!" —Anonymous, 22, Colorado "A radio DJ announced the 100th birthday of June Lockhart a few days ago, and I was reminded of this incident that happened to my husband about 20 years ago. He flew for a major airline and sometimes had celebrities on his flights. June Lockhart was one of them. When she boarded, she introduced herself to the flight crew, although my husband recognized her. She then introduced herself to everyone in first class. She also stood in the doorway with my husband during deplaning at the destination and said goodbye to the passengers! My husband said she was delightful and he enjoyed meeting her." —Anonymous, 68, Atlanta, GA "I don't know if he counts as a lesser-known celebrity, but Fred Armisen. I was an extra on Portlandia, and there was a skit where I wasn't needed, so I sat in a different room with a few other extras, and later on, Fred Armisen joined us. I'm not sure if he's normally this way or if he was still in character, but he was very soft-spoken. He asked us to introduce ourselves and asked us how we liked being extras on the show. Then we just talked about the show and Portland, and he was so attentive and seemed like he genuinely wanted to hear all of it. Later on, for a different skit, I was walking in the background outside the building. It was summer, so it was pretty hot outside. After a while, he came out to check on me and brought me a water bottle. He said if I needed a break, he would let the crew know. I would love to work with him again." —Anonymous, 31, Oregon "I met teo of the guys from Home Free (an a cappella group) in the Delta lounge at the Minneapolis airport. I was heading home for my parents' 50th anniversary, and they Home Free are their favorite musicians. So, I asked if they would be willing to do a little happy anniversary video for my parents, and they were happy to! They were so sweet. I was my parents' favorite for a long time after that gift." —Anonymous, 39, Hawaii "Back when I was in college in Toledo, OH, I was part of a campus group that brought entertainment and events to campus. One time, we brought horror film icon Tom Savini in to do a talk. We took him out to the legendary Tony Packo's for dinner. He was incredibly personable, but there's something memorably surreal about sitting in Tony Packo's, eating Hungarian hot dogs, and listening to Savini talk about horror movies." —Anonymous, 53, Ohio Have your own celeb story to share example to share? We want to know! Drop it in the comments.
Buzz Feed
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
21 TV Shows That Really Should Have Ended After Just 1 Season
When it comes to TV shows, there are few things worse than finding a life-changing, mind-blowing show you can't get enough of — only to find that actually, you're getting more than enough of it. I recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to share the TV shows they thought should have finished after one season, and found myself nodding at all the responses... "I think Stranger Things could have ended at Season 1. I love the show, but each season gets more convoluted and bloated, and the first was a good one that left just enough open to interpretation." —Anonymous, 37, Utah "Squid Game. How are you going to make this poor man go back after giving him the ending he dreamed of? It wrapped up so good only for the producers to milk the cash cow after Season 1's success. Not to mention they're apparently making an American version now? Just let it rest." —Anonymous, 21, Colorado "The Umbrella Academy. It started off so good, and every season just got worse." —Anonymous "Heroes! The first season was mind-blowing and so promising. The second season was the greatest disappointment I've experienced from a TV show." —Anonymous "Prison Break had two or three excellent seasons, then they got thrown into some foreign prison after escaping the initial one. Come on man, what are we doing here?" —Anonymous "The Handmaid's Tale. The book has the perfect haunting, open ending, and the show should have stuck with it." —Anonymous "Supernatural. It was a fun show with different monsters every episode and then it turned into a biblical angel/demon dumpster fire where characters get resurrected from the dead left and right like some ridiculous soap opera." —Anonymous " was too much. But I totally understand why people loved it!" —shabooshabah "Euphoria. Season 2 was mediocre, and Season 3 is never happening (despite what they keep saying). Should have just called it quits after Season 1." —lifetheuniverseandeverything "How I Met Your Mother." —Anonymous "The Following starring Kevin Bacon. The first season was a perfect limited series. Unfortunately, it was successful so the network wanted to milk it for all it was worth. The other seasons devolved into nonsense until it was mercifully canceled." —alittlebitalexis "Westworld. Started out great by expanding on the ideas from the original film, and the plot had real mystery and twists that felt tied up by the end. Then the creators just wanted to keep having more twists, and were worried that fans would guess these twists, so they went in some truly dumb directions." —Anonymous, 34, San Antonio TX "What If from Marvel. The first season was cool — little stories that eventually melded together. The second season was hit or miss. Some episodes were cool, but the ending was honestly my least favorite episode. Season 3 was awful. The writing was bad, and the ideas themselves were either terrible or off-the-wall wild." —Anonymous "The End of the F***ing World. It was such a perfect first season, and while I didn't dislike the second season, it wasn't necessary at all." —Anonymous "13 Reasons Why. Yes, I recognize it's a super controversial show, but it was one of my favorite books in middle/high school. The first season (which actually followed the book) should have been enough. I have no idea why they thought it was necessary to keep going." —TudorGirl21 "How to Get Away with Murder. Should have stopped at Season 1." —Anonymous "Finding Joy! It was a lovely Irish TV series and the first season was perfect. Sweet and heartfelt and funny. It didn't need a second season, but it got one. The second season was a train wreck and undid all the emotional growth from the first season. " —Anonymous, 30, Utah "Russian Doll. It had a great ending for Season 1. Season 2 was like an unnecessary and subpar sequel." —Anonymous "The Affair. It started as an interesting story about why the affair happened and the consequences after, dropped into a nonsensical murder mystery for Season 2, and in the later seasons, it just felt like they kept going because no one told them to stop." —lifetheuniverseandeverything "Big Little Lies. Some things should just be a limited series." —Anonymous "Riverdale. The first season was so murder, the mystery, the romance! I thought it was a cute nod to the comics. Then what the heck happened? Cults, organ harvesting, every family with a criminal history, the speakeasy, memory loss, the gargoyle king, and don't forget Archie fighting a bear and not dying! I only watched as long as I did because it was like a trainwreck I couldn't look away a waste!" —Anonymous, 36, Florida What TV show do you wish had ended after just one season? Share in the comments or the form below!
Buzz Feed
5 days ago
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
Project 2029: What The People Really Want From Democrats
The Democratic Party is in the process of preparing for the next presidential election, and The New York Times reported at the end of June that they're working on a new policy agenda called "Project 2029," a play on the conservative Project 2025 plan that Republicans began enacting after President Trump took office. We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community what they'd want to see in this Project 2029, and here's what 29 of them had to say: "Tax billionaires their fair share and use that money to subsidize childcare, healthcare, and any other basic life necessities." —dellarock "Abolish ICE, restore abortion rights, implement term limits, and expand the Supreme Court." —ughwhyargh "Take Project 2025 and add a 'no' in front of everything. We need to reverse the damage they've done. Then add provisions for childcare, judicial ethics, education funding, and campaign reform." "Given the defeat we suffered, we can't push through a lot of identity politics until people are more ready. That's where education comes in. We just need to win, please. I can't take another MAGA fiasco."—putzik47 "Maybe not bombing civilians overseas and policing the world like every other democrat and republican party and president has done for decades." —metrofan "Find a moderate middle-of-the-road agenda that ALL Americans can identify with and restore the changes of Project 2025. Organize a 'shadow government group' like Trump did at Mar-a-Lago around a charismatic personality with believable integrity." —goldensorcerer758 "Raise the minimum wage so people can at least try to keep up with the cost of living." —shaboomer "Equal protection means equal protection. Religion is not a basis to deny someone medical coverage at work. It is not a reason not to bake a cake. It is not a reason to discriminate against someone. Reverse Dobbs and protect women at all costs." —Michael, Yahoo "A plan if a president is not reelected and refuses to leave the White House. Bills so that the next president has very limited executive order writing power. Reverse all of the current president's executive orders. All of us know we have internal, state, and federal audits so that everyone is doing their job and not stealing, so hire the federal workers back." —Anonymous, 61, Virginia "They need to undo everything that DOGE took away. I think they need to make requirements that dictate that any member of the president's cabinet needs to be qualified and an expert in the field of that cabinet position." "They should also work on strengthening the requirements (aka no felonies, have a bachelor's degree, and add a maximum age) to be president or any other member of Congress."—Anonymous, 38, Colorado "I think one of the Democrats' top priorities should be increasing taxes on corporations and implementing a significant flat tax rate on the ultra wealthy (something akin to Mamdani's proposed 2% tax on the top 1% of earners in NYC) in order to increase the federal budget for programs like Social Security and Medicare for all." —Anonymous, 29, Allentown, PA "Politicians at all levels need to find funds and prioritize infrastructure projects. Clean air, clean water, ecosystem restoration and preservation, transportation (rails, roads, bridges, rivers), electric and pipeline grids, mail and communication, etc." —Anonymous, 75 Minnesota "Destroy monopolies. And rein in private equity firms." —Anonymous, 32 "National voting should be either: A) moved to Saturday to afford the most people the opportunity to vote, or B) made a national holiday to allow for more voters." —Anonymous, 70 Los Angeles "Use the new executive authority in our favor and against the conservative movement. Conservatives are not going to appreciate the constitution or checks and balances in power until they see such power used against them, so I reject the idea that the next Democrat President should worry about decorum and 'decency' the way Biden did." "I want to see some sweeping executive orders from our side for once. In fact, it should be a goal to make the six conservative justices irrelevant, and for the next Democrat in power to make them regret giving the executive branch so much power. "—Anonymous, 31, Bremerton, Washington "32-hour workweeks and guaranteed vacation time (no less than four weeks per year)." —Anonymous, Mel, Ohio "Restore funding for public media and PBS, renewed funding for research and science, projects aimed at reducing climate change, and creation of sustainable housing plans." —Anonymous, 47, West Monroe, LA "Graduated flat tax with no deductions and balanced budget amendment." —Anonymous, 64 Wilmington, Delaware "Every citizen should be required to register and vote, and be fined if they fail to do so." —Anonymous, 75 Minnesota "I would like to see leaders make decisions that would benefit the younger generations, so policies on climate change, making housing prices more affordable, and equal salaries for men and women." —Anonymous, 21, Ohio "Sign into law that ALL employees, regardless of what they do, are guaranteed a minimum of three weeks of paid time AND 10 paid sick days. This should apply to part-time employees as well, so corporate jerks can't just cut the little guy's hours to get around it. The people who need paid time off the most are usually the ones least likely to have it." —Anonymous, 46, NJ "Plans to overturn the Citizens United ruling. So much of the mess we're in now came about because corporations and lobbyists are allowed to give basically as much money as they want to politicians." —Anonymous, 24, Utah"No more millionaires and corporations donating to political parties."—Anonymous, 70, Milwaukee "No more than $50,000 should be spent on any political campaign. Anyone caught spending over should be immediately disqualified and banned from ever running for any campaign again. Lifetime ban. PERIOD. " —Anonymous, 68 Omaha "Equal rights for everyone. That's it, that's the bullet point in the plan. No asterisks." —Anonymous, 40, Seattle "Define marriage as a legal partnership between two consenting people of adult age, with sexual and/or gender identity not mattering. If we want church and state to truly be separate, making all forms of marriage federally valid on a constitutional level is required. That means a marriage between a gay couple should be just as valid as one between a man and a woman, period." —Anonymous, 33, USA "Considering Roe v. Wade got taken down in federal courts and women are literally dying in certain states due to a lack of medical care while having a miscarriage, make medically needed abortions of any kind a federal right for all women and/or any pregnant human, at a minimum. Furthermore, I want it added as an Amendment to the USA's Constitution." —Anonymous, 33, Illinois "Medicaid for all. Daycare until the age of six. Six months of paid maternal leave for the parents of newborns. Make the Fairness Doctrine law. What Congress funds, no one can suspend. Tax the rich." —SheilaB, Yahoo "Close the loopholes and tax the billionaires... Heavily. Term limits for all. Put a reasonable cap on campaign contributions. Emoluments Clause enforcement. If congressional leaders can't work together and make progress on issues, then paychecks for those leaders also stop. Do the job or find a new job, they work for US." —Crabstar, Yahoo And finally, "Student debt forgiveness." —Anonymous, 48 Dallas, TX Now I'd love to know: what do you think? Do you agree with the ideas laid out here, or are there other things you'd like to add? Let us know in the comments. And if you'd like to remain anonymous, you can use the form below. Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
Buzz Feed
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
14 Ex-Tradwives Are Revealing How And Why They Got Divorced
Recently, I wrote an article sharing stories from people who actually were 20th-century "tradwives" about what the lifestyle was like for them. Their stories prompted me to ask divorced members of the BuzzFeed Community who have been trad- or stay-at-home wives what it was like and how their relationship came to an end. Here are their stories. "He decided to trade me in for a newer model with a trust fund. We were 10 years into what I thought was a good marriage. I was wrong." "He married her months after our divorce. Now, 20+ years later, they are miserable. Bicker constantly according to my children, and I'm quite okay with not being with him or dealing with her. Yes, she knew he was married with two young children, but pursued him anyway. No, I'm not sorry for how it all turned out; ultimately, probably for the best. I've had a great life and career. I spent the last two decades making sure my kids are okay, and soon it will be time for me. Being a starter wife was a blessing in disguise. I think ultimately, we all got what we deserved."—jbkswfla "I guess I fell into the category of tradwife: a stay-at-home mom to two kids [who] homeschooled them and had a great community of friends doing the same kind of thing. I wouldn't say we [my husband and I] were 'trad' like what you see on TikTok; it wasn't a goal of mine or anything, we just did what worked for us. Until it didn't work anymore." "Our relationship started feeling off, emotionally, physically, it all just started falling apart slowly over a year or so. He worked so much, we lived apart when our second child was born because of work. It was a lot. We did therapy and tried all sorts of things until we decided to divorce. Turned out, my husband was gay, didn't want to ever face it due to his own reasons (parental shaming as a kid, amongst other things) [and had] created the life he thought he should have and had been having affairs online for years. I understand why he couldn't be truthful sooner, but I think it's wild he lived a whole different life for so long. He ended up having a lot of resentment towards me because I wasn't what he wanted, but he felt like he needed to live the 'traditional life'. We're in such a better place now, friendship-wise and personally. Life is crazy!"—Anonymous "Honestly? It just got boring. We didn't divorce because of the 'traditional' aspect; I only stayed home until our kids were a little bigger, and after that, oh, my God. It was SO. BORING. There's only so much pilates and painting and getting-coffee-with-the-girls you can do before your brain starts to atrophy; I needed work!" "So, our traditional lifestyle came to an end. I got a job that was pretty flexible, so I was still the more 'hands-on' parent when it came to the kids. Our marriage worked totally well like that for a few years... until it turned out my husband was a pathological liar, [a] drug user, and was embezzling money from his company 😁. We are divorced, he is in jail, and I have a big-girl job now. I'm happy to be able to support myself and my kids!"—Anonymous "He simply didn't respect the role that I was in. Unfortunately, I had a rough time as a single mom before meeting my ex. When he came into our lives, he love-bombed me and convinced me that he wanted me to be a stay-at-home parent so the financial stress would be off of me, and I could just stay home and enjoy being a mom. At first, it was great; but then it felt like I was a single parent all over again and he was just paying the bills." "He kept so many secrets, like opening credit cards without my knowing. We are currently going through a divorce and I'm going to get stuck paying 50% of his $60k credit card debt even though I had no knowledge of it. I wasn't allowed to know any of the financials and was 'living' off of a $400 per month allowance for groceries, gas, and household expenses. "I began going to school and he would try to convince me to drop out all the time. I took night classes that didn't end until 10 p.m. and in the three years I was taking those classes, our youngest was asleep by the time I got home a total of five times. Every other time, our youngest would be awake next to his sleeping dad, one hand in a bag of family-sized chips, and one hand holding his dad's phone [watching] YouTube videos depicting things that would give ME nightmares.I finally had enough and told him I wanted a divorce early last year. Since then, he has made my life absolutely miserable. Every time he has the kids for his visits, he doesn't feed them meals but gives them endless amounts of candy. He gives our 11-year-old energy drinks, so she comes back home to me completely riled up, sick to her stomach, and moody. He's not a good parent because he doesn't want to be, and he likes to make my life harder since I wouldn't remain his tradwife. According to him, I needed to be more like his mom — even requesting that I dress like her even though I'm in my early 30s and she's almost 70... My kids and I are a million times happier with him out of the house."—Anonymous "Being a 'tradwife' as the kids call it nowadays had its good and bad. I was very happy to be the parent who stayed home with the kids, and my husband had a great job that could support us all. I know many happy couples with this setup. The problem, though, is that there's no "insurance" in the event that he decides to leave you." "After nine years of marriage, my husband told me that he had fallen in love with another woman and that our marriage would come to an end. He said he would always support our children, which he has to this day, he fails to comprehend that all the years I spent supporting our family at home were years that I could have spent building up my salary, and my life, to support our family in a different way. I didn't just lose nine years of a salary; I lost nine years of building my salary. At 35, I had to start over making what a college grad would make."—Anonymous "It was hell. I have a Bachelor of Science in nursing and ended up with a husband who decided he didn't want me to work at all (prior to kids!) so I stayed home." "He was threatened by any friends I had or if I had fun without him, so he deleted all my contacts. Then my car needed to be fixed, and he chose not to do it even though we had plenty of money. I was trapped at home with no support system (my family was in another state), no friends, no work to fulfill me, and nothing to do. I'm basically ready for jail life if I ever have to go for any reason. I used my whole first paycheck after I got my first Big Girl Job to overpay a new friend for a photo shoot with my divorce settlement paperwork I received in the mail. Well worth it."—Anonymous "Not divorced, but widowed. [Being a 'tradwife'] was a decision made from a purely financial standpoint at first. I made less money than daycare would cost and also was not yet in an established career." "I LOVED staying home with my kids and got used to being in charge of the house, cooking, cleaning, [and] whatever else came with it. However, my husband died and now it is almost impossible to find a job after having taken so many years away from working. So if you're a tradwife/stay-at-home parent, I'd recommend doing whatever small things you can to be able to put something on your resume in case you find yourself having to make a life change!"—Anonymous "I am from a culture (LDS) that prioritizes getting married very young. My husband was somebody I knew from high school and from church, and he was a fun-loving guy as a teenager. We got married when I was 19 and had three kids together. By the time he was 24 or 25, he was growing more controlling — but it was all stuff I thought was cute and normal, if possessive, at first." "Then things progressed; he didn't want me seeing my friends outside the home anymore, he convinced me to leave my part-time job, and he didn't see why I needed to have a credit card (instead of a debit card he now funded). He said I needed to prioritize the kids, even though we could afford childcare and my parents are very only took a few months after leaving that job for me to realize my closed-off life was leaving me isolated and depressed — he even wanted to limit the time I spent with my own sister! Without telling him, I started applying for jobs again and landed a full-time position. Then, I sat him down and very calmly told him that he could either let me work or we could get divorced. He was pretty mad (as were some people in my community, when they found out), but..." "We are now divorced. I realized that that man was not the nice boy I knew from high school. Getting married young can be really great, but it's not for everyone. I would even (although many people I know would disagree with me) say it's not for most people." "Girls, you deserve to know who A) yourself and B) your husband are as ADULTS before you get married and have kids with him. I am doing great now, feel wonderfully in control of my own life, and love my children so much. Being free does not limit my own or my children's lives at all."—Anonymous "I was a traditional wife who worked outside of the home about 25% of the 59-year marriage. I was responsible, hard-working, and did everything. He worked. He physically, emotionally, and verbally abused me. He raped me. He pissed away nearly $300k. He always lied. He cheated. I finally got sick of being used and abused." "Before he moved out, he transferred all his retirement accounts to a his-name-only account and replaced me as the beneficiary on everything. Money was the only thing he contributed, so ultimately I divorced him. He and my lawyer procrastinated (both are greedy, selfish miscreants) and dragged things out for over a year. He walked away with 12 contempt citations, a new car, and $100k annual income. I am destitute, but free."—Anonymous "I'm not divorced, but I wanted to be. My husband passed away, and I feel very guilty for feeling this way, but it has been a blessing in my life." "I am American from a very conservative Muslim family. I guess I wasn't a 'tradwife' in the current online way, which feels very Christian-oriented to me, but really with conservative religions, it's all the same. I went to college, but I'm pretty sure the point of my education was so my parents could 'brag' about it. They made it very clear to me that I was lucky to be 'allowed' to go, unlike my cousins back in Bangladesh, and that they wanted me to find a husband. It was like my life was the I found a really nice guy, he was from a similar background but he himself was pretty secular (more so than me). He drank and partied with his friends. We got married out of college. Turns out, he was very willing to turn up his 'conservative' side once we were married." "First, it was that he wanted me to stay home while he worked. At the time, I was all about it — hell yes, I'll stay home and let you buy me things and fund my life! But — buckle up — problems started when I gave birth to a baby girl." "I got pregnant again and suffered [a] miscarriage that was very traumatic for me. He blamed me and wanted me to get pregnant as soon as I could so he could have a son. That was a red flag and [was] when I started seriously considering leaving him, but I didn't have any he hit me. He only did it once, but for me, that was enough. I packed up and went to my parents' and demanded a divorce. I don't think he would have given me one, but I guess it doesn't matter night, he said he was going to 'come get' me and [our daughter]. [He] got in a car accident (his fault), and died from his injuries two days later. Turns out, he was drunk when it has been two years and our daughter is starting first grade soon. I am very happy I have my degree, because I now have a stable job. We are not rich but I never want another man to 'provide' for me. I can make do for myself."—Anonymous "It has been very hard. I feel a lot of guilt. I wanted to stay married for our family, but he got to be too much. I didn't have very much bargaining power in the relationship, but now we are divorced and I have my own job, which is nice." Something that's hard is that I come from quite a religious community and am still very religious, but lots of single-mother support groups etc. are very anti-Christian (I have grace for them, because a lot of them have been abused by their communities). I myself find a lot of inner strength in Jesus."Sometimes in dark moments I still doubt if I did the right thing, but then I remind myself I am being ridiculous. My husband beat me. I had to leave before he turned on our children. I have full custody and a restraining order. I am proud of myself for getting out."—Anonymous "I was one of the thousands of women who were in the workforce before COVID and left when it struck. At the time, I had a 3-year-old and [a] 2-year-old, and [when] life with COVID reached a point [where] I COULD return, I decided to stay. I now have a 6-year-old, a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old, [and a] divorce in progress." "He completely shut down as a parent in the house and refused to even be a partner to me romantically. He focused on professional joy only and I felt alone and exhausted. He did not manage the finances. He did not want to advance his career. I just couldn't take it anymore."—Anonymous "I was a stay-at-home mom, got a remote job because I didn't have personal money to spend, moved halfway across the country per his urging (away from my family), and then he convinced me to quit my job because I 'couldn't take care of the house like I used to.' (Not true.) The day after my last day of work, we went to our seventh-anniversary dinner, and on the way home he decided he was done with no reason other than he didn't want to be married anymore." "We drove home, paid the babysitter, and while our children slept, he left. He was gone for two months (my lawyer's PI couldn't even find him) with no communication with me or our children. He then acted like I was trying to pull one over on him because I sold things to make rent and feed our children, [said] that I cheated on him (I didn't) and was hiding money from him (but he's hidden money from me, in reality)." "Flash forward two years and he hasn't paid child support in almost a year and refuses to help me take care of our children or to take me off of any credit cards or loans that he fraudulently signed my name to. All while he's a CTO of a tech company and living with his girlfriend." And finally: "God, once he wanted to go 'trad' the marriage lasted like, two seconds, LOL. I'm very pro letting people live how they want to live — but that lifestyle is NOT for me, and he married me knowing my personality." "I loved him a lot, we met at work (if that says anything) in our 20s, and got married when he was 30 and I was 29. After two years he wanted to move to Connecticut and have a the baby just wasn't happening for us... which I am now grateful for... and I was NOT moving to Connecticut. We were having sex less and whenever we were, he was stressed about making the non-existent baby. I started falling out of deep love with him and I felt so guilty, but he kept getting kind of... meaner? It all clicked one Thanksgiving at his parents' place. His mom was being pretty weird and kept ordering me around and acting like I couldn't do anything quite right. After we went home, he kept harping on about 'wasn't his mom so great and isn't she so talented at hosting and maybe we could try to host Christmas' if I thought I was up to it, etc. All of a sudden I realized: he didn't want me, his girlfriend anymore. He wanted a are now separated and he has been dating a new girl. I heard from a mutual friend that they are already engaged, and we're not even divorced yet! I feel for him because I know how badly he wants a child, but I think he's letting it control his life. I'm worried for his mental health in the case that he never has kids."—Anonymous Let me know your thoughts on all of the above. And if you have your own story involving a "traditional" marriage, please feel free to share down below.
Buzz Feed
6 days ago
- General
- Buzz Feed
Shocking Reasons People Stay In Unhappy Marriages
People get divorced for all sorts of reasons, but in some cases, they choose to stay in the marriage, even if they're deeply unhappy. We dug through a few Reddit threads (like this one) to learn about other people's experiences in unhappy marriages — and why they stayed. Here's what they shared... "I am so ready to leave, but taking that first step feels so hard. Just finally sitting down and realizing the 18 months of therapy and 'work' (in which he did none and I did some) haven't been working. I dislike the person he has become, and I see no future with him. It's really the fear of the unknown. I keep reminding myself that I know ZERO divorced people who said they wish they hadn't divorced, and most say they just wish they hadn't waited so long. My kids are young enough that they won't remember too much of us together, and there is a long road for new, better, happier memories to be made. It's just finally saying I want to divorce that I just can't get out of my mouth." "I found out when I was four months pregnant that my husband was bisexual. He had gotten onto sex sites and tried to get men or couples to come and meet up for sexcapades in my house in my bed when I went to visit my family across the country with my three older children. He was sexting these men and reaching out to all kinds of F-buddies. I stayed because I was pregnant and because he gave me herpes. We also started couples counseling. Our son is now 2, and it may have been the biggest regret of my life. He almost left before we got married or pregnant and before I got herpes. I wish I had let him go, but I love my baby boy, and he is a great father who treats me well most of the time. However, I don't think I'll ever trust him." —Anonymous "For all the people who say it's so easy to lose half of everything and then pay the other half overtime for your freedom, I guarantee you wouldn't be able to write a $500,000 check to somebody you hate. Most people who give me advice like that don't even have $50,000 to lose, much less half a million, so that's why I stay." "I threw my husband a large party for his birthday with his family and close childhood friends. After the party was over, my mom and her friend stayed up with my husband and his friend. I went to bed and texted my husband at 2 a.m. — he was still up with them on the porch. I asked him to come help me with our 4-month-old baby. I looked out the window and saw he was smiling and texting someone, but it wasn't me. I let it go and went to sleep with our baby. The next morning, I checked his Apple Watch. He was texting his friend who was with him about how my mom was hot and how he would sleep with her. They were even planning to 'bring her inside' and see what would happen. He swore it was all jokes. I forgave him. I should have left. I'm still with him." —Anonymous "I don't leave because I don't know how to restart and he's a great father to our son." "I was a stay-at-home mom for most of our three kids' lives. Our oldest is almost 7, and our youngest is 2. We can't afford daycare, so I have to work evenings as a waitress. I need an education or career (other than serving/bartending), and if I leave, I have nowhere to go. No savings, no money. I can't afford a big enough house. I would get $600 a month for child support for all three kids, and I make $2,000 a month. Houses/apartments big enough for me and the kids are a minimum of $1,200 a month, but that's in a really, really bad area. I'm stuck." "I wanted a new sectional couch. He was vehemently anti-sectional. For whatever reason, he still refuses to let me have the furniture I want. He holds the purse strings over my head because I make a tiny fraction of what he earns. I'm pretty chill, so I've never stopped him from getting his toys (motorcycle, boat, plane). So, you would think he could give me an inch on family stuff. No. We ended up with reclining sofas. The only thing I got that I wanted was leather. He gave up very little and didn't do it to make me happy..." "Most other men I know are cool with their wives deciding on furniture and decor. They give input but defer to her wishes because they generally have no opinion on the matter. Not my husband. I was so furious that he refused the ONE thing I wanted. The ensuing fight lasted a few days, but I've never left. A new fight is brewing over a dryer. The current one is 20-plus years old and takes forever to dry things. I'm getting it one way or another. If not, I may finally be done."—Anonymous "I love my wife, so I'm still trying to make it work. I've yet to give an ultimatum, but my wife's abusive behavior has been forcing me more and more on that path over the last year. I've tried to work it out in whatever way I can without bringing divorce up. If it weren't for my young kids, I wouldn't be so patient with her, but I'm trying to save things for their sake, which gives me lots of patience, for better or worse. I also enjoy my house and commute, and my wife is sexy as hell, haha. There's a lot worth saving, but I am not happy." —Anonymous "I am stuck in my marriage because he is blackmailing me saying he will reveal my past to family and relatives. If I argue, he becomes violent. I don't want to be with him, but there is no one to help." "I've been married for 21 years this year. Eight years in, my wife cheated on me with three different guys. She lied to me, then to her parents, then to our marriage counselor. The next year, she went to counseling, and ultimately, we stayed together. I'll never forget it, and I think about it every day. It still affects me. We have three kids who are all over 18 now." "I don't leave because I can't throw away 30 years of my life. We are working together to try and save our marriage. Things get better, then they're bad again. I'm tired of the cycle." "Depending on your personality type, you can tend just to resign yourself to things over time. I am in a marriage where we feel more like friends than anything. Our strengths/weaknesses don't really complement each other. I also somehow end up doing a solid 85–90% of the work around here (I am in charge of finances, I take care of the dogs, I'm the one who knows how to fix things around the house, and be the one who would take the time to hire the right person to do it when it's beyond me). I admit I resent it sometimes. But over the years, I don't really even bring it up anymore. I've just to it." "My spouse keeps digging us into a terrible financial pit where I keep having to get new side jobs to make ends meet. Part of me thinks he's trapping me, and the other half blames his addiction to pot and wine." "Fear and not wanting to be alone at my older (ish) age, plus we have been trying for so many years for kids and I don't have the time to meet someone new and have kids. (And, yes, I remind myself every day that I probably shouldn't be trying to bring kids into an unhappy marriage/family.) And lastly: "I work for a guy that has been married 60 years. He said he works 60 hours a week so he doesn't have to be at home with his wife." If you're unhappy in your marriage, but can't bring yourself to leave, tell us why via the anonymous comments form below and you may be featured in a follow-up post!
