Raise The Red Flag | Reading Reddit Stories

Summary

Smosh Reads Reddit Stories

Episode: "Raise The Red Flag | Reading Reddit Stories"

Host: Shane Topp
Guests: Courtney Miller, Trevor Evarts
Date: May 9, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lively, laughter-packed episode, the Smosh crew dives into a Reddit classic: Red Flags. Host Shane guides guests Courtney and Trevor through a series of wild, cringey, and sometimes poignant Reddit posts—all revolving around suspicious behaviors (red flags) in relationships and workplaces. With a playful, self-aware tone, the trio unpacks these stories, waving literal red and green flags, poking fun, and sometimes sharing genuine insights about trust, insecurity, and boundaries.

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1. "Mozzarella Cheese Balls: A Dealbreaker?"

[02:46–22:48]

Story Summary

A woman reveals her boyfriend may leave her because he can’t handle seeing her eat mozzarella cheese balls, claiming the act is “lewd” and makes him think of her eating another man’s balls. She wonders if this is a red flag.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Immediate Red Flag Consensus: Shane, Courtney, and Trevor agree—controlling a partner’s snacking is a big red flag, especially when sexualized ([09:03], Shane: “To be clear, this is a red flag. 100 percent.”).
• Projecting Insecurity/Sexualization: The group calls out the boyfriend’s insecurity and the broader issue of sexualizing women’s mundane actions ([09:03], Courtney).
• Slippery Slope Logic: Courtney asks, "Is she allowed to wear cleavage around the house?" highlighting how such thinking can expand to more controlling behaviors ([06:11]).
• Empowering Listener: All three firmly advise not to give up the snack—this isn’t just about cheese, but about standing your ground in the face of irrational control ([14:59], Shane: “If a man wants to lose you over cheese, let him. You’ll have won.”).
• Funny asides: Playful imagination—what if eating bananas, corn dogs, or even blueberries was seen as sexual ([08:42], Trevor & Courtney).

Notable Quotes

• Trevor: "If I see my girlfriend eating cheese and my first thought is another man’s balls, I think that’s a me problem." ([07:53])
• Shane: "Any sort of commenting or trying to control your partner’s food or eating habits...that’s a huge red flag." ([10:10])
• Courtney: “It’s commentary on society and how everything women do is somehow sexualized…” ([09:03])

Update ([16:08])

The boyfriend’s behavior was rooted in trauma—his last partner cheated and he learned via a video of similar imagery. The couple chose couples counseling to work through trust and communication.

Green flag moment: "During our conversation, I let him know that I didn’t like the direction ... because it felt controlling … We already decided we would be looking for couples counseling" ([17:03-18:13]).

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2. "Fake Job Interviews for Leadership Practice"

[24:11–31:18]

Story Summary

A marketing coordinator’s boss, under advice from a life coach, asks her to post fake job openings and conduct interviews for jobs that don’t exist, allegedly to “practice leadership.” She quits on the spot after realizing the harm, especially when a single mom spends money for a babysitter just to attend a fake interview.

Key Insights

• Universally Condemned: The group is stunned and disgusted by this unethical practice ([27:02], Trevor: "This is awful.").
• Empathy for Job Hunters: Trevor reflects on the demoralizing impact of job hunting and the cruelty of wasting applicants' time ([27:27–27:44]).
• Ethical Line: Shane calls the boss “evil” and a “dumbass” and compares the advice to Manosphere nonsense ([27:58]).
• Career Moves: Courtney points out the difference between being fired and quitting, and the value of refusing to participate in unethical schemes ([28:51]).

Notable Quotes

• Shane: “Your notice period was exactly as real as those job openings.” ([29:58])
• Courtney: “If you want to improve those skills, maybe spend more time with the actual employees you have…” ([28:18])

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3. "Girlfriend Snoops Reddit, Demands Advice Change"

[32:03–47:06]

Story Summary

A man recounts how his girlfriend scoured his Reddit comment history, was appalled by his frequent “dump them” advice, and demanded he change or she’d end things. After an escalating argument, he tells her the relationship is over.

Key Insights

• Red Flag Debate: The hosts agree it’s unnerving to see a partner’s online persona diverge from the real-life one, but also discuss the lack of nuance in Reddit advice culture ([36:47], Courtney; [37:59], Trevor).
• Nuance in Infidelity: Trevor criticizes black-and-white thinking on cheating and notes the limits of judging any situation from Reddit’s limited perspective ([40:15]).
• Online vs. Real Identity: Shane points out the disconnect between internet morality and real life: “There’s who they are in real life and who they are on the internet…” ([36:47]).
• Mutual Red Flags: The group notes both parties showed concerning behaviors—hers in demanding he change morals, and his in drawing hasty, algorithmic conclusions ([43:56]).

Notable Quotes

• Trevor: “It’s really damaging … to live in this world of, ‘I’m right, you’re wrong…’” ([39:35])
• Shane: “People are complicated and it’s more a matter of like, trust. It’s not a matter of good and bad.” ([41:16])

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4. "My Boyfriend Wants Me to Get Rid of a Friend’s Painting"

[47:06–55:59]

Story Summary

A woman’s boyfriend is upset she keeps a playful painting her friend made of her with a celebrity crush (Sebastian Stan). He demands she remove it, despite keeping posters of attractive women at his own place. The conflict escalates; he becomes verbally abusive, and she breaks up with him.

Key Insights

• Hypocrisy & Control: Double standards for men and women’s “crushes” trigger instant red flag reactions ([52:21], Shane).
• Cultural Fallout: Courtney references the “sweater curse”—that gifts with loving intent sometimes doom relationships ([52:27]).
• Healthy Boundaries: Shane emphasizes that the argument (“very out of character…”) wasn’t; it just revealed true character ([56:14–56:27]).
• Playful Celebrity Guesses: The crew tries to guess the celebrity in the painting, offering lightness to a heavier story ([50:23] onward).

Notable Quotes

• Shane: “He yelled out these vulgarities… It’s like, actually, I think you just got to finally see his character” ([56:14]).
• Courtney: “God forbid she actually went to a meet-and-greet and got a pick…” ([52:43])

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5. "Mother-in-law Accuses Me of Witchcraft Over a Halloween Costume"

[57:38–67:15]

Story Summary

After donning a low-effort witch costume (“I’m with the witch” T-shirt, black dress, choker) at a Halloween party, a woman’s mother-in-law launches a family-wide text campaign accusing her of being “dangerous,” sabotaging her reputation and prompting her and her husband to go no-contact.

Key Insights

• Over-the-Top Family Toxicity: The hosts are fascinated and appalled by the escalation, noting the controlling, manipulative behavior in the guise of “concern” ([61:18], Shane).
• Religious Pretext as Control: Trevor draws parallels to real-life experiences with fundamentalism ([62:24]), and Courtney highlights the absurdity of “having to put out a PR statement for your family, for your bloodline” ([63:33]).
• No-Contact Reality: Shane and Trevor agree—sometimes going no contact with family is the healthiest route; it’s not merely a Reddit trope ([61:18]).

Notable Quotes

• Courtney: “Like, where are we on the Internet that people are believing that—The fact that ... this Karen might be saying some really nasty things to try and back up this?” ([63:42])
• Shane: “It’s so disrespectful and controlling for her to do to her. So she’s like, my son, who is incapable of living his own life or making his own decisions. I must make the decision for him.” ([64:05])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Internet “Parables”:

  • Trevor: “Sometimes when I think about the show it's kind of like you're Jesus … and you're reading us these parables, you know … stories of, hi, my boyfriend can't stop thinking about other men's balls when I eat mozzarella. And you know, it's like, are these stories true?... does the truth of them lie in the lessons that we can learn?” ([21:57])

• Meta Podcast Reflection:

  • Shane: “There’s two people: who they are in real life and who they are on the internet…” ([36:47])
  • Courtney: “If we had the opportunity to read every comment that each person in our lives has ever left, we all would have a lot of shattering experiences.” ([44:13])

• Comic Relief:

  • “I thought it was gonna be a painting of like her and the Grinch and the Grinch's balls are in her mouth.” ([49:06], Shane)
  • “W hubby!” ([66:14], Shane and Courtney, after supportive husband goes no-contact)

• Final Reflection

  • Courtney: “Eat mozzarella balls responsibly… You guys are a couple flags to me.” ([68:33–68:36])
  • Shane: “Now I need to see your Reddit history…” ([68:41])

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Quick Reference: Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Start | End | |----------------------------------------------------------|---------|---------| | Mozzarella Cheese Balls Dilemma | 02:46 | 22:48 | | Fake Job Interviews Red Flag | 24:11 | 31:18 | | Snooping Reddit Account/Black-and-White Advice | 32:03 | 47:06 | | Painting of Celebrity/Jealous Boyfriend | 47:06 | 55:59 | | Mother-in-Law Witch Accusation | 57:38 | 67:15 |

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Episode Takeaways

• Red Flags often come in the form of control or projection—in relationships and at work.
• Nuance matters: Not every problem equals a breakup, but some lines (control, dishonesty, unsafe behaviors) shouldn’t be crossed.
• Healthy relationships demand communication and mutual respect—even about “silly” things like snacks or paintings.
• Sometimes, the Internet and real life collide in uncomfortable ways.
• Self-awareness, humor, and a willingness to seek help (even therapy) are green flags.

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This episode delivers both comic absurdity and meaningful commentary, making it essential listening for anyone who enjoys pop culture, relationship dynamics—and a healthy serving of cheese-based humor.

Transcript

[Shane]

Neighbor game.

[Courtney]

Oo.

[Doug]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Shane]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date? Oh, no.

[Doug]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Shane]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Doug]

Anyways, get a'@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.

[Shane]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Trevor]

Yes you can. A five minute quick and easy calorie burning workout. Give it a try. Come join our sweat sesh on TikTok.

[Shane]

Hello and welcome to sm.

[Courtney]

Oh my God.

[Trevor]

Oh, that was awesome.

[Courtney]

Is that a red flag?

[Trevor]

That was really good.

[Shane]

Hello and welcome to Smosh Reads Reddit Stories. I'm Shane, and today we are doing Red Flags. That's right. And I'm joined by two. No, I'm joined by one red flag and one green flag. Who is who? Who is who? Trevor and Courtney.

[Courtney]

Red what? What did you call me?

[Shane]

Red flag.

[Courtney]

I thought you said something else.

[Shane]

Don't, Shane.

[Trevor]

White boy. You can't say that.

[Shane]

You can't say that.

[Trevor]

White baby.

[Shane]

We have red flags. We have red standing by. And he, like, flies it.

[Courtney]

Sorry. So sorry.

[Shane]

Hi. How's it going?

[Trevor]

Good.

[Courtney]

I'm ready to read.

[Shane]

Well, you're not reading. I'm reading.

[Courtney]

Well, I'm ready to read Opel.

[Trevor]

I'm ready to practice my active listening skills.

[Shane]

I, I think the Red Flag episodes are sometimes some of my favorites.

[Courtney]

And I think it's just a funny energy in the office, in the studio today because we've been like, working from home a lot and moving the studio. So, like, it's just I forgot how to person a little bit.

[Shane]

I, I, I have two. Yeah, like, I was reading a book the other night. I was like, oh, I really need to read because, like, I'm not reading Reddit stories. So, like, when I, what if, when we film the next episode, I forgot how to read?

[Courtney]

He forgot how to read.

[Trevor]

Bro goes a couple weeks without Reddit stories.

[Shane]

You get into a flow with reading. When you don't read for a while, you start reading. I'm like, I read really slow when I haven't read for a while and

[Courtney]

I gotta like, you reading really slow out loud is crazy.

[Shane]

My boyfriend. Imagine if that was how it was. All right, so we're gonna read stories, they're gonna have possible red flags, maybe some green flags and you guys have red flags and green flags that you can hold up when you feel the signs. What if I don't want to? You don't have to. Cool. You can do whatever you want. Technically, green flag.

[Courtney]

He's letting you do what you want.

[Trevor]

Green flag.

[Shane]

Yeah. All right, we're gonna hop into it.

[Trevor]

All right, reader boy.

[Shane]

Whoa.

[Trevor]

Let's see it.

[Courtney]

There's readers and breeders.

[Trevor]

Which one are you?

[Shane]

And I've got a lot of books. Okay, here we go. Our first Red Flag story. This comes from Relationship advice. It was posted in July of 2024. This is a 24 year old woman writing she goes. My boyfriend, who's 25, told me that snacking on mozzarella cheese balls might be a deal breaker. What should I do?

[Courtney]

Huh?

[Trevor]

I'm going to do it. I'm going to do an early flag raise here.

[Shane]

Yeah, yeah. Snacking on mozzarella cheese balls. Gross.

[Trevor]

No, no, the red flag is that he's telling.

[Shane]

Right? Look, I can get down with a

[Trevor]

little mozzarella cheese ball, but please continue.

[Courtney]

Yeah, we're at half mast.

[Shane]

We'll see. Any sort of. We'll see. I know, I know we're in silly territory still, but.

[Trevor]

Red flags.

[Courtney]

All right, we must hear this throwaway

[Shane]

account because my boyfriend knows my personal Reddit account. Red flag. Hey, Reddit. So I'm in a very weird situation and I don't know how to proceed. I'm hoping to get some insight from people who don't know us personally because this is really embarrassing for me. So to preface, I'm a cheese lover. I absolutely adore cheese and it's my favorite snack. My number one cheese has got to be mozzarella, specifically ball shaped mozzarella. The texture and flavor are so good, especially with a little salt sprinkled. I buy those Belgioso packs of mozzarella balls and they have been my snack of choice since I was a freshman in college. They were easy and convenient to keep in my for a quick, cheap and easy bite. My boyfriend and I have been dating for three years now and we recently moved in together. He's known about my love for cheese since our first date. He took me to a restaurant and we ordered like three charcuterie boards. Lol.

[Courtney]

Slay.

[Shane]

I don't think he knew what he was getting into with my snacking and he probably didn't expect to see me eat mozzarella balls on the daily. I thought he was fine with it, but now he's making an issue out of it and I don't Know if I should stop? His specific issue is the shape.

[Trevor]

His.

[Shane]

His spec. His specific issue is the shape of the cheese. Wait, sorry, I was thinking a million other things before the shape of the cheese being the issue. He tells me that seeing me eat, you know, ball shaped cheese makes him uncomfortable. He says that it is lewd and that, and I quote, Trevor is deflating, bro. It is lewd. It's lewd, brother.

[Trevor]

That's a you problem if you're seeing your girlfriend eat mozzarella cheese balls and you're getting a little bricked up like that. Yeah, brother.

[Shane]

Okay. Oh, my God. He says seeing me pop a wet cheese ball in my mouth makes him think of me having another man's balls in my mouth. Yeah.

[Courtney]

Huh.

[Shane]

I was really confused and I told him that I don't think this is that big of a deal and that it's literally cheese, but he told me the imagery still grosses him out. I thought we could work through this, but after a while, he said it might be a deal breaker if I don't stop.

[Courtney]

What?

[Shane]

Afterwards, he left for work and she's like. She's like, okay, fine, I won't have that anyways. I'm going to eat this banana right now. He's like, no.

[Courtney]

Yeah. What the hell?

[Shane]

What about the hot dog?

[Courtney]

No. Is she allowed to wear cleavage around the house? Like, what is happening?

[Shane]

Yeah, during the argument, he said he doesn't care if I eat mozzarella cheese, but he just wants me to eat it string or shredded instead. I know this is so high maintenance of me, but mozzarella balls are just my favorite snack. The texture, the taste, it's just so good. I like shredded cheese and string cheese, but they just aren't the same. I'm thinking I should maybe buy the smaller mozzarella balls that Belgioso sells and hope they won't bother him. But if I feed into this, could it reinforce this mindset he has? I don't know what to do. I want to make him comfortable, but this feels really controlling and unnecessary. Not to mention, I don't really want to give up on my favorite snack. He's a great guy and I know this post isn't doing him justice, but I just want to know if this is a red flag from him or if putting my foot down on this is unreasonable. Thank you in advance to anyone who reads this and offers me some advice. By the way, this is not an ad for Belgioso. Unless Belgioso, you want to hit us up.

[Courtney]

Can I say this and send Me some mozzarella balls of like the sizes of Belgioso mozzarella balls. Cause I've seen the big. I've seen the big and I've seen the little.

[Trevor]

Yeah, they make the little pearl ones and those ones they put in like the sauce. They'll put them in like an olive oil, like a salted olive oil type stuff.

[Shane]

I won't lie. When I'm at the grocery store, they have those big balls of mozzarella cheese. I imagine biting into them every time

[Courtney]

I see, like an apple.

[Shane]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. I love mozzarella cheese. It's so good. But it's basically like, it's as not cheese as it gets. You know what I mean? Like, it's basically cream.

[Courtney]

I'm just trying to understand. So how small is this man's ball

[Shane]

or how small does he think other man's balls are?

[Courtney]

Does he think there's an average size of balls?

[Trevor]

I just like, if I see my girlfriend eating cheese and my first thought is another man's balls, I think that's a me problem.

[Shane]

That's the problem. 1,000 million percent. That's a me problem. Like, that's why I. Sorry.

[Courtney]

I jumped straight to cleavage. You guys are probably like, whoa, whoa. But it's like, yeah, what are. What is she. What's that? Is how.

[Shane]

Well, it's his brain making it sexual. Yeah, she's eating cheese. He's going, that's another man's balls.

[Trevor]

Yeah.

[Shane]

He's not even thinking of his own balls. He's thinking of other man's balls. Yeah.

[Trevor]

He could be getting horny and being like, those could be my balls. And it could be like a hot

[Courtney]

thing for him who I'm getting they balls bit.

[Shane]

I'm just imagining you eating another man's balls.

[Trevor]

Like, bro, at what line do we draw? At what other balls do we draw the line? Like, if we're eating cheese puffs, is he going, damn, those look like other men's balls to me too.

[Courtney]

This is a particularly large blueberry. What are we gonna do?

[Shane]

I know.

[Courtney]

Where are we at?

[Trevor]

What foods are reminding this man of other men's balls? I know.

[Courtney]

God forbid she eats a hard boiled egg.

[Shane]

I know. Grief, just torment for this man. Okay, to be clear, this is a red flag. Yeah, to be clear, this is a red flag, 100%.

[Courtney]

And like, just like, let's even. Let's talk about the bare fundamentals of this is this person is projecting their insecurity onto their partner. Insecure that their partner would do. Would cheat on them. They're insinuating that this food is making them think of their partner cheating on them by, by, by eating this thing. But it's also calling it lewd and calling it sexual. It's like that's commentary on society and how everything women do is somehow sexualized whether they want it to be or not. Because the. The definition of sexualizing something is something that wasn't intentionally sexual. Being made sexual, like having your daily protein snack. Like, gosh dang.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Trevor]

God forbid a girl just snack on some mozzarella cheese balls.

[Shane]

Yeah. Yeah. And to be fair on the packaging, it does say testicle sized, but, well,

[Courtney]

they call it fun size.

[Shane]

They are testicle sized mozzarella balls.

[Courtney]

I need to try these.

[Shane]

The perfect size. No, this is his problem for sure. I feel like he hits on a trifecta of things that are red flags. Right. One is any sort of like commenting or trying to control your partner's food or eating habits. Also taking away something that is like her favorite thing. It's like she's like, this is my comfort thing is my favorite thing. And he's like, no, you gotta stop. Because of my insecurity. But also it's hitting on the thing that I always think is a huge red flag, which is like when your partner jumps to, oh, you're cheating on me. Or that reminds me of cheating on me. That to me, in the most of the stories that we read is usually the biggest sign that they might be doing something or having thoughts of their own or whatever. Obviously we don't know if any of that's true, but it is a red flag in that, hey, you should be mindful of this.

[Trevor]

If this guy is as good of if he is a good guy, like she says. I think if someone were to look him straight in the eyes and say, every time you see your girlfriend eat mozzarella cheese, you think of another man's balls. Look inward. Yeah, I think maybe he could fix himself. I think if someone, if I was feeling that way and someone pointed that out to me in those words, I think maybe I'd be like, you know what?

[Doug]

You're right.

[Trevor]

That's insane.

[Courtney]

I would hope so.

[Shane]

He really does. It feels like, yeah. If this is all that that boils down to, he needs someone to just point out how embarrassing.

[Courtney]

Literally be like calling it a deal breaker. A deal breaker.

[Shane]

That and that. I don't like that too. I don't like how 1 to 0 or 0 to going with this. Like, because that's the controlling nature of it. It'd be one thing if he's like, yeah, I don't know why I'm having these thoughts of another man's balls in your mouth. But like he could communicate that I guess. But him being like, no, I'm going to break up with you, no.

[Courtney]

And that's like dangerous. This is dangerous territory where precedents are set and boundaries are ignored and and

[Shane]

if that's a deal breaker for him, it's like she's about to run into so many deal breakers with him in the future. I feel like this episode of Red Stories is sponsored by zocdoc. I know whenever I feel something off I start doom scrolling sympt and according to my recent spirals results I've been self diagnosed as a chronic overthinker. Luckily I know that isn't true because this big brain of mine remembered I could find a professional who has everything I look for in a doctor, makes me feel comfortable, explains things clearly, and most importantly has a doctorate. Zocdoc is a free app and website that helps you find and book high quality in network doctors so you can find someone you love. It's never been easier to find who you need, whether it's a dermatologist, general practitioner, or a guy in a white coat to tell me I'm not overthinking. You can even search by specialty or symptom to find the kind of doctor you need. And now I can happily say I'm actually super smart and intelligent and cool and stuff. I always use Zocdoc when I'm looking for a new doctor and you should too. I actually had been putting off doctor's appointments for a long time and when I finally downloaded the app it was simply too easy and to push it off any longer. I had an appointment within a few days. Stop putting off those doctor's appointments and go to zocdoc.com PittReddit to find and instantly book a doctor you love today. That's Zocdoc.com PittReddit Zocdoc.com PitReddit Thanks Zocdoc for sponsoring this message. Back to the show. Nailed it. All right, comments? Someone said I would consider a partner who got

[Doug]

and Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Shane]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date? Oh no.

[Doug]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a Human him to a bird.

[Shane]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Doug]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Shane]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Sexually jealous over a cheese snack. A deal breaker. Personally, 15,000 upvotes. Someone quoted underneath, she was cheating on me with cheese balls, bro. Someone said, red flag. He's so weirdly insecure that he's offended by you eating cheese. Real men would pound those suckers back. Right with you. By the way, what are his thoughts on bananas, popsicles, and corn dogs?

[Courtney]

God forbid I eat a corn dog.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Trevor]

No, literally.

[Courtney]

And, like, what would she. What could she do about him then? Like, would she be like. Like, let's think, let's think. Yeah.

[Trevor]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

If he's getting. Getting in on a wall.

[Shane]

Put that taco down.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Jesus Christ. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Put those coconuts down. You better not be holding two large melons in your hand at the grocery store.

[Trevor]

Do you want a cantaloupe or like a honeydew?

[Courtney]

No.

[Shane]

Okay, okay. Final comment. If you stop eating mozzarella cheese balls to make him comfortable, he's just going to think, good. She'll tolerate that crock of shit. She'll do whatever I tell her. And it will get worse. Stand your ground. If a man wants to lose you over cheese, let him. You'll have won. Yeah, I do agree with that. You will have one. We love one. Update.

[Courtney]

Yay.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

Cheese. Update. Cheese.

[Shane]

Update. Cheese. I also feel like. I feel like, as a man, I feel like any man who's dumb enough to come between a woman and cheese. Yeah, you're. You're going to get.

[Trevor]

You're going to get.

[Shane]

You're going to get broken up with. You simply are fighting a force. Like, scientists have studied this, and, like, they're like, this is a force stronger than the ocean solar waves. And they're just like, you can't stop this.

[Courtney]

Damn right. Damn right. Here. Wait. Shango, there's a little thing in there.

[Shane]

Get it.

[Courtney]

Yeah, got it.

[Shane]

Okay. Damn it.

[Trevor]

You gonna finish that?

[Courtney]

Sorry. That was making me think of a woman in your nose.

[Shane]

You can finish that. That's crazy. That's a razor statement. Okay, update. July 3, 2024. Two days later hey, guys, I hope I'm doing this update thing right. I've never made one before, so I'm just trying to copy what other people in this sub have done. I was debating posting this update or not, but seeing just how many people saw it and became invested in my snacking made me want to give anyone who is still interested a little bit of closure. First of all, I wanted to thank you all for your time spent with me. It's honestly a little overwhelming to see how many people took a break from what I assume our very busy lives to give me advice and support. I think it's very beautiful how so many people in so many different places can come together and give some love to people who need it. Secondly, I have a short and savory update. Get it? Because I couldn't leave you guys hanging the morning after I posted Hanging like balls. Like. Like balls.

[Courtney]

Sorry.

[Shane]

The morning after I posted, me and my boyfriend talked out this entire issue and he ended up explaining why his mind immediately went to a place of sexualizing something that has no implications. I left this out of my original post because it felt unrelated, even though in high hindsight it was obvious, but there was an issue with infidelity in his previous relationship. I didn't know the details of what happened and never tried to bring it up because I didn't want to upset him. That was my mistake though because he is still struggling with insecurities and felt unsure if he could tell me about it. Both of us were lacking communication skills, but we ended up clearing the air and I found out both why his last relationship ended and why seeing me eat cheese balls upset him. All I knew previously was that he had a serious relationship with his ex girlfriend and they broke up because she cheated on him. Now he let me know that he found out about the incident because the person she cheated with sent him a video of her eating another man's cheese balls. Oh, he told me that he feels like by now he should have gotten over it, but the betrayal stuck with him. The new move in together has started to trigger his unresolved feelings and has given him new anxieties that our relationship might end the same way. I think pairing that with the daily visual reminder through the cheese balls was a little too much for him. I know many of you have very strong opinions about him and I'm sorry to disappoint, but I am not ready to let go of this relationship yet. During our conversation, I let him know that I didn't like the direction that he was going with his ultimatum because it felt controlling and I told him I wouldn't tolerate another incident like this in the future. We already decided we would be looking for couples counseling in our area to help us both move on from this incident and generally learn to communicate more openly so that neither of us will Bottle up our negative emotions alone, and instead, we can help each other overcome these emotions as a unit. Right now, I'm feeling very hopeful, and I think that knowing about his past will leave me better equipped to pave a better future with him. Thank you for all your advice and support. I think that without your perspectives, I might have just given up on my cheese. And the two of us would continue to hide our emotions without realizing that we need to open ourselves up to more communication if we want to stay confident in both ourselves and each other. P.S. an extra thank you to everyone who gave me recipes and new cheeses to try.

[Courtney]

Ooh.

[Shane]

All right.

[Courtney]

I think green flag in the effort.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

Communication.

[Shane]

I think that's always huge. And he admitted the other possibility that we weren't considering. I just guess I. Yeah.

[Trevor]

Unfortunately, it's like, both the saddest and the funniest.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Trevor]

At the same time, I very much empathize. Getting cheated on. That is an awful, awful thing. And unfortunately, it is kind of funny that it literally, like, the cheese balls remind.

[Courtney]

Like, can you imagine seeing a memory fifth, like, perfectly recreated in front of you, but with other things? And your brain goes, oh. Like, that came from a very real place.

[Shane]

Real place. I mean, I. I very grateful that I cannot relate to someone, like, being cheated on. And. And get, like, seeing.

[Courtney]

Rubbing it in. Yeah.

[Shane]

Like, seeing it being sent any sort of footage or photos. I'm like. And I've heard of people experiencing that. And I'm like, that's a nightmare. That's a nightmare that's gonna sit with you forever.

[Trevor]

Psychological damage.

[Shane]

Yeah, absolutely. Tormenting. So I understand that. And obviously, like, something that extreme, like, yeah, therapies. You're gonna need that. And, like, yes. He had inner demons from this. Thank God he's telling her. And I'm glad they're going to a couples counselor together, because that's a lot to work through. And clearly, if it's bubbling up now, like, that is something he has to

[Courtney]

work through with her. I mean, I'm so proud of her for, like, standing strong on. Like, I'm not tolerating this again. And it's controlling. Like, that's really important. And, like, the fact that he's willing to go do counseling with her too, like, this is. I'm hopeful, I'm optimistic.

[Shane]

Oh, for sure. Yeah. Cause it all comes down to trust and. Right. And his trust was completely obliterated in the past. Yeah. But he's in a whole new relationship with a whole new person. He's gotta establish new trust with her?

[Trevor]

Yeah. I feel bad now about what I said about being like, why would you think of another man's balls when you cheese balls? And I'm like, okay, like you. That's pretty.

[Shane]

That's fucked up. He has the one avenue of okay, that makes sense.

[Trevor]

It makes sense.

[Courtney]

No. Cause there's a horrible world where there is a type of boyfriend who was like, this will be my first thing that I do, you know, like the first step in being controlling and making it, of course, problem and stuff. So, like, and being on this show, we assume the worst sometimes, but thank goodness.

[Shane]

Absolutely. And I think even when it comes from a justified place, it's like, no, you still have your boundary. You cannot. Like, she was right to set her boundaries. And because she set her boundaries, this communication happened. Right? Like, would it have happened if she just said, okay, I'll stop. They had further conversations and she needed to know this about him and he needed to get it out there and

[Courtney]

maybe one day he'll enjoy those cheese balls with her.

[Shane]

Hey, man, I feel good.

[Trevor]

I love this show. If everyone in the room will allow me to wax poetic for a second. Shane, Sometimes when I think about the show, it's kind of like you're Jesus and I feel like we need to stop you there. And you're reading us these parables, you know.

[Shane]

Yes.

[Trevor]

And it's like, you know, the parables that Jesus was saying were like, you know, with titles such as the Good Samaritan, you know, and then you're reading us the stories of, hi, my boyfriend can't stop thinking about other men's balls when I eat mozzarella. And you know, it's like, are these stories true? You know, who's to say? But is the truth of these stories really, is it more important that these stories actually happened? Or does the truth of them lie in the lessons that we can learn? And it's just a really beautiful show that, you know, we can talk about mozzarella cheese balls and, you know, and walk away with something.

[Courtney]

Hey, hey.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Trevor]

So thank you, Jesus.

[Shane]

Wow. You know, I guess what was Jesus but a 30 year old podcaster, right?

[Trevor]

Oh my God, look, the mass is out there. They're listening. This is the Sermon on the Mount.

[Shane]

You are Sermon on the Mount. Am I the asshole? Oh my God. God. Every Christian listener of the show is like, I gotta stop now. I have.

[Trevor]

Now they're going, you know, that's a good point.

[Shane]

I never thought about it. Wait a minute. Oh, God, thank you. Thank you, Trevor.

[Trevor]

Yeah, it's just Something I've been thinking about.

[Shane]

I like whenever anyone uses the term wax poetic. Yeah.

[Courtney]

I'm like, I, I. When you said mind if I wax poetic? I just picture you like waxing a car with a lot of feeling because I don't know what that means.

[Shane]

To speak beautifully for a moment, going

[Trevor]

into great detail and you know.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Trevor]

Trying to be a little bit, maybe drop some wisdom here.

[Shane]

Yeah, well, you certainly did. You called me Jesus.

[Trevor]

Yeah, it's just the most, you know, maybe the best comparison I could think

[Shane]

of and people have said that before. Our next story comes from. Am I the asshole? Posted in December of 2021am I the asshole for quitting without notice over fake job postings? Okay, we have a job red flag story.

[Courtney]

Whoa.

[Shane]

As of Yesterday, I, a 31 year old woman, was the marketing coordinator for a real estate agent. Let's call him John. 39 year old man. He's very successful and recently hired a life coach who gives him weekly goals. Some of them are normal, like read this book on the cyclical nature of the real estate market. But other times it's shit. Like coach says I should take Friday off because sitting is the new smoking. Not the best behavior, but harmless enough. However, John's most recent goal caught me totally by surprise. Last week, John said his coach wanted him to develop his leadership skills. I asked what that entailed and he gave me a new task. Advertise fake job postings. One for every position on our team. John said he wanted 30 plus resumes per day and he'd interview the good ones. I can't overemphasize this enough. There are no job openings on our team. John's coach apparently thinks interviewing real people for fake jobs will make John a better leader. If someone can connect those dots for me, please do, because I don't get it. I asked John if he was serious and pointed out that people are desperate for work right now. His response? Coach says real leaders are always looking for new talent. Reason number one, why I might be the asshole. I couldn't refuse a direct request without getting fired. So I made the job postings. But I didn't list compensation in the hopes that people would see red flags. We got hundreds of resumes and John interviewed dozens of people. I listened in and they sounded like real interviews. At no point did John mention we're not currently hiring. One of the interviewees was a young woman who chatted with me while she was waiting and she said she's a single mother who had to get a last minute babysitter so she could make the interview. So not only is she not getting hired for this this job, it cost her money to show up. Another was an older man and when I walked him out, he asked, do you think a fossil like me has any shot? I almost burst into tears, but fury won out. I told him, there is no job. I'm sorry they lied to you. This company thinks nothing of wasting your time. He looked shocked and walked away. A Someone must have heard me because I got called into John's office where he proceeded to yell at me. Apparently he's fine with lying to people's faces, but not with people knowing about it. He threatened to fire me and I said to do it because I can't go along with this. You're getting people's hopes up for no reason. John argued that the jobs could be real in the future and it was helping him lead the team. So that made it okay. Reason number two, why I might be the asshole. I quit on the spot, no notice. I have a second job, so I'll be okay. But John said to forget about a reference. I've never not given notice before and I feel bad about that, but I just know John would make me keep bringing him resumes until my last day. Okay, this is. This, this isn't even red. This isn't even red flags. This guy is an.

[Trevor]

This is awful.

[Courtney]

I'm like, how is that legal? How is that even legal?

[Shane]

I never know about the legality of these types of business practices, but I would hope that's illegal. I think you should only be allowed to bring in like an interviewer if there's a real job opening. You are just wasting these people's time.

[Courtney]

So sad. No. And like, especially hearing about the single mother spending their money to go to this interview. Like, oh my gosh, that's so upsetting.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Trevor]

If you've ever, like, had to like, like take a lot of time looking for a job in a really awful job market like the one that we're currently in. It's like every single time, you know, you get through an interview and then there's just. You don't hear anything back. It's demoralized.

[Shane]

Oh, absolutely. So hard.

[Trevor]

And to be doing that, like giving, like making someone. Yeah. Take time out of their day to go do something and give them like, oh my God, like, I got this interview in person. I'm going without there even being any chance of them actually getting a job is like evil.

[Shane]

Yeah. Not only is her boss an he's also a huge dumbass. Like, just like, this is a dumb guy. Like, I'm sure there's out there, there's good life coaches, but I don't know. This. This reads to me like a bad manosphere coach that he hired that's just spouting some bullshit. And I'm just like, I don't like this happening.

[Courtney]

Yeah, because it's like, I love the idea of people wanting to work on their leadership skills because leadership is a skill. But it's like, you're already a leader of a team. Like, if you want to improve those skills, maybe spend more time with the actual employees that you have at the company and without creating fake job opportunities for people. It's also just like, is the coach all of their bosses too? I personally, I don't think OP is the asshole for. For quitting. I wish they continue to be an asshole to the boss so that they'd get fired and maybe get severance.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

Because quitting and being fired are very different things.

[Shane]

True.

[Courtney]

But.

[Shane]

But, I mean, she just couldn't tolerate it. No, she couldn't go along with his horrible practices. I always also laugh at, like, because it reminds me of just the manosphere shit of, like, like, what is, in their mind, a good leader. Because I'm like. I'm like, oh, I'm a good leader, so I'm going to actually work on having less empathy and less understanding of human beings. I'm like, you don't even understand how another person works. Like, what the hell? Just. Just a dumbass verdict. Not the asshole comments. Not the. But report him to the board or some agent. This sounds highly illegal or immoral, to say the least. John is using his power to steamroll hundreds of people. You. Someone else said, not the asshole. And if they ask why you do not have a reference or why you left your old job, tell them the truth. I would hire you in a second just based on this incident. Someone said not the asshole. Hopefully John's life coach has experience in helping people apply for unemployment benefits. I think John is going to need it. Someone said, not the asshole. Your notice period was exactly as real as those job openings. And hey, having to scramble to cover your spot will teach him flexibility and gumption, making him a better leader. Good on you for sticking to your ethics.

[Trevor]

Yeah, that is such, like a. That's such an awful story to hear. Like, it's just so sad. Like, there's so many people, like, normal people that are just trying to get a job and, like, live that are being affected by it. And, like, I would hope that this is something that is an isolated incident, but who knows what other, like, kind of awful business practices are going on.

[Courtney]

Oh, yeah.

[Shane]

Especially when the current era, because I've been so lucky to have worked at this job for so long. But, like, I. I see comments and I see discussions of people talking about how hard it is to get a job right now. Like, people are sending out, like, just an absurd amount of resumes out there and not hearing back. And especially now with, like, just with the way the Internet works and with AI now involved with bullshit. Like, it's so hard to, like, get face to face time and get this close to getting a job.

[Trevor]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Like, this guy is evil for doing it.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Shane]

But, yeah, no update. No update. She quit. She quit. She left.

[Courtney]

Yeah. I hope that. I hope other employees caught on.

[Shane]

I hope this was back in 2021. I hope this guy's out of a job now. But Friday's sitting is the new smoking insane.

[Courtney]

Go play the Sims and do that in the Sims. Don't do this with real people.

[Shane]

Yeah, I'm just like, come on, do

[Courtney]

it in VR chat.

[Shane]

I don't know, guys.

[Trevor]

Don't go on VR chat. Don't do it. There's reason to go on VR chat.

[Shane]

Oh, my God. Anyways, all right, moving on. Our next one comes from relationship advice. It was posted in October of 2021.

[Doug]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Shane]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date? Oh, no.

[Doug]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Shane]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Doug]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Shane]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Girlfriend23 snooped through my Reddit account and threatened to break up if I didn't change the advice I give out. I think Reddit just ruined my relationship. Let's go.

[Trevor]

That's awesome.

[Shane]

Oh, my God, dude. Okay, I. This. This reminds me of, like, a thing that I feel like you and I have talked about a few times, that maybe we'll come back to it. Throwaway account. Because my primary account is compromised. We have been dating since we were. It's been compromised. Compromised. Throwaway account. Obviously. We have been dating since we were 19, and I love her a lot. She is overall a pretty awesome person. And the dynamic of our Relationship is great. We rarely use each other's phones, but also don't mind when we do. Today she just picked my phone up and started using it. She asked me what Reddit was and I gave her a rundown of Reddit and how it works. Once I told her about this subreddit and similar ones, she was keen to know the advice I give to strangers on the Internet because she thought of asking strangers for advice as a funny concept. She read through most of my comments and used my phone for two hours and was very upset at the end. I asked her what's up and she went ballistic on me saying I give horrible advice and that I should be ashamed. I was obviously confused because I only say stuff I would do and all my advice is in good faith. She said that most of my advice is about breaking up and don't consider biases that the OP might have made in the original post. Well, he sounds like a Reddit.

[Courtney]

Sounds like a Reddit.

[Shane]

Yeah people do be commenting to break up. You should break up. Break up, break up. Are those mozzarella balls? One of the posts she was upset about was of a dude that dumped his girlfriend of nine years because she cheated on him at the start and lied about it. My advice was that he should dump the cheater because cheaters don't change and that lying is much worse than cheating. When my girlfriend told me my advice was not good and not true, I asked her if she is a cheater because she clearly is trying to defend one. She said what if she was one and I told her we'd be done. This upset her even more and my dumb ass asked her are you a cheater? In an asking implying tone. That's my bad and I apologize since that's not what I was trying to say. We talked about other advice I gave out and with each and every one she got madder at me. To her, she thought I was a different person and doesn't think as I do about relationships. In my opinion I have done nothing wrong. I say everything I mean and would probably do that in real life. She said that I need to get a better perspective about relationships and change the kind of advice I give out, otherwise we won't work out. I told her that she threatening me with a breakup for a change in behavior is manipulative and she already read the advice I gave to one OP in the same same circumstance. This truly pissed her off and she left saying I need time to think about what I just said. I know this post is stupid, but who else to ask for help with Reddit ruining my relationship. Other than Reddit, this is mostly a rant with some advice seeking. Edit number one, I will show her this post once we make up. All to show her I'm not the only one that takes infidelity and similar acts so seriously and consider them instant dump worthy. Edit number two, I have been trying to reach her but she isn't responding, probably ignoring me. So I just shot her a text that I'm done with her and now is. No point in contacting me since she can't even speak to me. I won't beg her to come back. This is not a romcom. In our last interaction she raised several red flags, so I felt it was only fair to move on from this relationship. To be honest, if I was not the OP but a normal commenter, I would advise to break up. So that's what I'm doing. I'm not perfect, but I'm also not a hypocrite. Guess I'm single now with a peace emoji.

[Courtney]

It's like I lost my flag.

[Shane]

Yeah, the last part is a little bit like, all right, can I jump? Yeah, sure.

[Courtney]

I think it's, it's so interesting because we have talked about where a partner sees their boyfriend or girlfriend's Reddit account and they see how they behave online and how it's not what they expected. I think it is so jarring to see Internet behavior and then connect it to a real life person because we're so used to scrolling and it's just strangers. We're like this person who's saying, I would hire you in a second. Could be a 13 year old. Like, we don't know. And we see these comments all the time that are ignoring nuance every day, but we don't connect it with a real life person in our life. And so it's obviously really jarring for her. And I'm glad that nobody's really rubbing up against the fact that she went through his phone because with Reddit you can kind of go to an account and see every comment they've ever left, but I think it's just jarring to see such things and like, oh, that's a real person that I am close with is not talking like that.

[Shane]

Yeah. Cause I think what I've said to you is, I'm like, it's kind of crazy that, that for most people in the world there are two people and there's who they are in real life and then who they are on the Internet because you see so many accounts on Reddit. And I'd say, especially with Reddit where it's all anonymous of them, like, who are these people? Do they believe what they're saying here? There's probably, I guarantee you, with the way humans work, there are so many comments we've read where people are like, cheating is wrong, you should break up with them. And those are left by cheaters. Yeah, like, you just, just, you don't know who these people are. And that's the weird thing with, as people point out all the time, they're like, oh, that story is probably fake. I'm like, we don't know anything. This can be written by a 12 year old. That, that marriage advice you're getting could be from anyone. We don't know. But it's got to be jarring to. Because there was a story I read where a woman found out that her husband, who she was like, he's a great guy, he's so sweet. But his Reddit account, he just comments horribly misogynistic shit on posts all the time. And it's just like, who is this guy? Yeah, it's like that's, that is who he is. But it's like weird. Where the Internet gives people permission in weird ways. Anyways, I think this, converse, this story brings up a lot of like, topics around the story.

[Trevor]

But yeah, I think, like, for me, I think that this is a, I want to say it's a red flag and I think that a lot of Reddit is prone to it, especially with a lot of stories that reread. But people living in a fully, like, everything is black and white, there is right and wrong. If someone has cheated in the past, they are a cheater. If someone is a cheater, they deserve to be broken up with. Like, I think that it's very easy for people online to read a story that is coming from one perspective and has bias and be like, okay, this is what's right in this situation. This person's right and this person's wrong. And I think like, there's so much nuance that you can't capture in a Reddit story and so much nuance that is completely lost on commenters. And I don't know, honestly, with a story like this, I'm like, for me to make a, for me to make an opinion, I'm like, I gotta read everything this guy's ever said, every piece of advice he's ever said.

[Shane]

But yeah, because it felt like he cherry picked like the most blatantly obvious story where I'm like, okay. But I'm like, what else was going on in this conversation?

[Courtney]

Truly? It's like, oh, so interesting that, you know, he had to start a new account, so we can't go see what he was talking about. I also, like, I think it's so interesting how she was like, you need to change how you give advice. It's like, no, it sounds like he needs to. She's asking him to change his morals. Like, because it's not like, that's like a different guy posting those things. This is his guy. This guy.

[Shane]

He backs it up immediately.

[Trevor]

Yeah.

[Shane]

To his credit, he immediately is like, I believe that. Like, he doesn't deny like that. Or.

[Courtney]

Yeah. It's just so interesting to hear it worded like that. I don't know.

[Trevor]

Yeah. And for him to just, like, you know, be like, oh, she, like, didn't text back, so she obviously, like, isn't gonna give me the time of day. And everybody that commented on this was like, she's probably a cheater and is breaking up. It's like. Like, you were living in such, like, I feel like a distorted reality of, like, you have to at least give her a chance to, like, if she ghosts you and doesn't say anything for a week, then it's like, okay, yeah, like, I. I could see that. But I. I feel like to live in this world of, I'm right, you're wrong, you're wrong. I, like, whatever it is is just. It's. It's really damaging. And I don't think it. It, you know, is conducive to healthy relationships. I think that there is a lot more talking about and figuring out that needs to be done.

[Shane]

I agree with that. And I think. Yeah, I think it's very convenient. I think the black and white thinking, especially with the Internet and especially with. I think in our world today, where we feel so little control over anything, it's comforting to go like, that's a bad person. I get to file you into the bad person box, and I get to be the good person. I think it's algorithmic thinking, and we are using apps that are run by algorithms, and it has affected how we think. And we now think algorithmically of categorizing things and putting things into boxes and going, I'm read. I've read the story. I know you. I know your relationship breakup. That's the answer. It's like, sometimes the answers are complicated. People who listen to the show know, like, how I feel about cheating and that I've been cheated on. Does that mean that if someone I'm talking to goes, oh, I don't know, if someone cheated on me, if that's a deal breaker, do I immediately go, then you're a cheater. Like, I'm like, no. Like, people are complicated and it's more a matter of like, trust. It's not a matter of like good and bad. It's a matter of like what I think works and doesn't work.

[Courtney]

Yeah, yeah, like the first story.

[Shane]

Yeah, exactly.

[Trevor]

Yeah. I feel like with how long Reddit has existed, there's that. It's just these heuristics have been formed of like if someone says this thing that makes them this, if they speak like this, this is what they believe and that makes them this type of person. And that's always the case.

[Shane]

It's the jumping to character assumptions with things that always frustrates me with Reddit, right? Because it's going, oh, that, that act, what you did was wrong. Like, that's hurtful. I'm like, yes, I agree with that. But it's like, therefore, yeah, that's who this person is through and through. And I'm like, well, we don't know that.

[Courtney]

Yeah, like there's a difference between it's like, Shane, you're being a bitch or Shane, you're a like, and I am both. Like, there's a difference.

[Shane]

I'm a man of multitude, a bad bitch.

[Courtney]

Like, you're acting like a bitch is different than Shane, you are a full on 100% of the time band.

[Shane]

Sorry I've said this before, but like the thing that frustrates me and I see it in our comments is like, I don't have a problem if I say something go, oh, I disagree with what Shane said. There I go, yeah, even in rewatching it maybe disagree with what I said. What frustrates me is when they go, Shane said this and therefore he must be a really bad friend or Shane clearly is this type of person. I'm like, wow, whoa. Like, like person I don't know and have never seen like that. That's where I'm like, let's careful there.

[Trevor]

Based on the context of this story, it sounds like he is the type of person to be like that. Yes, it sounds like he is doing those things of like making very harsh and concise judgments based on the three paragraphs of text that he's read from the person's perspective.

[Shane]

And to be clear as well, if if like him talking to his partner and he goes, oh, this, this guy got cheated on and she lied and tried to hide the cheating, like. And she goes, I don't think that's a problem. I'd be like, that is a red flag. I'm not, I'm not saying she is in the clear here. I'm like, what she displayed was a red flag also. We're just ignal. We're just observing.

[Courtney]

He was like, I might have been an. For going, are you a cheater? But it's like that's kind of where the conversation was going. And she was actively antagonizing him in that moment. I think he was permitted to ask that question.

[Trevor]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

So like I do give him that. But yeah, there, there. It was a lot. There was a lot.

[Shane]

It was more, it was more the tone there at the end that I was observing like everything that actually happened. I don't necessarily have a problem with of him being like, oh, like I think cheating is wrong. And she goes, oh, I don't think cheating is wrong. He goes, are you a cheater? And she goes, what if I am? I'd be like, all right. Like that's a conversation. And, and, and for me it's like not about of you're a bad person. It's like, do you have trust for this person now?

[Trevor]

Yeah.

[Shane]

You don't have trust in the relationship. Doesn't work.

[Trevor]

Yeah.

[Shane]

I only thing I will criticize him for is I'm like, you went to the place where you frequent of people that you know are like minded to you to get advice.

[Trevor]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Maybe go to someone in real life to if you're having real relationship advice that like, you know the response.

[Courtney]

I also like, if we had the opportunity to read every comment that each person in our lives has ever left, I think we all would have a lot of shattering experience of.

[Trevor]

Whoa. Yeah.

[Shane]

Yeah. So the comments. Someone said, so as an avid advisor on this sub, what advice would you give yourself? OP said, this is funny. I feel bad for laughing. My advice would be something I have given out many, many times. Looks like this would be the hill I die on. Someone said it's a possibility for people to change, but it's also very hard to get trust back that is taken away. People try to go to counseling and try to work out the relationship, but that trust is never going to go back. You can build on new trust, but there's always going to a lingering feeling you have no problem giving it to her because you know yourself and you didn't do anything wrong. She took things way out of proportion. Once you're done healing, I hope you find Someone that you can trust and speak your mind with that holds no judgment. It's really hard to find, but just stick it out. You have to. You have a good head on your shoulders. Good luck. Someone said. Couple years ago, my husband borrowed my laptop while I was logged into Reddit and had left the page open. He read through a bit of my comment history, which actually really freaked me out when he told me. But his comment was that it was comforting to know that I sounded like exactly the same person on the Internet as I am in his life and that I didn't have some secret dark side or inner troll. The point being, I agree with you. If OP genuinely feels like he is the same person on Reddit that he is in real life, something is off in terms of their communication with or perception of each other. Yeah, yeah, I would say, like it. I'm a little shocked they haven't had any sort of convo of like, what's a deal breaker as far as infidelity goes. Like, not that that's like a obvious conversation for people, but I'm just like, that was a big topic that they had never. Yeah, bro. And she had an extreme take and he had an. They were on.

[Courtney]

How long were they together? Again?

[Shane]

Like four years. They were on polar opposite sides of this view and it's like, yeah, that doesn't work.

[Trevor]

Yeah, yeah. Not to be a Redditor, but I feel like. No, I mean it's, it is like her, her, her response to the question and topic of cheating is like, I would feel equally as uncomfortable like with that. I'd be like, that is not how I would want someone to respond.

[Shane]

I don't want anybody listening to this to think that I'm saying what she said was fine. No doing this show and reading so many Reddit stories. This story was interesting because it felt meta in a way.

[Trevor]

Yeah, I was gonna say it feels like the whole time I was talking about it I was like, I don't even think I was actually talking about this story. I think I was just talking about Reddit as a whole and like, like there is. It is possible for two people to be both right and wrong in the same story.

[Courtney]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Shane]

Everyone sucks and in the end, everyone sucks.

[Courtney]

Yeah, everyone sucks mozzarella balls. Oh, double referee, double call base.

[Shane]

Our next story comes from. Am I the asshole? Posted in May of 2021am I the asshole for refusing to get rid of a painting my friend made me Me. Oh, my best friend and I. 23 year old women met doing art at uni and since then have always had a tradition of giving each other homemade gifts, varying in levels from absolutely awful but well loved to genuinely time consuming pieces of art. They have always been a bit on the nose collages of drunken misdeeds and dodgy shaped pottery, etc. Everyone I'm close to is well aware of this tradition and we all tend to get a laugh out of it. This year she gifted me a canvas, a 4ish size painting of me standing beside a male celebrity that we both love. I absolutely loved it and sent pictures to one of our group chats where everyone laughed at how cringe but genuinely lovely of a gift it was. Straight afterwards I got a text from my boyfriend in two years telling me that he was pissed off and upset at how insulting it was for me to be displaying that in my flat when he would be coming over. It really upset me but I stood my ground and told him that it was my flat and this was a genuinely time consuming piece of art that my friend had put time and effort into so I would not be getting rid of it just because it made him insecure. I know there wasn't any malice on my friend's part in gifting it to me. She, like me, genuinely wouldn't have considered something like that would be upsetting. My boyfriend lives in a house with roommates where they have posters of women on the walls and I don't really see the difference. But now I'm beginning to doubt myself. I won't get rid of the flag.

[Trevor]

I broke the flag.

[Shane]

I waved it too hard.

[Trevor]

Too red of a flag.

[Shane]

Oh no, I'm beginning to doubt myself. I won't get rid of it like he wants me to. But should I be more sympathetic and hide it from me?

[Courtney]

Him?

[Shane]

Edit thank you so much for all the advice. Since people have asked, it's a very PG painting the celebs chest up with an arm around me. I think she took reference from a meet and greet with him and a fan and just replaced the fan with me. Oh see, I thought it was gonna be a painting of of like her and the Grinch and the Grinch's balls are in her mouth.

[Courtney]

Oh my God Shane.

[Trevor]

Now that would be funny.

[Courtney]

Shane.

[Trevor]

Now that would be funny. I want one of those.

[Shane]

But me

[Doug]

and D. Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Shane]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this your first date?

[Doug]

Oh no, we help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Shane]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Doug]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Shane]

Liberty, Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Sorry.

[Trevor]

It was like.

[Shane]

Come on. It was low hanging fruit. Hey, sorry.

[Trevor]

That's good stuff.

[Courtney]

I'm just picturing, like, imagine like your. Your girlfriend is drawing something and it's like, them, and you're like, oh, that's so nice. And then you start seeing them drawing another guy and you're like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Like, it is not real.

[Shane]

Come on, bro. Okay, yeah. This is a red flag on the boyfriend for sure.

[Courtney]

I want to know who the celebrity is.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

Is it Edward Cullen?

[Shane]

Okay, guesses. I would guess, like, let's see. This is posted 2021 and they're 23 year olds. They're 23 in 2021. Could be like Harry Styles.

[Trevor]

Could be a Styles.

[Courtney]

I think a Pattinson or a Styles.

[Shane]

Because Pattinson Styles.

[Courtney]

If they're uni, they're calling it at uni. They're probably.

[Shane]

Ooh, they're British.

[Courtney]

Yeah. Or from the uk. Chris Evans.

[Shane]

Yeah, it could be. It could be. It could be Chris Evans. It could be.

[Trevor]

There's no way. It's like a Timmy C. What if

[Courtney]

it was like Liam Neeson?

[Trevor]

I feel like a Timmy C. Liam Neeson would be Crimsony.

[Shane]

Yeah, no, I'm going. You're going.

[Courtney]

Grinch with balls in your mouth.

[Shane]

I know.

[Trevor]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

No, yeah, we know.

[Shane]

Shane. Yeah. No, even though that's funny. No. Grinch Green to all our fan art friends. Don't, don't. Or don't. Or don't. I drew fan art of Shane. I'm like, oh,

[Courtney]

the rpo box is.

[Trevor]

Dang it. Why do I have to get cast in the Grinch Balls episode?

[Shane]

Grinch Balls. Reddit stories, please.

[Courtney]

All right. What's the Internet saying?

[Shane]

Okay, okay.

[Courtney]

He's looking at pictures of Grinch's ball. I found out. Wow.

[Shane]

Comments Disposal services. I'd like to arrange a pickup. Yes. The whole man.

[Trevor]

Nice zinger.

[Shane]

Someone said my mom has a full room of shitty portraits of various male hunks that I did for her during my teenage imma be an artist phase. My father never batted an eye. This room is now unofficially his office. Someone said, not the asshole. And this is a huge red flag. It makes no sense for him to be pissed off or insecure about a painting. He wants you to get Rid of something that your friend lovingly made for you and he's making you doubt yourself. Yeah. Not only is it not something like she made herself, it's like a friend made this. It's like a gift. So. Come on, dude.

[Courtney]

It's the. It's the sweater curse. Remember the. Like when someone knits a sweater, it affects somebody. Somebody gets affected.

[Shane]

Someone. Someone. Yeah, you're right.

[Courtney]

Let's shed some light on the fact that the. The guy has a house that has sexy women on posters in their place.

[Shane]

There is a serious issue if. If you have this level of jealousy over. Over what is just a gift and is a fictional concept. Right.

[Courtney]

God forbid she actually went to a meet and greet and got a pick.

[Trevor]

Yeah. I think that there is some nuance to the, like, celebrity crush thing. And I could understand how, like, some people could be insecure about, like, if someone was like, way over the top and constantly being like, oh, my God, I love that they're so hot, like, constantly talking. But if it's a little portrait that

[Courtney]

your friend drew and it's like a

[Trevor]

little inside joke between two of you or whatever, just someone that you like, like, where is the harm?

[Shane]

Yeah. Truly, there is healthy amounts of it. It kind of falls into. It's. It's a. Nah, this is a different category. I was gonna say there was the one where the guy was, like, mad that his girlfriend was reading, like, spicy books, right. And she's kinda like, hey, man, there's a realm of fiction. And I think a lot of celebrity crushes fall into the, like, realm of fiction.

[Trevor]

Yeah, 100%.

[Shane]

Right. Where it's like, oh, this is a real thing. I just like this idea of a thing and it's just a Fun Whatever.

[Trevor]

Yeah, 100%.

[Courtney]

No, and it's still like, the fact that they. That wherever he lives with his guy roommates, they have pictures of women up all over the place.

[Shane]

Like, then they're living in the 80s.

[Courtney]

I know. I literally. I'm picturing, like, the 80s high. The high waisty, like, muscly, tan girls.

[Shane]

I feel like you would have that poster.

[Courtney]

I do.

[Shane]

No, you don't.

[Courtney]

It's just not up right now.

[Trevor]

It's up in a room you don't know about, bro.

[Shane]

What?

[Courtney]

I do have that one painting that's like, sexy legs.

[Shane]

Yeah, that's like a very artsy. That's not so.

[Courtney]

So it's the same. It's like. But you know what I'm saying.

[Shane]

I know.

[Courtney]

Like, it is. It's not sexual, but it is I've got.

[Trevor]

It's a little cat and he's got a little cowboy hat on and then a little gun. It's like a little kitten with a little cow. It's like a little cowboy cat.

[Shane]

That's awesome.

[Courtney]

I. I think what I'm trying to say is it's like it's all harmless, right? So like if he should not see the harm and if he doesn't see the harm in his own.

[Shane]

Absolutely. Update. Whoa. Oh, they do.

[Courtney]

They painted the bottom half of the painting and they're naked in the bottom half of the painting.

[Shane]

Final guesses for celebrities. It's a celebrity man. Popular in 2021.

[Courtney]

Robert Downey Jr.

[Shane]

It's a good guess. I think.

[Trevor]

I feel like RP. I think Robert Pattinson was a good.

[Shane]

That was a good guess. Okay, I've seen the photo, so I know.

[Trevor]

Okay.

[Shane]

For those interested, we have split up.

[Courtney]

Oh.

[Shane]

I know it seems like it's over something so trivial it's laughable. But I tried to have a civil conversation and explained that I wasn't willing to compromise on. On this. He got physically imposing and called me and my friend, which was truly the last straw. Various vulgarities which was very out of character but enough of a raging red flag for me to get the fuck out. He didn't even try to explain rationally why it made him upset, just that he was upset I hadn't thrown it away. Upon recollection he probably was looking for an excuse to break up. At least I'm hoping so. Or I really did waste two years of my life. Hung up on somebody genuinely threatened by an oil painting. He picked his hill and died a really embarrassing death on it. I've contacted his mum to make sure he's okay. K booked a drinks night with my best friend and I will now officially be telling everybody that Sebastian Stan ended my last relationship. Thank you so much to everyone who gave me advice. You were all lovely. X. Sebastian Stan. That's a good one.

[Courtney]

Winter soldier wig on.

[Trevor]

Oh, duh bro. Winter soldier Sebastian Stan.

[Courtney]

Oh my God. Yeah, but like with the wig though. Cuz that wig is rough.

[Trevor]

No, not the. I can't do the greasy wig.

[Shane]

I don't know.

[Trevor]

I need the haircut. Whatever one you got a haircut end.

[Shane]

Good pick though. A pick we respect. Yeah, I mean his response absolutely did the absolute right call. I know we just before said like hey, like not everything is breakup worthy. But like no, this, this, this, no. She tried to talk to him and he gave her his response.

[Courtney]

He did his big One.

[Shane]

I. I will also point out something that I feel like is commented a lot that I think of is. Is like, oh, he. He yelled out these vulgarities, which is very out of character for him. It's like, actually, I think you just got to finally see his character.

[Courtney]

Unlocked character.

[Shane]

Yeah, like, no, that' you're, like, unlocking

[Trevor]

a skill tree in life. And it's like, oh, I'm gonna choose the calling people vulgarities 1. That's my next level up. Yeah.

[Courtney]

Love that tree.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

Or like the star constellation in Sky Diamond.

[Shane]

Yeah, yeah.

[Courtney]

The abusive narcissist,

[Shane]

which, like, oh, what kind of build are you doing this?

[Courtney]

Run Stealth. Narcissist.

[Trevor]

Narcissist is crazy.

[Shane]

Oh, my God. It's like, oh, crazy. Anyways, I think I'm gonna do barbarian.

[Courtney]

Barbarian. Ch.

[Shane]

Barbarian. Cheater.

[Trevor]

I was just thinking about doing, like a mage, but I don't know.

[Shane]

Oh, yeah, Redditor. Oh, yeah. What are you playing as? Oh, so I'm an Argonian cheater right now. All right, we're having fun here. All right, it's time for our final story. And this comes from the subreddit, too. Hot takes. Shout out to Morgan over at two Hot takes, man. Good subject. Subreddit people. Submit some good over there. Like this one. Mother in law thinks I am a witch because I dressed up as one for Halloween.

[Courtney]

Hot.

[Shane]

Well, if it's that one episode of Buffy. Hot.

[Courtney]

Yeah, it is. Oh, yeah.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

And that Buffy.

[Shane]

Anyway, for the few Buffy fans out there, any Buffy.

[Trevor]

Few. Bro, grow up. It's a lot more than a few.

[Shane]

That show came out before you were born.

[Trevor]

Yeah. So what? So did a lot of great, I guess, media.

[Shane]

To be fair, I was also like 5 years old when it started, so it's not like I was watching it either. I married my husband about a year ago, and we'd been together for about three. I don't know his parents all too well, mainly because he had made a point to keep a fair amount of distance from them. But during all the wedding planning and events, I thought it would be nice to be closer with them, especially as both of my parents have passed away. Several years ago, I encouraged my husband to build more of a relationship with them. However, around the time of the wedding, I started to see a bunch of red flags. I generally chalked them up to wedding stress on them. My husband is their only son. But after the wedding, the red flags started getting even bigger. I was still nothing but kind towards them, but my husband was frustrated and started going low contact with them. So that's the backstory. Now, on Saturday, my husband and I went to a friend's birthday party which was Halloween themed and costumes mandatory. We both got too busy with work and at the last minute the only costume we could put together was him wearing a T shirt that said I'm with the witch and me wearing a black dress I already owned with a black choker necklace. That's it you guys. The extent of our costume. We took a picture at this party and it was put on the socials. The next day, mother in law texts hubby and I a screenshot of said picture and writes a message about how concerned she is about us and that she is praying for us. I was confused until my husband reminded me of her Karen Christianity. You know, the kind that gets offended if anyone happens to be a different religion, offended if anyone says what the hell etc. My husband then starts getting phone calls from random distant and extended family members asking if he's okay. Turns out Karen has texted my husband's entire extended family, uncles, aunts, cousins all over the country. The same screenshot of our picture with a long five paragraph text asking everyone to pray for her son that I, her daughter in law, am into some dangerous things and is a danger to her son. Huh? She doesn't spell out her cockamamy belief that she thinks I am a witch. Instead she says that I am into bad and dangerous things and that I am dragging her son down with me and she asks everyone to pray for him and pray for me too. Bless her heart for being so generous with her prayers for I am but an evil witch. So of course the extended family members assume maybe I'm into drugs or I'm poisoning him or some other type of abuse. You can see what this would do for my reputation in this extended family. I text her back and tell her that her actions were uncalled for and that I will be going no contact with her. Moving forward. She responds with daughter in law we all know you dabble in witchcraft. I am only concerned about my son. I pray for you both. Husband called his father and asked him how he could let her do something like this. But father in law doubled down on Karen's accusations. So now my husband has gone no contact with his parents too. I feel like I am in a really bad soap opera. This isn't real life. This has to be certifiably insane, right? Part of me feels like no contact isn't for everyone forever and that eventually my husband and they will reconnect even if I Don't. Which does bother me. What would you all do in this situation? Pick of the costume. It's nothing. It's.

[Courtney]

Yeah, she's got a choker on. And he says, I'm with the witch.

[Trevor]

Honestly, I'm reserving a very tiny speck of my judgment here for how low effort that costume.

[Courtney]

Yeah.

[Trevor]

I have a lot of judgment for the parents. And I'm like, look, you could.

[Courtney]

I was expecting so much more. I was expecting hat, gown, broom, room, skin painted.

[Trevor]

Yeah, you left me wanting more there on the costume, but I'll. I'll. I'll allow it. I'll let it slide this time.

[Shane]

OP this is, you know, I feel like we've brought up a lot of like, big Reddit convos, and this is another one of like another Reddit thing is like, no contact. It's like, oh, cut them out of your life. But here's the reality is like a lot of people's parents, it's like they're no contact for a damn good reason. It's like, because they're dangerous to him. Like, they are controlling, they're manipulative, and they are just, just. Yeah, yeah. Like, what do you do about this? Like, this is so extreme.

[Courtney]

I'm so confused because, like, what, what, what fed into this, that this one photo decided it?

[Shane]

I think. I, I mean, because, because he was saying. So where I'm a little frustrated at OP Like, a little. A little frustrated is that she talks about. She's like, he's very distant from his parents.

[Courtney]

Right.

[Shane]

So planning up to the wedding, I encouraged him to, to like, get his parents back into his life because her parents have passed away. She clearly must have had a good relationship with her parents. So she's going, you should be. You should too. It's like, why I feel like what they should have is really had more of a convo of why are you almost. Or low contact or almost no contact with your parents? Cause this happened very quickly.

[Trevor]

Yeah. I think, you know, coming from, you know, not a family like that, but, you know, growing up in Idaho and around a lot of kind of like conservative, like, Christian evangelical type things is like, this is the type of person, if I had to guess, the mother is very Christian and very controlling of her son or, you know, for whatever reason, and he goes off to live his life and, you know, probably like kind of steps away from that a little bit and, you know, is now marrying someone who's, I, if I had to guess, not a Christian. And now she's putting all of that Blame. Because in her eyes, it's like, oh, that's my perfect Christian son. And this woman, the secular woman, has bad influence, come in and ruined him and turned him to the devil. And now maybe this picture on Instagram was enough for her to be like, all right, here's finally the piece of evidence that I can send around to everyone and be like, see there? She's evil. She's ruining our. This is, you know, your family member. And they're. And it's just so toxic and awful, and it just comes from the. This very, like, controlling place.

[Courtney]

Like, imagine having to feel like you need to put out a PR statement for your family, for your bloodline.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

Like the fact that a witch. A witch picture, a costume photo. It's like, hello, just getting on here to say, I am not a witch.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

Hey, everyone. Like, where are we in the Internet that people are believing that. The fact that so. So this Karen might be saying some really nasty things to try and back up this. This. Because it's. It's baseless. It's one photo.

[Shane]

On a smaller note, it's so disrespectful and controlling for her to do to her. So she's like, my son who is incapable of living his own life or making his own decisions. I must make the decision for him.

[Courtney]

Right.

[Shane]

And tell all our family how they should feel about my son. It's like she's completely taking away his life and agency.

[Trevor]

Yeah.

[Shane]

And it's like, this is a fully grown man. Like, this isn't some kid. You know? Like, I just. Based on the picture, it's like, this is clearly a man who's like, definitely, like, in his 30s or 40s. It's like, yeah, oh, my God, you're doing that to him now. Like, she probably was way worse back in the day.

[Courtney]

And it's like. And yeah, it's probably because as they. They got into more contact with.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

Everything. And they're probably just regretting it. I don't think necessarily she needs to feel worried that they're gonna get back close to the family without her.

[Shane]

I don't think he needs much of an excuse to go. No contact with them again.

[Courtney]

Like, I think the biggest red flag is, like, I've experienced this where someone will, like, go around calling people and just disparaging a person. And, like, it's sad that that's happening, obviously. And it's also sad when people just choose to believe that. That. And, like. But, you know, people were texting him, saying, hey, are you okay? Like, what's going on.

[Shane]

They thought something. Yeah.

[Courtney]

Yeah. So I would hope that that was them giving them the benefit of the doubt. Because it's like you, if someone's ever calling around or calling you just to, like, talk just to talk about someone, it's a red flag to me.

[Trevor]

And it's like, so it's so toxic on her part to her entire family because she's clearly misrepresenting this and, like, making them worried. Like, potentially, like, you're now adding worry into their life that, like, oh, it's like something going on, like, is. Is everything o. When he's just living his normal life and he's very happy and now they're like, okay, forbid. I've spent this time now worrying because she's crazy. And like, it's just. It's so insane.

[Shane]

It's comments. She was looking for a reason to give you the boot and the costume was the perfect moment. She seemed super toxic. No wonder why he kept his distance to begin with. Opie said, you are absolutely right. Someone said, mother in law wrote herself out of your lives with this one. I would go no contact until she apologized, which might be never. It might be for the best for this to happen now over something as trivial and silly as a Halloween costume. If it wasn't this, it'd be something else eventually. Someone said your husband knew of his parents red flags and did his best to keep you safe from them. W hubby.

[Courtney]

W hubby.

[Shane]

W hubby.

[Courtney]

W hubby.

[Shane]

Lastly, someone said, dress up as your mother in law as a witch. Side note, if she really thinks you're a witch and into dangerous things, why is she messing with you? Ask her. Then ask for a lock of hair. I actually think after all this, I don't know if I believe the mother actually believes she's a witch. I think she's just like, willing to do whatever she has to. Like.

[Trevor]

Yeah, I think it's like, yeah, she's just controlling. And it's this very, like, weird, like, I don't know why it is such a thing, but this weird, like little mama's boy, like, oh, that's my little precious baby boy. And like, he can never do any wrong. And if he doesn't have the perfect girl that I picked out for him, then I'm just gonna be an evil, awful person to her.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

No, that's so real. So what do we think they should dress up next Halloween to probably as

[Shane]

change her mind, Trick her, Torment her?

[Courtney]

Angels.

[Shane]

Angels. And they say they post and they go, we've Gone to heaven.

[Trevor]

Yeah.

[Shane]

And she's just like Jesus.

[Trevor]

Yeah, she should be Jesus. That'll really tick her off.

[Shane]

Well, that was our last story. That was it.

[Courtney]

I think witches are awesome.

[Shane]

Yeah, I do, too. I like witches.

[Trevor]

I think so. I love the movie.

[Shane]

The Wicked Witch of the Beast, bro.

[Courtney]

Sounds scary.

[Shane]

The Vivich. The Vivich. The Vivich Vvitch is one of my favorites.

[Courtney]

What's the one? What's the midnight margarita to win? Practical magic.

[Shane]

I've never seen practical magic. I don't tell Amanda.

[Courtney]

You never seen practical magic? How could you not know what practical magic.

[Trevor]

You never seen Pract.

[Shane]

Know what practical magic is?

[Courtney]

Muhammad Ali of witch movies.

[Shane]

Good reference. Nice. Good reference.

[Trevor]

Good reference.

[Shane]

Wow.

[Trevor]

People are going to know what Reddit stories I was watching.

[Courtney]

I was practicing being with Trevor this morning by watching a Reddit story.

[Trevor]

He's like, I haven't talked to Trevor in so long. I haven't been in a video with Trevor in so long. I gotta remember what this kid's like.

[Courtney]

Feels good to be back in here, guys.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Courtney]

And just making videos in general.

[Shane]

I'm excited for us to be in our, like, actual new studio.

[Courtney]

Oh, yeah.

[Shane]

It'll be cool. Gonna be sick.

[Trevor]

It's gonna be sick. Hey, stick around. I don't know when the air dates are, like, when we'll get new videos.

[Shane]

Stick around next week. Around the sweet life of Zack and Cody. Anyways. Yeah. All right. This has been chill.

[Courtney]

Hey, eat mozzarella balls responsibly. You.

[Trevor]

You guys are a couple flags to me.

[Courtney]

You always have been.

[Shane]

Look, I. Since I know you guys in real life, you guys are green flags. Now I need to see your Reddit history.

[Courtney]

Perfect.

[Shane]

Let's forget about it.

[Courtney]

I have one comment. Do you know what. What it is? It was one where Xbox was down, and there was a whole thread about Xbox being down, and I was like, it's 3pm but it's still down. That's my only one.

[Trevor]

This is crazy. This is real and true. I don't even have a Reddit account.

[Shane]

I don't have a Reddit account.

[Trevor]

I. I've never left a comment.

[Shane]

I've thought about making one.

[Courtney]

I have two.

[Shane]

I've thought about making one and then commenting, like, on the smosh. Reddit.

[Courtney]

Yes.

[Shane]

And just being like, I see you guys. Yeah. I'm lurking. I'm always here.

[Trevor]

Someone leaves a mean, like, comment, and you're just like, you're being a real dork right now.

[Shane]

I'm not kidding. I've thought about making a Reddit account. And. And being my biggest hater as a bit.

[Trevor]

Yeah,

[Courtney]

that's pretty good.

[Shane]

So that people are like, who's this guy who hates Shane?

[Trevor]

Why isn't he banned?

[Shane]

And then I would reveal it, like, years later, be like, I was my biggest hater.

[Trevor]

And there's a lesson.

[Shane]

And there's a lesson not to act poetic. But aren't we all? Anyways. All right, bye, guys. See you later. Bye.

[Doug]

And, Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Courtney]

Hey, everyone.

[Shane]

Check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date? Oh, no.

[Doug]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual.

[Shane]

Together.

[Doug]

We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Shane]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Doug]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Shane]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.