191: Complicated Challenges.. Ft. Michelle Khare

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Two Hot Takes" Episode 191 – "Complicated Challenges.. Ft. Michelle Khare"

Hosted by Morgan Absher and featuring guest Michelle Carre

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Introduction

In Episode 191 of Two Hot Takes, host Morgan Absher welcomes special guest Michelle Carre, a renowned YouTuber known for her daring and diverse challenge content. The episode delves into a series of intricate "Am I the Asshole?" (AITA) stories sourced from Reddit, with Morgan and Michelle providing their candid takes, insightful discussions, and personal experiences related to each scenario.

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1. AITA for Encouraging a Friend to Develop Independent Hobbies?

Story Overview:
Morgan introduces a Reddit post titled "Am I the Asshole for telling my friend to find her own hobbies and interests instead of just copying whatever her current boyfriend is into." The original poster (OP) expressed concern over a friend’s tendency to adopt her boyfriend’s interests to the point of excessive financial and personal investment, questioning whether advising her friend was harsh or justified.

Discussion Highlights:

• Dependency on Partners: Michelle reflects on the notion that individuals often become the sum of their close relationships, emphasizing the need for personal identity beyond romantic involvements.

  Michelle (02:27): "There is a saying that I think, you know, it's not technically, factually correct, but you are the amalgamation of the five people that you spend the most time with."

• Tough Love vs. Sensitivity: Both hosts grapple with the balance between delivering honest feedback and maintaining friendship harmony. Michelle suggests that such conversations might be better suited for therapeutic settings rather than casual friend interactions.

  Michelle (08:52): "I feel like that's best heard from a therapist than a friend."

• Community Reactions: The Reddit community largely sided with OP, deeming her actions as inappropriate for overstepping personal boundaries, despite some agreeing with the intent behind the advice.

Notable Quotes:

• Morgan (07:07): "That's a huge commitment."
• Michelle (10:28): "I respect going to a difficult place to be honest with somebody."

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2. AITA for Making a Divorce Joke with My Husband?

Story Overview:
Morgan narrates a Reddit post where a woman joked about divorce during a dinner with her husband, only to face severe repercussions. The joke led to her husband abruptly leaving the house and subsequently being served divorce papers, leaving her devastated.

Discussion Highlights:

• Boundaries of Humor: Michelle and Morgan discuss the inappropriateness of joking about serious matters like divorce, highlighting the potential emotional harm and trust issues it can cause.

  Michelle (18:27): "That just, like, kicked me in the gut. Holy cow."

• Role of Friends: The influence of friends encouraging such harmful jokes is scrutinized, with Michelle criticizing the lack of constructive advice.

  Michelle (23:15): "These friends gotta go. They gotta go trash, recycling, compost."

• Couples Therapy: Both hosts emphasize the importance of open communication and possibly seeking professional help in addressing underlying relationship issues rather than resorting to harmful pranks.

  Michelle (28:58): "Seems like there's no other option."

Notable Quotes:

• Morgan (15:32): "He has nothing to say and I should talk to his lawyer."
• Michelle (29:56): "And he's saying, only contact me through legal."

Update:
Morgan provides an update on her own similar experience where she and her boyfriend exchanged PowerPoint presentations to address relationship issues, ultimately leading to their breakup. This anecdote underscores the episode's theme of communication breakdowns.

Michelle (63:26): "He's a consultant. See, listen, I participated in corporate recruiting in college..."

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3. AITA for Criticizing My Girlfriend’s Treatment of House Staff?

Story Overview:
Morgan reads a post where a man expresses discomfort over his girlfriend and her family's rude treatment of their domestic staff during a visit to their beach house. He confronted her about these behaviors, leading to accusations of him being judgmental.

Discussion Highlights:

• Socioeconomic Dynamics: The conversation touches on how differing socioeconomic backgrounds can create tensions in relationships, especially regarding respect and empathy towards service workers.

  Michelle (37:04): "But I, I do think that part of etiquette is making people feel comfortable."

• Leadership and Empathy: Michelle draws parallels between leadership qualities and treating service staff with respect, suggesting that the family's behavior indicates a lack of understanding and empathy.

  Michelle (37:54): "And what I'm hearing from this, this family is it's that they've lost touch with that."

• Community Response: The Reddit community was divided, with many supporting Morgan’s perspective that the girlfriend’s actions were disrespectful and warranted criticism.

Notable Quotes:

• Morgan (37:59): "I'm on his side, so my personal vote, I don't think. Not the asshole."
• Michelle (43:16): "I don't think it's our context. I'm going to be very curious..."

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4. AITA for Refusing to Cook After My Boyfriend Criticized My Cooking?

Story Overview:
Morgan shares her own experience (mirroring a Reddit post) where her boyfriend critiqued her cooking through a PowerPoint presentation. Feeling disrespected and undervalued, she retaliated by creating her own presentation, leading to their breakup.

Discussion Highlights:

• Weaponized Incompetence: Michelle identifies the boyfriend’s actions as a form of manipulative behavior, undermining her efforts and belittling her skills.

  Michelle (54:49): "So, I realized that where people often intimidate or manipulate, that's the root of the problem."

• Power Dynamics in Relationships: The episode explores how unequal contributions in domestic responsibilities can strain relationships and lead to conflicts when not addressed respectfully.

• Humor and Boundaries: Both hosts agree that certain jokes, especially those threatening serious consequences like divorce, are crossing boundaries and not conducive to healthy relationship dynamics.

Notable Quotes:

• Michelle (58:25): "This seems like a conveniently bizarre excuse..."
• Morgan (55:05): "Love it. This. I had a boyfriend in college who was a really nice guy..."

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5. AITA for Answering My Friend’s Work Call Without Permission?

Story Overview:
Morgan recounts a story where a woman set boundaries to not take work calls after 7 PM to improve her work-life balance. Her boyfriend, however, intervened by answering her missed call and reporting back to her boss, leading to professional and personal fallout.

Discussion Highlights:

• Respecting Boundaries: Michelle emphasizes the importance of respecting personal and professional boundaries, criticizing the boyfriend's overstepping behavior.

  Michelle (94:02): "It seems really toxic, I think. So that is not a partner. That is an enemy."

• Potential Sabotage: The conversation speculates whether the boyfriend's actions were an attempt to sabotage her career or unintentionally harm her professional reputation.

  Michelle (94:06): "It feels like the boss, like, threw the boyfriend 100 bucks and said..."

• Healthy Relationships: Both hosts discuss the traits of supportive versus toxic relationships, advocating for partners who uplift and respect each other's personal boundaries.

Notable Quotes:

• Morgan (93:28): "It's crazy. And I'm. I'm giving. It's giving. Kind of like he's trying..."

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6. AITA for Laughing at My Sister's Scary Jet Ski Incident?

Story Overview:
Morgan shares a light-hearted Reddit post where a woman laughed at her sister’s traumatic experience of getting lost at sea on a jet ski, leading to their mother demanding an apology. It was later revealed that the story was a metaphor for her cats' behavior.

Discussion Highlights:

• Misinterpretation and Humor: Michelle discusses the humorous twist in the story and the importance of understanding context before passing judgment.

  Michelle (99:30): "I have nothing to say. I have nothing to say...but they're both cats."

• Empathy and Responsibility: The hosts explore the importance of empathy in familial relationships, even when faced with seemingly irrational or exaggerated actions.

  Michelle (100:14): "I need to unpack it and I want to talk about it, and I'm in shock."

Notable Quotes:

• Morgan (97:42): "I'm laughing, so hopefully this helps."
• Michelle (101:26): "It is a marathon story."

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Conclusion

Throughout Episode 191, Morgan and Michelle tackle a variety of complex and emotionally charged AITA scenarios, offering their perspectives and encouraging listeners to reflect on the nuances of each situation. The episode underscores the importance of communication, respect, and empathy in personal relationships, while also highlighting the sometimes blurry lines between humor and hurtful actions.

Guest Information:
Michelle Carre can be found on YouTube at @michellecare where she shares her extensive range of challenge videos, including her stint at the International Butler Academy and various high-stakes feats.

Follow & Listen:
For more in-depth stories and exclusive content, listeners are encouraged to visit Patreon and follow Two Hot Takes on Instagram and YouTube.

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who haven't tuned in.

Transcript

[Michelle Carre]

Okay.

[Morgan]

Are you ready?

[Michelle Carre]

I'm so excited.

[Morgan]

I am too. Oh, I've been waiting for this one since I met you at the YouTube summit.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, my gosh. I loved meeting you there.

[Morgan]

We had so much fun. And I feel like I wasn't coming from a creator background when I got into all this. I'm just like, a little normal person. And so going to events like that, it can be hard sometimes to, like, make friends or connect with people. And you are just one of the nicest, most genuine people I've come across on this journey. So.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, my gosh.

[Morgan]

I'm really excited.

[Michelle Carre]

I had so much fun in New York.

[Morgan]

I know.

[Michelle Carre]

We were out until, like, 4am we closed the bar.

[Morgan]

We closed the bar down.

[Michelle Carre]

That was crazy.

[Morgan]

I literally. I was so tired the next day, and I had, like, engagement shoot photos, and I was like, what did I do?

[Michelle Carre]

You went into an engagement photo shoot, and then me, Shane, and Ian, we just got, like, all three of us, like, schlepped our way to JFK and flew home.

[Morgan]

I'm so jealous. The photos turned out good, though. You look so good. I still have to pick them, but they're coming along. But, yeah, it was a really fun weekend. And I. I met you got exposed to your content, which, if you're not familiar with our guest today, I am so happy to be introducing you to her. This is Michelle Carre.

[Michelle Carre]

Hi.

[Morgan]

Michelle has an amazing channel. You do a lot of challenges, and you. Your channel is challenge accepted. Really? And the first video I watched of Michelle's was her submerging herself into a tank like Harry Houdini locked up, trying to pick locks and get herself out from underwater while hanging upside down. And I was, like, having secondhand anxiety. It was so intense. And so watch Michelle's content. You've done a little bit of everything, which we'll kind of get into today, but okay. I've got quite the assortment for you. I don't know what I'm calling this theme yet. It's kind of like, challenge denied, because these people are just not doing their challenges very well. But we'll see what I'm calling. I'm so excited, and I'm so excited.

[Michelle Carre]

To be here because I have loved your podcast for a long time, and you have such an amazing voice. I was like. I was. I was driving on the way here. I was like, I need to, like, have a cough drop or something because Morgan has such a smooth voice. You need to, like, be a voice actor and also read somebody's audiobook for, like, I would love a romantic novel.

[Morgan]

I would love to.

[Michelle Carre]

You have perfect voice.

[Morgan]

I'm working on it. I've tried to get my Calm sponsorship, but, you know, Calm.

[Michelle Carre]

What?

[Morgan]

Calm's not calling me back.

[Michelle Carre]

This is the perfect advertising place for calm.

[Morgan]

I just want to do like a little voice thing. Breathe in, breathe out. Close your eyes. But we have people listen to this as they fall asleep, so that's kind of the same.

[Michelle Carre]

I'm already in a meditative state just hearing that. Calm. Get it together. Call Morgan.

[Morgan]

Okay. Are you ready?

[Michelle Carre]

I'm ready.

[Morgan]

Let's dive in. Okay. Up first. You recently did a 90 day challenge to get your black belt.

[Michelle Carre]

I did.

[Morgan]

I got to attend the premiere in person. I was blown away. So this one, it's. You'll see why. Why I picked it for you.

[Michelle Carre]

Okay, here we go.

[Morgan]

It's coming from. Am I the Asshole?

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, no.

[Morgan]

Jump it in. Yeah, from the start. It's titled Am I the Asshole for telling my friend to find her own hobbies and interests instead of just copying whatever her current boyfriend is into.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, my goodness. Okay, let's hear it.

[Morgan]

Tidal says it all. My friend is one of those girls who always has a boyfriend and that boyfriend becomes a central part of her identity. Last night, we were having a dinner and she said she needed a new hobby because she didn't realize gaming could be so expensive. She dropped $2,500 on a gaming rig because the guy she is dating now is into gaming when before this, she didn't even have Candy Crush on her phone. So I told her that she should find her own hobbies and interests instead of getting into whatever her current boyfriend is into. I reminded her that she enrolled in BJJ class when she dated a BJJ black belt, but she never stepped into a gym again after they broke up, she bought tons of baking tools and supplies when she dated a pastry chef, all banned to some faraway corner of her kitchen cabinets. As I write this, she even wanted to buy a cobra when she was seeing a guy who collected them.

[Michelle Carre]

Cobra?

[Morgan]

A cobra.

[Michelle Carre]

We're talking like a reptile snake thing.

[Morgan]

I would assume. Snake. Thank God the guy told her that she absolutely shouldn't do it. After dinner, one of our other friends told me I shouldn't have said that to her and she clearly looked hurt. But I think there was nothing wrong with what I said because I just pointed out facts and I think she needed to hear that to realize how dependent her personality is on her boyfriends and how ridiculous she is acting by copying their Interests. Am I the asshole?

[Michelle Carre]

Well, we have a lot of layers to unpack here.

[Morgan]

So many.

[Michelle Carre]

Because the first question is, what's going on with this friend? Is their personality too dependent on their partner? Based on this skewed perspective, one might say yes. There is a saying that I think, you know, it's not technically, factually correct, but you are the amalgamation of the five people that you spend the most time with. Yeah. And, you know, I don't know how scientific that is, but that's something I actually believe in. You know, if you're hanging out with people that are negative or suck out your energy, then that passes on to you too, versus when you're surrounded by people who are inspiring, driven, and excited about life. I notice that in my own life. However, I think, like, for. For this person, there needs to be some deep introspection on who am I without anyone else, like, finding that individuality. And I think that the OP was looking to reflect that back to their friend, maybe not using the best words. And at the end of the day, that is really hard to swallow. Yeah, that's some really big tough love.

[Morgan]

It really is. And I think that this really depends on how close they are to as friends. I know if this was my best friend, Lauren, I could say something similar and be like, hey, like, you know, I think what you're onto is a great idea. You want to show your partner that you care about their passions. That's really nice. That's accepting their bid. That's, you know, being a part of their life and loving them. But you don't have to go so hard, like the twenty five hundred dollars on a gaming rig without even really discovering if you like it.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah.

[Morgan]

That's a huge commitment.

[Michelle Carre]

Right. And we don't hear about these guys doing that for her.

[Morgan]

No.

[Michelle Carre]

What are they. What are they putting in? I want to know how much they're spending to be. Have interest in her hobbies, but maybe she doesn't have any besides the ones that she finds with these guys. It. It almost feels like she's using the hobby. Okay. I'm, like, really, Like, I'm. I'm mislabeling a person. I don't know right now, but it always.

[Morgan]

We speculate a little. I mean, I'm gonna speculate. We only go off what we have.

[Michelle Carre]

It almost feels like she is seeking a partnership so. So deeply that she may feel that the more she invests in the hobby, the faster the relationship will progress.

[Morgan]

I could see that. I mean, I think about myself and what I did When I was younger dating, like, I was not interested in a lot of things, but I, I got into it to like, you know, have an excuse to hang out with them more or be involved in their plans. Like, I think we all do that sometimes in relations. But it's like, okay, but when it comes to spending $2,500 or enrolling yourself in classes and then like, what are you doing with those hobbies? And then to just drop them because it didn't work out with the guy. So therefore you really were just keeping up with it for that other person and not really you and your intrinsic motivation or passions. So I think there's a point to what the friend is saying, like, find your own hobbies and, you know, maybe don't get so enveloped in them. But maybe it was the way it came across.

[Michelle Carre]

Right. I'm really torn, but I mean, that's such a hard piece of, again, tough love to deliver to somebody.

[Morgan]

I know.

[Michelle Carre]

I feel like that's best heard from a therapist than a friend. Even a friend or.

[Morgan]

That's really true too. That's really true. Because it's like, what does it hurt you if it's not affecting your friendship? So it's like, why even bother coming across and like hurting her feelings and giving this big tough love message if it's, you know.

[Michelle Carre]

But I think it's important to be honest with people around you.

[Morgan]

Where do you fall on this one?

[Michelle Carre]

Where do I fall?

[Morgan]

Asshole? Not the asshole. Everybody sucks here. No assholes here. Here's where I fall.

[Michelle Carre]

I think the friend of the OP needs to do some introspection heavily on their independence and what they want in life. That's number one. Number two, op, you know what? I respect going to a difficult place to be honest with somebody. And we always can always learn about communication styles and how to be kind but firm. We don't know how this was communicated. And it's a hard thing to assess because anyone on the receiving end of that is going to, I think in most cases, lock up and be a bit defensive because it's, it's a really intense thing to be here.

[Morgan]

Big pill to swallow. I'd be like, well, damn, like, you think I'm a shell of a person? Like, there's so much you could infer from a comment like that, even if it's not how the person meant it.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah. So I don't think they're an asshole. I think they were well intentioned.

[Morgan]

I'm really torn. I almost want to be just like, everyone sucks here. But I'M like, I'm like, did the friend do anything wrong? No, she's just trying to talk about, like, she needs to find a new hobby because gaming's expensive. But you already dropped 2,500 on a rig girl. Keep with it. So, I don't know, I'm really torn, but when I initially read it, I think I did lean towards not the asshole. And if you can't get over it, then maybe you're just not meant to be friends.

[Michelle Carre]

I think being an asshole means you have negative intentions and harmful intentions. I don't think this person, the person who wrote this has harmful intentions.

[Morgan]

Okay.

[Michelle Carre]

I like to think they actually just want to say, hey, I'm worried about you. This is what I would like to think.

[Morgan]

So. Top comment on this one. Okay, you're the asshole. She's exploring hobbies. When she's around someone who has them. It's normal. Example, I'm into running. At one point, my now husband gave it a go and for a time we ran together. It didn't last for him, but he had showed interest in what I'm into. You're the asshole for calling her out rudely. Wow, 17,000 upvotes.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, gosh.

[Morgan]

But next comment. The problem is that it doesn't sound like she has any interest outside of those. And she only continues because of who she's dating. It would be different if she actually stuck with one of the many. Also who starts gaming and drops that much on a desktop. So there's kind of some mixed responses here. That's the kicker there. I'm going to say not the household because this seems unhealthy to be that committed to a new hobby so soon just because her latest love interest is into that. This doesn't sound as simple as exploring new hobbies if she's spending thousands of dollars on high end gaming rigs, martial arts classes, pastry utensils, and a goddamn cobra just to make a connection.

[Michelle Carre]

I don't know about that snake. That was. That's a bit much, I think. But I think she's using it as a way to find like, she's seeking love, she's seeking affirmation, she's seeking bonding. And that, in my opinion, you know, is not. That's not jail for somebody. Like there's something else going on there.

[Morgan]

I know. Maybe unpack a little more self love therapy. Therapy.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah, for sure.

[Morgan]

Therapy, therapy.

[Michelle Carre]

But also maybe like stop seeing these guys, these guys. Because, like, it's just like a series of guys enabling this weird stuff. Specifically the cobra.

[Morgan]

Like thank God that that guy did not let her get a cobra. He was like, no, no, no. That's actually a bad idea. That's a bad idea.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah, yeah.

[Morgan]

Because she would have got the cobra. There's a lot of people out there that adopt dogs. Like, the minute they get a partner, like, they're three months in a dating and they adopt a dog together. And it's like, what happens if you guys break up?

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah.

[Morgan]

Like, you gotta be prepared. Like, this is a. At least a 10 year, sometimes 20 year commitment. Come on, people. Pets are not accessories. So I don't know, maybe. See, now I'm back to not the asshole. She needed a dose of tough love.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah.

[Morgan]

Overall vote. After all, the say not the asshole. Overall vote was asshole. I know.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, my gosh. We're off to a really bad start.

[Morgan]

You know, but hearing it today, like, what I love about the live shows and this would have been a really fun one to read at 1. We'll read the story in the room and everyone will immediately vote. Like, they scream what they want. And a lot of times, like, in the room, I think this would have gotten a not the asshole.

[Michelle Carre]

Really?

[Morgan]

I think in the room with everyone, all of us, like, I do think there could be some people that now would be like, no, not the asshole. This post is vintage. It's five years old.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh.

[Morgan]

So, you know, well, times have changed. Times have changed in five years. So it's like, okay, I mean, let's.

[Michelle Carre]

Bring ourselves back to five years ago. That was right before the pandemic.

[Morgan]

Pre Covid, which was, I don't know.

[Michelle Carre]

Different lifetime, fantasy land. Don't even know what that was.

[Morgan]

What was that? Oh, my gosh. Okay, moving along. This next one, not vintage. It's two days old.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, gosh.

[Morgan]

Coming from relationship advice. So luckily, we don't have to vote on this one. It is titled I, 28 female, made a joke with my husband, 29 male. And it's costing me my marriage with a man I truly love.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, my gosh. The titles of these things are so dramatic.

[Morgan]

They're intense. Wow. It goes on to say, I need help fixing it.

[Michelle Carre]

Okay. We're here to help you my ability to save a stranger's marriage.

[Morgan]

You got this. You've been a hostage negotiator.

[Michelle Carre]

Yes.

[Morgan]

You have negotiated hostage releases.

[Michelle Carre]

Okay, let's hear it.

[Morgan]

I think you can help.

[Michelle Carre]

What is this joke that is costing a marriage?

[Morgan]

My husband and I have been married for four years now. I truly do love him with everything I have. I can't see A life without him. I took some stupid advice from some of my girlfriends regarding a joke that they have done with their husbands or boyfriend. The joke is basically telling your partner that you want to break up or that you want a divorce.

[Michelle Carre]

Okay, whoa. Okay, first of all, these friends are terrible. I feel like that's like, the thing you don't ever say. Like, you don't ever. You never joke about it. You never threaten it. That's like completely off the table.

[Morgan]

Never threaten the big D. Oh, my God.

[Michelle Carre]

Ah. I don't like the friends. That's my first feeling.

[Morgan]

Well, I never wanted to do it and thought it was cruel to do, especially to someone you love. But I was convinced after they kept pestering me about it as I was the only one that hasn't done it yet out of the five of us. They further convinced me about it when they told me the reactions their partner had afterwards. Stupidly, I did it last week and my husband's reaction wasn't what I thought it would be. I honestly thought that he would try and talk to me or beg or make suggestions like my friend's partners had done, but he didn't. We had dinner and we were watching a movie when I told him I'm not happy anymore and I think we should get a divorce. He looked at me for a couple of seconds and I swear it looked like something broke in his eyes. He got up, walked to our bedroom, and within 10 minutes came out with a bag and walked out of the house without saying a word to me. I tried to stop him, especially after seeing him with his bag packed, and I told him it was just a joke and I didn't mean it, but he basically just brushed me off and walked out. I've tried to get a hold of him, messages, calls, emails, video chats, but he isn't answering me at all. I talked to his friends, but none of them want to tell me where he is, when and if they even answer me. I went to his work, but they refused me entry into the building. I've tried his parents, but they don't want to get involved as well as with his siblings. The only messages I got back were from his sister telling me, joke or not, I fucked up. I've sent so many messages about it being a joke and even sent screenshots of my conversations with my girlfriends about the joke as a proof that it was a joke and that I'm not backtracking all of a sudden, but nothing. My friends didn't have any real advice and told me to just Give him time and that he will get over it. Everything came down on me yesterday when I was served with actual divorce papers.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, my God.

[Morgan]

It felt like someone slapped me in the face and hit me and continued to hit me. I was and still am in so much pain. I frantically tried to get a hold of him, but all I got back was, he has nothing to say and I should talk to his lawyer. How can I get the man I love back? I don't want to lose him. I made a stupid joke. I know that now, and it's breaking my world apart.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, gosh. That just, like, kicked me in the gut. Holy cow.

[Morgan]

This is why you don't joke about breaking up or divorce or. No, I hate when also, like, a big prank trend I've been seeing is people saying they've cheated.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, that's so fucked up.

[Morgan]

You lose all trust that that person had with you. It's gone.

[Michelle Carre]

Why? And tell me how this is funny. What about this makes a great TikTok? Because there are two options. The person either breaks down, that's awful. You just made your partner feel awful. Or they affirm. They say, you know what actually sounds like a good idea? Both of those suck. What the heck? And why would you, like, want to make that a moment or, like, make it a TikTok or something like that? To me, it's so gross and it's hurtful. It's not funny at all.

[Morgan]

No.

[Michelle Carre]

So you know what? I feel like we're in, like, many of these stories. We're missing the full picture. Some clues I got. These friends are very bad, but she spends a lot of time with him.

[Morgan]

I know.

[Michelle Carre]

This, I'm gonna guess, is not the first weird thing that has come about as a suggestion of these friends. Who knows how these friends implicated their wedding planning, the first year of their marriage, their dating, even the proposal, all of that. These people have been around and, like, a toxic orbit around this woman. And perhaps this guy was like, this is the last straw.

[Morgan]

Like, I didn't even think.

[Michelle Carre]

I've been messed with so much potentially, you know?

[Morgan]

Well, in the way he reacted where, I mean, one, he's. He was totally blindsided, but the way he reacted is kind of like, this was my last straw.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah.

[Morgan]

Like, maybe there's some missing info that, like, things weren't as perfect. I didn't consider that. That also the friends could have been continuously being bad influences, because otherwise this feels like 0 to 100. How do you go from, like, not having any issues, not playing jokes on your partner, not Having that relationship to, oh, I'm going to prank him and say, I want a divorce. That's unhinged.

[Michelle Carre]

So hurtful. So hurtful. And I also think not to remove love from the situation and make this so practical, but if we are speaking practically, once a partner says that they want a divorce, it does become a legal situation. Everything you say, everything you text, everything you say on the phone, like, that becomes a part of the build of going to court. So perhaps this guy was like, you know what? This is my last straw. And anything else that comes out of my mouth can and will be used against me in a court of law. Is a potential mindset that he could have been in.

[Morgan]

Yeah.

[Michelle Carre]

Again, who knows what has happened in this relationship up until this point. If we're making jokes and pranking about divorce is crazy.

[Morgan]

I would never. I would never. I've been with Justin. It'll be six years in December. And I just know, like, that would crush him. Like, one of his biggest fears is, like, me waking up one day and just, like, not being in love with him.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, my God. Yeah.

[Morgan]

Like, he's talked about it. I know. And he's talked about it on the podcast quite a bit. And so. So it's like, that is, like, one of the deepest, like, pain points for him. And so, like, a prank like this is literally going against that, like, core fear of his. And it's like, I would never do that to him, like, ever.

[Michelle Carre]

So I'm just stoking that fear of abandonment. Yeah. For no reason.

[Morgan]

Yeah. Insane. So top comment. They quote OP the joke is basically telling your partner, you want to break up or you want a divorce? What the actual fuck? That is not a joke. You did something spectacularly stupid and are facing the consequences for it. It honestly looks like your female friends know how ridiculously gullible you are and knew exactly how this would blow up in your face.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, well, it just seems like the friends are really bad friends.

[Morgan]

I wonder if they actually did it, though. I am curious.

[Michelle Carre]

Like, if they, like, no. Oh, if we convince her to do this, he'll divorce her. That's so evil.

[Morgan]

I mean, what if they didn't like him and this was their way of, like, separating them?

[Michelle Carre]

Okay, first things first. These friends gotta go. They gotta go trash, recycling, compost. Put it on the curb. But all the friends and all these things, like, what the heck? Well, I can. It makes me so mad.

[Morgan]

It makes me even more mad when you hear their response, too, because OP did, like, go to them and typed my friends didn't have any real advice and told me to just give him time. He'll get over it. You guys helped create this mess. Like, I feel like if they were.

[Michelle Carre]

Your friends bullied her into it.

[Morgan]

They really did. They kept pestering and pestering and pestering. And if you have someone that, you know, really relies on their friends and is gullible or is more, you know, codependent, I could see how she was convinced. And again, it's not necessarily their fault because she still did it, but you know what I mean? It's like. It's just. It feels so manipulative. And if they were her friends, why aren't they, like, trying to go to bat and be like, hey, hubby, like, so sorry. Like, I would at least hope that they would also, like, speak for me in a way that it's like, hey, no, this was a prank. Really sorry, we fucked up. We did this with our partners. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, but it might be last straw. Too little too late.

[Michelle Carre]

Anyways, everyone involved, I'm praying for them. That's crazy.

[Morgan]

OP does have an edit. Oh, I've already had questions in my DMs about this. We have had no issues that I know of. We were laughing the whole time throughout the day, had fun and everything. No fight or distance really between us. Nothing like that at all. Everything was basically perfect.

[Michelle Carre]

I think that can't be true, though. Again, you, like, you can't go from 0 to 100. And even if you're. Even if you're unaware, this guy, this isn't the first crack for him.

[Morgan]

No. Because I mean, to go from I want a divorce to. He is, like, on it with the papers. It sounds like it's only. It was only a span of a couple days and he already contacted a divorce lawyer and had papers served, so.

[Michelle Carre]

Wow.

[Morgan]

Like, to go through those steps. There was no mediation. There was no couples counseling. There was. There was none of that. So that does make me think there's something deeper here.

[Michelle Carre]

Right. And at the same time, you would hope that the person that you marry, you know, through the good times and the bad, is willing to talk it out, to think about counseling, something, you know, it does. That's why I feel like we're missing information here.

[Morgan]

I know because, like, a partner you've been married to for four years also, like, no further conversation and you're not going to try counseling or anything. Like, then I need more info, which I'm looking at OP's comments. They have been pretty responsive in the comments to people oh, people are like, well, why would you even try this? And what reactions did your friends get? Because they're curious. Like, what even convinced you to try this? They did it with their partners and nothing like this happened to any of them. According to them, it actually made their partners more attentive and affectionate towards them.

[Michelle Carre]

That seems super manipulative, though, to threaten leaving for someone to be like, oh, I gotta get. Gotta get it together and become a better partner.

[Morgan]

What? No, you shouldn't have to make threats to get someone to pay attention to you. And those women, your friends, that speaks to huge problems in their relationships. They had a threatened divorce to get attention and affection.

[Michelle Carre]

Yep. Seems like all of the men, all the way.

[Morgan]

Everybody know everybody.

[Michelle Carre]

This is crazy.

[Morgan]

I know. Oh, if he does comment, I did tell him it was a joke. I even sent screenshots. He's not responding. He's already sucks.

[Michelle Carre]

That really sucks to. You know, again, we've talked so much about how you never joke about this. This is like, major lines were crossed. And at the same time, the lack of opening up for dialogue is where I began asking questions.

[Morgan]

Yeah. The stonewalling is concerning.

[Michelle Carre]

Right.

[Morgan]

Which I understand being hurt, needing a second to, like, go leave, sleep somewhere else for the night, cool off. But to just completely go dark again. It feels like there's something big missing.

[Michelle Carre]

Right.

[Morgan]

Last comment. I'll read from OP Someone was asking, like, why didn't you go in and talk to him after he left the room? And OP Was just like, I didn't know he was packing. I didn't know what I thought it was, but it wasn't that he was packing his things.

[Michelle Carre]

Maybe she thought he was just going to another room to cool off.

[Morgan]

But also at the same time, like, why don't you. Immediately, like, he stormed out of the room. You know, he's upset. Babe, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. You waited till his bag was packed and he was leaving the house. Don't love it.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, God.

[Morgan]

We. We will see if we get an update on this one.

[Michelle Carre]

Well, I would love to recommend therapy.

[Morgan]

Oh, there we go.

[Michelle Carre]

Seems like there's no other option.

[Morgan]

I don't think there's any way to salvage this. He's not given her if he served papers. Yeah.

[Michelle Carre]

And he's saying, only contact me through legal.

[Morgan]

I guess at that point, you need to respect his wishes. The only thing you can do going forward that might help you and be constructive is to follow his wishes. Get your own lawyer. Have your lawyers communicate and say, like, hey, I'D love to try mediation. I'd love to try couples counseling. Is there any way you can give it a shot? But at least you're not pestering him. You're not showing up at his work, you're not respecting the boundary he's set. That might be your only shot going forward, right?

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah. Because clearly the trust for him has been completely broken to the point where he's like, you're like, I don't trust you so much. To the point where I feel like legally I'm not safe in this relationship. That's why he feels like he needs protection.

[Morgan]

Yeah, I know. I mean, he's really gone to extreme lengths, it seems. So I'm going to keep my eyes out for an update on this one. Fingers crossed, y'all, because I'm very curious. I just want everyone to be happy. Well, this next one, I don't think anyone's really happy.

[Michelle Carre]

No.

[Morgan]

One of this week's partners is storyworth. My favorite part about the holidays is connecting with my grandma and hearing her stories, sharing her recipes. And if you have someone in your life where you want to capture their story, have them write down maybe some secrets or things you don't know about them and keep it for yourself, your family, generations to come. Story worth is going to be the way to do it. I had my grandma start doing this for me and it has been amazing to hear some of her life stories that we never would have known otherwise. And it's so easy. Anyone in your family could do it. Each week, StoryWorth emails your loved one a thought provoking question that you get to help pick. All your loved one needs to do is respond to that email with a story. Long or short, it doesn't matter. You do this for about a year and afterwards Storyworth compiles your loved one's stories and photos into a beautiful keepsake hardcover book that you're going to be able to share and revisit with other people. So help your family members share and capture their stories this holiday season with StoryWorthy. Go to StoryWorth.com t h t today to save $10 on your first purchase. That's s t o r y w o r t h.com/tht to save $10 on your 1st purchase. StoryWorth.com tht you did Butler Academy?

[Michelle Carre]

I did? Yes.

[Morgan]

Okay. I just watched one of your social clips from it where you were carrying the glasses and like whipping around in a circle and then it was like our city names turn to the right and I was just like, this is so Intense. And every time you broke a glass, I was like, I know.

[Michelle Carre]

I dropped so many glasses.

[Morgan]

It looked really hard.

[Michelle Carre]

It was really intense.

[Morgan]

Really hard.

[Michelle Carre]

They don't mess around there. And I guess that's why the people who graduate from the International Butler Academy go on to serve billionaires, presidents, royal families.

[Morgan]

Did you graduate or did you like how?

[Michelle Carre]

I was just there for a few days.

[Morgan]

For a few days?

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah.

[Morgan]

Okay. Did they talk about potential, like, treatment as being a butler? Like, did they talk about how you might have some clients that are just more aggressive or rude than others?

[Michelle Carre]

Yes, they did. They did. And that was very. I don't know if we, like, put any of that in the video, but obviously there are people who get into positions of power who have never had to be an assistant to someone else, who have never worked a service job, who've never been a waiter. And I feel like you can tell when someone has or has not served someone else as a part of their job in the way that they treat service workers.

[Morgan]

It's very telling. For me, it's one of the biggest icks ever. When you see someone rude to an assistant, a server, anyone. I'm just like, I cannot handle it. I think your experience is going to be really good on this one.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, God. Okay, here we go. Is this a butler story?

[Morgan]

You will see. So this is coming from Am I the Asshole? Seven months old, titled Am I the Asshole for telling my girlfriend I'm bothered by the way she and her family treat their house staff.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah, yeah. I'm already on the side of the person who wrote this.

[Morgan]

I'm 25, male, dating this girl, 24, female, for about five months. I knew her family was well off based on the stories she told about her upbringing, but I didn't get a chance to meet her parents until this week when we all went to their beach house to spend a few days and celebrate her father's 60th birthday.

[Michelle Carre]

Wow.

[Morgan]

This house wasn't just huge, but it was employed by a staff of about eight people.

[Michelle Carre]

Eight people.

[Morgan]

I was never used to being served like that. And I witnessed some behaviors from my girlfriend and some of her family towards the workers that made me feel uncomfortable. Some examples 1. After our first night, I heard her mother tell one of the housekeepers to clean the bedroom my girlfriend and I were staying in. I told her mother everything was in order and that I already made our bed before leaving. Her mother then told me in the presence of the housekeeper that I shouldn't bother because that's her. The housekeeper's Job two. The other morning, my girlfriend and I woke up after everyone else has had their breakfast. I went into the kitchen to grab some coffee and saw the cooks were already starting to prep for lunch. So I told them I didn't want to bother them and made the coffee myself. My girlfriend came into the kitchen moments later and saw me making coffee. Later that day, she complained to her mother without even asking me how things came about, that the cooks let me make my own coffee. I then had to explain everything. 3. On her father's birthday, they had a fancy dinner with some other guests that came just that day. And some of the staff was made to stand in the room with their backs to the wall as we sat at the table and ate. It was like some Downton Abbey shit. I'd kept my mouth shut for the entire trip. But as soon as we came back, I couldn't hold it any longer and told my girlfriend that it made me really uncomfortable to see how she behaved towards the staff and also gave some examples of instances when I felt her parents were rude to them. My girlfriend didn't take it well. She said that I'm the asshole here for judging their lifestyle.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, oh.

[Morgan]

In her mind, we had a perfect week together and I was withholding my judgment until I could unleash all on her. I didn't think I'm an asshole for speaking my mind, but am I the asshole?

[Michelle Carre]

Okay, so again, lots to unpack here. So much mistreated service worker dead to me, period. So that's that. And I will also acknowledge that when we were at the International Butler Academy, our whole crew definitely felt like a fish out of water in a way. Like, oh gosh, what you're describing here about the staff standing backs to the wall, like, you know, hands in front of them waiting to pick something up or serve. That's the way they're trained to serve. And we're like, hey, we're fine. Just like going down to the diner and getting food. We don't have to do like a seven course meal. But they, you know, they insisted on that.

[Morgan]

Wow.

[Michelle Carre]

And we, we felt like we didn't belong there for sure. Cause I mean, none of us grew up in a castle.

[Morgan]

So I would have the same experience. I would just be like, this is a lot.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah. But I, I do think that part of etiquette is making people feel comfortable. And if it is so far out of reach that everyone feels uncomfortable, then it's actually not succeeding in service in a way. And I think that comes from the tone of that the family is setting. Not the service workers at all. But, yeah, not a fan of how the. How people are talking about each other in front of each other. I also, like, have empathy for the. For this guy in the sense of, you know, when you have friends or are in a relationship with someone in a totally different socioeconomic status than you, it can be very tense and stressful for both parties going either direction. So I have empathy for that, but.

[Morgan]

I'm on his side, so my personal vote, I don't think. Not the asshole.

[Michelle Carre]

Not the asshole.

[Morgan]

Not the asshole at all. I would have a really, really hard time with this. I've been in situations where, like, it's been, like, not, like, someone I'm close with, but even, like, an extended group. We've been out at a table, and, like, they're just not. There's not, like, an overt rudeness, but there's also not kindness either. Like, anytime I get something dropped off at my table, when I'm out to eat, or, like, if I ask for something, I'm always like. I try to be really like, thank you. Thank you so much. Like, I really appreciate it. Like, whatever fits what I'm doing. But, like, if I'm with people that aren't like that and they just act entitled and they're snappy, like, I can. I can't. I just, like, get stressed even being in the situation with them. And then I try to be overly nice and appreciative to, like, make up for it. So I can understand why this would be a really tough situation to be in. Especially, like, not having experience having a butler, let alone eight staff who all stand around in the room like, oh, I dropped my napkin. And then they rush in to pick it up for you. You can't even bend down to pick up your own napkin. That would blow my mind. But I also, you know, I'm grounded in a more realistic reality. Like, I feel like a lot of the listeners out there are gonna hear this one and be like, this is crazy. Like, no, it's not right to treat people like that.

[Michelle Carre]

But then you also hear stories from people who work for wealthy families where the family is wonderful and, like, they are very respectful of the staff, and they make it a great work environment. And so I think, really, it reminds, you know, I think, often about just leadership in general. And the best leaders are people oftentimes who started from the bottom and know every position from personal assistant all the way up to CEO. Yeah. Because they can actually empathize and have understanding of. I know what it's like to sit at a desk and roll 20 calls a day and rearrange someone's calendar 30 times and get them coffee and do it wrong and get reprimanded for it. Like, knowing those feelings makes you a better leader because you can set a better tone moving forward. And what I'm hearing from this, this family is it's that they've lost touch with that. Either, you know, their experience in a different socio lower socioeconomic status was so long ago they've forgotten, or it's potentially a generational wealth situation where they've never been attached to any form of service for others.

[Morgan]

Here's where things get really interesting for us.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, there's more information.

[Morgan]

So Top comment on this one. Obviously, people, regardless of their job, should be treated with respect. But I just want you to consider a different perspective for a second. The staff might be 100% okay with the behavior you saw if they're paid enough and feel confident that it's better than other job options. An outsider seeing my job would probably think some parts of it are ridiculous, but those parts are worth it for me as the person actually doing the job. For example, when your girlfriend's mother said, don't make the bed, that's the staff's job, a staff member hearing that might think she's right, Please don't do my job for me, because then she has no reason to pay me for that job. I'm not saying you're in the wrong feeling uncomfortable with that behavior you saw. I'm just cautioning that you might be white knighting for people who are actually okay with the work environment you saw.

[Michelle Carre]

That's an interesting perspective because when we were at the International Butler Academy, I interviewed a lot of the students. The work was very intense. And I remember asking a lot of them, why do you want to do this? And every single student who was there expressed that they had this innate desire to serve others. They love making other people comfortable. They love giving to others. And the thought of organizing someone's life and relieving stress was like their calling in a way. And I looked them dead in the eyes. I was like, y'all sure about this one? And they were like, yeah. Like, one of the students was a former software engineer.

[Morgan]

Oh, my gosh.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah. And he.

[Morgan]

That's a crazy transition.

[Michelle Carre]

He decided to become a butler. And he said that he just wants to know how to serve his parents, like, how to make a beautiful breakfast for them and take care of their home, in addition to, like, bottling for Other people.

[Morgan]

Yeah.

[Michelle Carre]

But each person there had a story and felt called to serve other people in true hospitality. That is amazing.

[Morgan]

Yeah.

[Michelle Carre]

Now, at the same time, my response to that top comment is, sure, when you're well paid, you put up with stuff.

[Morgan]

Right.

[Michelle Carre]

I mean, we've all, in this room had jobs where, like, you know what, the paycheck is good enough. I'm, I'm, I'm going to keep my mouth shut.

[Morgan]

Yeah.

[Michelle Carre]

However, who's to say, why does that stress have to exist? Money should not offset the way you treat somebody ever, in my opinion. And there's always space for kindness. There's always space to treat people correctly. And paying somebody more does not negate your treatment of them.

[Morgan]

No, no. I've seen some stuff. I mean, in la, I've interacted with a lot of people and then their assistants, and there's been a few people I've worked with that talk to their assistants. And it's like the way it flips. Like, if you're in a conversation with people and it's like, they'll talk to you really sweet. And then it's like. And it's like, we're in this. We're in the same conversation. And the treatment is so vastly different. I don't get it. It would never be me. But again, it's like, okay, if they're making, you know, great money and they're taking it as a challenge to put up with that behavior, and they love their job or like, their job enough to stay for the money, like, whatever, teach their own. So it is interesting. It's like, I don't know. I don't know if it's our context. I'm going to be very curious to see what you guys think of this one, especially when I tell you the overall vote on this one is asshole. Overall vote is asshole.

[Michelle Carre]

Okay. Okay. Well, okay. We haven't even gone to our own vote.

[Morgan]

Again, I said not the ass. I don't agree with the top vote with these stories. If.

[Michelle Carre]

Okay, I'm just putting myself in the shoes. If you are coming to Reddit to get, like, to type this stuff out and get answers. We're missing context. What I need is the security camera footage of what happened, because we're getting up. We're always getting an incomplete story here.

[Morgan]

Show me the receipts.

[Michelle Carre]

Show me the receipts.

[Morgan]

I feel like he's being pretty. It feels like he's being pretty neutral. And I will say, like, he didn't tell the parents off. He just told his girlfriend.

[Michelle Carre]

Right.

[Morgan]

I don't Think there's anything wrong telling your partner that you were like a little uncomfortable and bothered by the treatment you saw?

[Michelle Carre]

But we don't know how he said it to her. We know how he typed it here, but we don't know how he said it. And if I'm putting myself in her shoes, she's thinking, you're so ungrateful. I brought you to my parents beach home. I've, you know, maybe, maybe she paid for the flights and she put on, you know, made this whole thing and she's excited to share her family and nobody like, you know, you've. You've had the experience of bringing your partner home for the first time.

[Morgan]

Yeah.

[Michelle Carre]

That is like, oh, my God, I really hope everybody likes each other. And then for the first piece of feedback to be like, that kind of made me uncomfortable. That's scary.

[Morgan]

Well, and it is like, in her shoes, what a crazy privilege to have. You've got a big, huge beach house, you have staff. Like my dream in life. I would love to never have to cook ever again. Like getting the meal kit sent to me, it is the best thing ever. I hate cooking. So then to have someone just come in and be like, well, that was weird. I couldn't make my own coffee. That was uncomfortable. That was so I could see how he said it being an issue. But I feel like overall, not the asshole or just like, no assholes here. And you're just not communicating very well.

[Michelle Carre]

My vote is better communication needed by both parties. That's my vote. My vote is, I think the girlfriend needs a bit more self awareness about the stresses of dating someone in a different socioeconomic status than you, which can be very stressful for the, for the boyfriend in this case. And I also think the guy could have had better timing on when to give that feedback or how to give the feedback.

[Morgan]

I love that you're mentioning feedback.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah, yeah.

[Morgan]

No, it's crucial. And also really takes us into our next story.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, it keeps going. There's so many people with problems.

[Morgan]

Oh, my God. Michelle and I are sitting here today recording, recording this on election day. And we literally did this as a way to like, hide from the stress of like watching election stuff. And now you might be regretting this. You might be like, this is more stressful. What did I sign up for?

[Michelle Carre]

No, this is so much less stressful than the state of American politics. Let me tell you, and only you in the future watching this right now, know the state of things.

[Morgan]

I know United States of America, which is terrifying.

[Michelle Carre]

I don't sitting here right now.

[Morgan]

Oh, I voted.

[Michelle Carre]

Voted. Early mailing. Thank you to everyone who's watching who did vote.

[Morgan]

Yeah, anyways, fingers crossed. Next story. Another one of this week's partners is zocdoc. It's already flu and cold season and we're about to be spending a lot of time with families, strangers, traveling, you name it. Which means it is not the time to not look after yourself and prioritize your health. A lot of things in life are a total crapshoot, but your health should not be one of them. Which is why you're going to want to try ZocDoc. ZocDoc is a free app and website where you can search and compare high quality in network doctors and choose the right one for your needs and click to instantly book an appointment. We're talking in network appointments with more than 100,000 healthcare providers across every specialty from mental health to dental health, eye care, skin care, and so much more. I myself have started noticing a little spot on my leg and I was able to go on zocdoc and immediately find a dermatologist who can get me in. And I love how easy it is to book appointments with Zocdoc. I hate calling, I hate trying to schedule things over the phone. And they're fast. You can get in typically within just 24 to 72 hours. And I put that to the test one time with a gynecologist appointment. I got in the next day. So stop putting off those doctor's appointments and go to zoc doctor.comtht to find and instantly book a top rated doctor today. That's Z o c d o c.comtht zocdoc.comtht so this is coming from Aitah, which is just another like am I the asshole? Version 4 days old titled am I the asshole for refusing to cook after my boyfriend tried to critique my cooking with a literal PowerPoint presentation.

[Michelle Carre]

Okay, no, you're not the asshole.

[Morgan]

I already hate this guy.

[Michelle Carre]

I'm so judgmental of just the title.

[Morgan]

Oh my God.

[Michelle Carre]

These titles are so clickbait and I fall for all of them. Why?

[Morgan]

I literally have a career because I got sucked into the titles on Reddit and these stories. This is my life. Okay, so this happened a few days ago and I'm still trying to process it for context. I, 28 female, have been with my boyfriend, 30 male, for about two years. We live together and have always done most of the cooking because I genuinely enjoy it. And he claims he can't even boil water without setting off the smoke alarm. The other night, I made one of our favorite meals.

[Michelle Carre]

You can't boil water without setting off the smoke alarm. Wait, hold on. Boiling water produces steam. That's not smoke. Am I crazy? I don't think boiling water sets off a fire alarm.

[Morgan]

I'm envisioning he forgets about it, and then the pan starts burning.

[Michelle Carre]

Okay, well, the pan. I've made my conclusion.

[Morgan]

Divorce. The other night, I made one of our favorite meals, and while we were eating, he got a weird smirk on his face.

[Michelle Carre]

Ugh.

[Morgan]

He then says, quote, you know, I've been taking notes. I laughed, thinking he was joking, and then he said, quote, no, really. I made a presentation. I still thought it was a joke until he got up, connected his laptop to the TV, and opened a PowerPoint titled, quote, Improving our home dining experience.

[Michelle Carre]

Excuse me. I'm gonna tell you a few ways we can improve your home dining experience. Number one, let's break up. Number two, Good luck.

[Morgan]

I was in Sayan. I hate this guy. I was in disbelief as he went sl. Slide by slide, critiquing my dishes. Slide one, Too much garlic. Slide two. Pasta consistency. Slide three. More salt, less sass. The kicker was slide eight, which was just a photo of Gordon Ramsay facepalming with the caption what he'd think. I was stunned. I told him if he had such detailed opinions, he should cook himself. Yeah, well, he tried to backtrack, saying it was all in good fun and that he was just trying to help, but I wasn't laughing. I haven't cooked since, and now he's been living off cereal and takeout.

[Michelle Carre]

Good.

[Morgan]

He's sulking, saying I'm overreacting and ruining his joke. So, Reddit, am I the asshole for refusing to cook after my boyfriend presented me with a PowerPoint critiquing of my cooking?

[Michelle Carre]

No, not the asshole.

[Morgan]

No divorce.

[Michelle Carre]

He should pay for your therapy. And I hope he's got a postmates account. He's going to need it starting next week.

[Morgan]

I don't. How do you come back from this? Like, what if you were, like, engaged to this person and all of a sudden they pulled this on you? Like, is there any saving this relationship genuinely? Or, like, how do you come back from something? Like, is there a golden. Like, a lighter side where this could be funny? Like, my sense of humor is not this. So my opinion is no, I don't. I don't think. Asshole. I think this is a very. Like, I wouldn't cook again either. You start cooking, you can't even boil water. Yeah, and you're gonna make a PowerPoint about me.

[Michelle Carre]

I think this is deep rooted misogyny that we're playing off as a joke and none of the women in the room are laughing. So, yeah, I think, again, why doesn't he cook? I just, it just feels so ridiculous to me. And I feel like he's been walking all over her for some time. If we're already at the point where she is the main culinary provider of the relationship and there's no context we have here about them agreeing to that, or like, she, she does the cooking, he does this, or like a better division of, you know, domestic labor or something like that. It just feels like misogyny all over the place.

[Morgan]

Yeah, I completely agree. It's also giving the same energy of. And I know this is like a hot take that comes up at some of our live shows, but people that don't have any kids seeing their family member, their sibling, their aunt, whoever, and trying to be like, your kids are crazy, you're a bad parent, or you should try this, or you should do that. And it's kind of giving that same energy. It's like, you don't have kids, you don't comment on it, or you don't even cook. Why are you commenting on my cooking?

[Michelle Carre]

What the hell?

[Morgan]

Like, it's, it's really unprovoked. And I would boycott. I would not cook for this person. No, I would say take your own PowerPoint tips. Less garlic, more salt, have at it. And let's see. But really rude. And he's giving, like, the prank boyfriend that thinks he's overly funny, and he's actually not funny at all.

[Michelle Carre]

This guy sucks.

[Morgan]

Bad energy.

[Michelle Carre]

Very bad.

[Morgan]

Top comment. Not the asshole. He claims he can't even boil water without setting off the smoke alarm. If he had the time to make a PowerPoint, he has the time to learn to cook hard.

[Michelle Carre]

Agree.

[Morgan]

Love it. This. I had a boyfriend in college who was a really nice guy, but his mom did his laundry. Not let him use her machines, but actually did his laundry for him while she cooked him dinner. One time he said to me, quote, if we get married, you'll have to do all the ironing. Because I don't know how I replied in a deadpan voice. I'll teach you. Needless to say, he didn't like that. I was thinking, dude, I don't iron my own clothes. What makes you think I'm going to iron yours? If you're bright enough to make it into college, you can figure out how to iron something. It's not rocket science.

[Michelle Carre]

The psychology of boy moms needs to be studied.

[Morgan]

Dude, it's insane. Did you see. Do you ever come across Madison Humphrey on TikTok?

[Michelle Carre]

No.

[Morgan]

So it's this creator that makes, like, ironic videos to people's real videos that are just so outlandish. So one that really went viral is, like, boy moms taking very intimate pictures with their sons for their, like, high school football photos.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, my God.

[Morgan]

I need to pull up a picture because it is unhinged behavior.

[Michelle Carre]

So I don't like it.

[Morgan]

This is a video that went viral.

[Michelle Carre]

That's a mom.

[Morgan]

Yes. So this video of this mom went viral, and people were, like, so confused. Like, that's his girlfriend. She looks a little old for him because she jumps up in his arms and wraps her leg around him, and it's like, no, no, no, that's. That's his mom. And there's more. Apparently, it's like, a big trend in, like, southern places. But, like, this is another, like, clip from that same video. Like, very, like, intimate. It's not. Huh? It's not behavior I've seen with my mom and my brothers.

[Michelle Carre]

My high school didn't have football, but I'm from the South.

[Morgan]

That's crazy. You didn't have football?

[Michelle Carre]

We didn't have football. We didn't have basketball, but we had, like, weird sports, like fencing. Oh, my gosh. Fencing, archery, math club.

[Morgan]

Oh, my gosh. Here. It's so bad. There's like, another one of, like, this mom on her son's shoulders. I'm just like, that's more okay than.

[Michelle Carre]

The leg wrap, I guess, but there's some goofy ones.

[Morgan]

I gotta find the video. So Madison does stuff like that. And there was another video she just created where a mom posted a video from her son's wedding and said, me going to cut my son's food while people were dancing and giving speeches, and she went up and cut his food for him at his wedding. How a grown man.

[Michelle Carre]

How like, is this? I just. I have so many. I just. I'm. I'm honestly speechless. I'm speechless. I got nothing to say. I have nothing to say. Oh, except I think male feigned incompetence is just a disease that needs to be eradicated. And unfortunately, the only people who can eradicate it are women withholding relationships from men.

[Morgan]

I know. With weaponized incompetence, it is one of those that, like, it sends me spiraling.

[Michelle Carre]

Can't. Spiraling can't work with it.

[Morgan]

No. I think the best way to handle it is petty revenge. Petty revenge such as man claims he can't do laundry, messes up your favorite black dress, and instead of throwing the little black dress away, you put it on to one of his important work events, and you wear. You wear that little black dress, and when people comment, you say, oh, blah, blah, blah. Washed it. He tried so hard. Oh, my God. That's a true story. We've read.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, wow.

[Morgan]

Yeah.

[Michelle Carre]

Good grief. I need more water.

[Morgan]

Well, I've got some news. Okay, we have an update on this one.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh. Oh, my gosh.

[Morgan]

We have an update Posted. Posted a day ago.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, okay.

[Morgan]

Hey, Reddit. So it's been a wild ride since I posted my original story about my now ex boyfriend's infamous PowerPoint presentation critiquing my cooking. I can't thank you all enough for the support, laughs, and even the outrage on my behalf. Buckle up, because here's the follow up you didn't know you needed.

[Michelle Carre]

I just got full body chills.

[Morgan]

Full body.

[Michelle Carre]

Put this blanket further on me.

[Morgan]

Okay, I'm so ready for this. After reading your comments and taking some time to process what happened, I decided that our relationship needed a serious talk. I sat him down to discuss how his presentation came across as not just unfunny, but pretty disrespectful. You know, typical mature relationship stuff. Well, what does he do? He smirks and goes.

[Michelle Carre]

These smirks?

[Morgan]

Oh, I prepared for this. He actually grabs his laptop, connects it to the TV again, and presents me with another PowerPoint titled quote, how to take a joke. A comprehensive guide.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, my God. If I saw him touch that laptop and pull out a cord, I would have been out that door.

[Morgan]

Yes.

[Michelle Carre]

How to take a joke. I literally can't. I can't. Jail, burn the house down. All the above. I'm so mad. Okay, then what happened?

[Morgan]

Yes, folks, he made a whole slideshow explaining why I needed to learn how to chill out and appreciate humor. Slide one featured a meme of a clown putting on makeup with my name plastered over it. Slide 2, a bullet point list titled, quote, why your overreaction is hilarious. Slide 3, titled How I'm clearly the comedian in this relationship. At this point, I was too stunned to speak. But then he pulled out slide number six. Quote, things you can do while not cooking because you're mad. The audacity, right? It was as if he really thought he'd win me over with this next level presentation. Spoiler alert. He did not. So I did what any rational PowerPoint loving person would do. I made my own. I stayed up all night crafting a presentation called quote, why it's time to move on, this is your petty revenge. A farewell guide. It had everything. Flowcharts mapping his incompetence in the kitchen, pie charts illustrating my happiness before and after the great presentation debacle, and my personal favorite, slide number nine, a gif of Gordon Ramsey yelling, get out. This morning, I sat him down and went through my PowerPoint presentation with the same energy he had given me. His reaction was priceless. He started with that same smirk, but lost it. Sorry, but lost it somewhere around slide 4, top 10 reasons why you're moving out today. By the time I got to the resources for finding your own apartment slide, he was packing a bag. Now, before anyone worries, yes, he did actually leave. And no, I didn't have to threaten him with slide 12, which was just a photo of me blocking the WiFi router. So, yeah, we broke up. And I'm happy, single, and cooking meals for myself without any critique except my cat's judgmental stare. And to those who said I should make a breakup, PowerPoint, just know your wish has been fulfilled.

[Michelle Carre]

Wow.

[Morgan]

I still can't believe how all of this went down over the course of one single weekend. But now I feel pretty good about myself, thanks to all the comments and support. P.S. oh, and fun fact, some of you were right. He actually is a business consultant, so making PowerPoint presentations is quite literally his day job. I guess he took bringing work home to a whole new, unwelcome level.

[Michelle Carre]

He's a consultant. See, listen, I participated in corporate recruiting in college. Still can't tell you what consulting people do. No clue. Don't know. Doesn't make sense to me. What's happening at McKinsey? Nobody knows. Nobody knows.

[Morgan]

I am, like, so far out of the business world. I don't know much about it. I just know, like, a lot of jobs involve cold calling, and that sounds like my personal form of hell. I hate making phone calls. I'm scared of it. So, consulting business, if there's phone calls involved. Nope. I'm out. I'm out.

[Michelle Carre]

I'm so happy to hear the conclusion of this saga. So deserved.

[Morgan]

So great. Top comment on the update. This might be a quote. How much can I get away with before they break up with me scenario.

[Michelle Carre]

For sure. Yeah, for sure.

[Morgan]

He just didn't want to do it.

[Michelle Carre]

Like he. He was too scared to break up with her and wanted to push her that far, apparently. I don't know. I've never encountered that. That type of person.

[Morgan]

I. I don't know, I feel like a couple of my past boyfriends could have been that person, like, just bothering.

[Michelle Carre]

You, hoping you'll, you know, I mean, wear the pants effectively and finally end it.

[Morgan]

Like, the amount of. There's certain people, like, I had an ex that, like, just continuously would cheat, and it's like, oh, are you trying to get me to dump you? And so that's.

[Michelle Carre]

I.

[Morgan]

It's kind of giving the same energy, but I don't know with this guy, I genuinely think he thinks he's funny. I think he thought he was being funny with that presentation, and he's just that clueless.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah. And has been catered to. Yeah.

[Morgan]

I'm not vibing with it.

[Michelle Carre]

Me neither.

[Morgan]

Not vibrant.

[Michelle Carre]

Some, like, like, frat bro mentality type.

[Morgan]

Especially, like, the. Just the. Absolutely not cooking. I can't imagine being in a relationship with someone that long and cooking every meal for us.

[Michelle Carre]

That would set me off. That would make me so mad.

[Morgan]

You just heard how I hate cooking. Like.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah.

[Morgan]

I literally. I can't. And I also have a weird thing with meat. Like, I can't. If I touch the meat before it starts cooking, I can't eat it.

[Michelle Carre]

Do you, like, wear gloves?

[Morgan]

No. I could try that.

[Michelle Carre]

Wait, wait. How do you cook meat, then?

[Morgan]

I make Justin do it. So I can do ground chicken or ground turkey. Cause that doesn't look as, like, meat. But if I have to cook chicken breasts and I have to, like, see the fascia and the white and the little bits of fat, I'm out. I can cook it, but I can't eat it then.

[Michelle Carre]

Interesting. It's a really weird thing, but also, it makes sense.

[Morgan]

Some people have sensory things. It's a sensory thing, probably. I don't know.

[Michelle Carre]

Raw meat is not attractive.

[Morgan]

No. No, it's not. Have you have. Do you have any cooking ones up on your channel right now as I, like, scroll.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, my gosh.

[Morgan]

Everything you have.

[Michelle Carre]

I did. I did an episode years ago where I, like, went to a cooking school for a week and learned how to make a fancy meal. I can't do any of that anymore. That was definitely, like. I can follow a recipe, even if it's a little complicated. Yeah, I can follow the instructions, but I would not call myself a chef at all.

[Morgan]

It's hard. It is so hard. I met a chef this weekend at one of the live shows. I'm just so impressed. Like, pastry chefs, chef, chefs, any chef. And, like, blows my mind. It just.

[Michelle Carre]

There's an episode we haven't released yet, and it's about for part of the episode, I worked at a Michelin star restaurant.

[Morgan]

Oh my God.

[Michelle Carre]

And it was crazy that the behind.

[Morgan]

The scenes of like Gordon in his kitchens is so intense. Like, oh, I'm really excited for when that one drops. Real excited but okay. Moving along. Another one of this week's partners is Game Time. I love going to sporting events and concerts, but finding the tickets is something I really did not like until trying Game Time, trying to sort through all those prices and know what my view is going to be before I get there. It was a lot of work. Game Time actually has a new feature called Game Time Picks, so it filters out all the fluff to show you only the best deals and the best seats so you're not going to waste time sifting through it all. You also get to see the view from your seat before you buy your ticket, which is crucial. I want to know if I'm going to be at the 50 yard line, what it's going to look like as I watch that touchdown pass. Game Time also has the lowest price guarantee. I recently was looking for Minnesota Vikings tickets and gametime was cheaper than every other site I looked at. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game time. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use code THT for $20 off your first purchase terms. Apply. Again, create an account and redeem code THT for $20 off download game Time today. What time is it? Game Time. This next one, we're lightening the mood a little bit. We got to maybe get a laugh in here. We'll see. It is coming from Am I the Asshole? Titled Am I the Asshole for laughing at my sister after she got lost at sea while being a total dumb ass on a jet ski.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh my God.

[Morgan]

Well, I'm laughing, so hopefully this helps.

[Michelle Carre]

Us all after being a total dumbass. This is crazy.

[Morgan]

Okay, I'm trying to type this up in a way that is neutral and I don't sound like the meanest younger sister ever. I do think it's more nuanced than that. We were on the beach this morning and my cousin and his wife brought their jet skis. My sister rode one for a few minutes and then declared herself an expert. My cousin said that we could have fun, but his cardinal rule was don't go past about 200 yards from the beach unless you were with a person on the other jet ski. On my sister's next turn, she basically set a path perpendicular to the beach and went as fast as she could straight out into the ocean. Okay, My cousin had the other one on the beach, filling it with gas. He screamed after my sister, but she just kept racing out into the ocean. By the time my cousin got in the water, he had trouble starting the second jet ski, and my sister was just a tiny speck way, way out in the water. He never did get the second jet ski started. We could still see her, but it looked like she was stranded. My mom freaked out and called 911, and after an hour or so, we saw a Coast Guard boat heading towards her. Maybe 20 minutes later, they pulled up to the beach with my sister in a blanket, sobbing that she was the most afraid she's ever been because she was, quote, lost at sea. My mom took her into our VRBO and I guess made her soup and tea and listened to her blubber all afternoon. When she finally came out of her room, she wanted to hold court about her traumatic experience. And when she said the words, quote, a navigation error caused me to lose sight of land, I literally laughed as hard as I ever have in my life. It wasn't a navigation error. It was being a dumbass. She basically screamed, fuck you, Lindsay. I almost died. And I laughed even harder. She slammed her pumpkin spice latte on the table and slammed the door to her room. My mom says I owe her an apology, and I wasn't taking her trauma seriously. Am I the asshole?

[Michelle Carre]

I think that this pumpkin spice sister has, like, again, so many clues, instantly ignores the rules.

[Morgan]

Yeah.

[Michelle Carre]

Strands herself at sea, slams down a pumpkin spice latte, slams the door. Like, this is a person who is so afraid to admit they're wrong that they are delusional.

[Morgan]

Yeah.

[Michelle Carre]

Just admit you messed up. Yeah. I think it's totally fine to say I. Like, I am so sorry I didn't listen to the rules. Y'all had to call 91 1. The Coast Guard came out, and I was terrified for my life. Both of those things can be true, that. But to deny responsibility and to just make it entirely about yourself, I think that's crazy.

[Morgan]

It's so wild. And, I mean, you just never know when you're operating stuff like that. And so to go that far out when you're not an expert, like, you just got a tutorial on it, you have no idea, really how they operate. Or, like, what if it stalls out there on you? How do you get back? Like, the 200 yards rule was so fair, and that's still really far. And you can go back and forth up along the beach, like, 200 yards out and have just as much fun. Like, the ocean's so scary. Like, there's that one fear where it's like, people are really scared of the ocean and what's beneath them.

[Michelle Carre]

Is it like thassilophobia?

[Morgan]

Oh, ooh, look at you with that big fascilophobia.

[Michelle Carre]

Or is that the fear of big things?

[Morgan]

Yeah, the persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water, such as oceans, seas, or lakes. Yes. That when I'm out there, I'm not even far from the shore. I'm, like, maybe 20, 30ft and just picturing a little shark underneath me. I can't. I can't do it. I almost had a panic attack out there one time. Just can't do it.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah.

[Morgan]

So for her to be this reckless and like you said, it could have been so easy as, like, I fucked up. I shouldn't have gone as far, but holy cow, was that so scary. So, so, so scary.

[Michelle Carre]

And I want to unpack it and I want to talk about it, and I'm in shock. Like, that's okay.

[Morgan]

Yeah.

[Michelle Carre]

But to package it with I'm in shock and I'm scared because you guys did this to me is sort of the essence, I feel, of what's being said, which is so unfair.

[Morgan]

It was a navigation error.

[Michelle Carre]

Navigation error. Sounds like a human error by you, the human operating the jet ski.

[Morgan]

Oh, my gosh. You did a sailing challenge.

[Michelle Carre]

Yes.

[Morgan]

Did you have, like, anything where you were, like, what if we got lost at sea? Because, like, I mean, it was a 17th century sailing challenge, so, like, no technology, like.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah. I mean, it's pretty freaky when you realize that, you know, our ancestors who crossed the Atlantic Ocean to come to America did this without Google Maps, dude. Now, that. That what I just said is the most, like, ridiculous thing I know. Like, everyone's gonna comment, like, well, of course they did. But, like, really think about that.

[Morgan]

No.

[Michelle Carre]

You're using the stars to navigate. You're relying on wind to push you across the ocean.

[Morgan]

What if there's no wind? You just sit there and bob.

[Michelle Carre]

Right, Exactly. You, like, you're just waiting.

[Morgan]

Where's all your. Your stuff go?

[Michelle Carre]

It's crazy. And it's. You get seasick and physically moving the sails to change directions. You're physically pulling ropes to swing the sails in different directions to open them to close.

[Morgan]

I'll get hit by one for sure. Whether.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah. Which is common. So it was really intense. So I empathize with the fear of the ocean and being alone out there. Lots of empathy.

[Morgan]

Yeah. No, I don't think the asshole with this one. No, I myself had a jet ski experience, and it just, like, goes to show, like, never trust a machine, no matter how, like, good of condition you think it is. So Justin and I were jet skiing during, like, a family reunion, and we had two jet skis, and we were, you know, we thought this was going to be great. And we're out in this lake in the middle of, like, Detroit lakes, Minnesota, and all of a sudden, like, we stop to talk to each other. And as we stop to talk, Justin's jet ski starts sinking. So it turns out jet skis have plugs in them.

[Michelle Carre]

Like a bathtub.

[Morgan]

Yeah.

[Michelle Carre]

What?

[Morgan]

So there. There was a plug at the back of this jet ski. Maybe newer ones don't. But this was an older jet ski, and apparently when we were going, the plug had fallen out. And so essentially, the hollow hull that, like, keeps it afloat was filling with water. And so I'm on one jet ski that, like. And trying to, like, keep him and his jet ski floating above water. Because if we let this thing go down, it's. It's at the bottom of the lake.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah.

[Morgan]

I don't know how deep this lake is. And we're. We're probably not getting it back. And all of a sudden we're, like, trying to wave down pontoons and anyone that'll help. And, like, we had to get towed back, like, this girl. So if people are trying to implement rules for a reason or safety measures, like, 200 yards. Follow the rules.

[Michelle Carre]

Follow the rules.

[Morgan]

Follow the rules. Just be safe out there. But not the asshole. No top comment. Not the asshole. That shit is funny. And now that she is safe, we can say it's funny how dumb she was, not the asshole. Your sister should feel lucky to be alive.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah, because that's also true.

[Morgan]

It took an hour for the coast Guard to get to her.

[Michelle Carre]

Mm.

[Morgan]

Like, I couldn't tread water that long. There's no way. Gosh.

[Michelle Carre]

No.

[Morgan]

No way. Someone goes, she dodged a Darwin award. Truly lucky you, not the asshole. Sister. Asshole. Lacking sense and safety awareness. Hope she is thankful for the Coast Guard.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah.

[Morgan]

So crazy. I just. Water. Water really freaks me out. Even though I'm a Pisces, I love the water, but I. Maybe I respect it so much as a Pisces, it freaks me out.

[Michelle Carre]

You know what it's capable of.

[Morgan]

Exactly. Exactly. Okay, moving along. Another one of this week's partners is hellofresh. I'm hosting my first Thanksgiving. Families flying out from Minnesota, and I don't even know where to begin. That is where hellofresh comes in guys, with HelloFresh, you get farm fresh, pre portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. So you can skip those trips to the grocery store, thank God, and count on HelloFresh to make home cooking easy, fun and affordable and tasty. Whether you're craving that hearty comfort food or trying to appease A picky eater, HelloFresh has so many different meal plans and options and they have a rotating menu of 50 recipes to choose from. You don't have to go to the grocery store, you don't have to meal prep, you don't have to portion anything. Everything is ready to go. So me, I'm not a big chef. My family coming to town is really stressful. So I'm going to order a bunch of hellofresh meals and I know it's going to taste good and everyone's going to be happy because every single hellofresh meal I've ever tried has tasted amazing. So if you're ready to try it for yourself, get 10 free [e-mail] free THT applied across seven boxes. New subscribers only. Varies by plan. That's 10 free HelloFresh meals. Just go to hellofresh.com free THT HelloFresh America's number one meal kit. This next one coming from Am I the asshole 23 hours old? Picked it because I know you've run a marathon.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh my. This is a marathon story.

[Morgan]

It's a marathon story.

[Michelle Carre]

Let's hear it. I've already got opinions.

[Morgan]

Am I the asshole for signing up for a marathon last minute when my friend wants running to be her thing?

[Michelle Carre]

Okay, no.

[Morgan]

And I already don't like the immediately now. I, 38, signed up for a marathon a week before the race. Wow, that's crazy after finding out I would need rotator cuff surgery.

[Michelle Carre]

Huh?

[Morgan]

I haven't been able to climb, which is my first love, but I've always enjoyed running casually. I've done a few races before one marathon without training, so I felt like I could probably do it again. And it's something that keeps me motivated and gives me a sense of accomplishment. Especially as I'm prepping for an upcoming surgery.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh man.

[Morgan]

My friend was planning to run the marathon but hadn't trained until the week of. I figured we could.

[Michelle Carre]

Both of these people are crazy. I'm sorry, I'm stopping you right there. Who's signing up for a marathon without training? This is not a YouTube video.

[Morgan]

This is just life. Normal life.

[Michelle Carre]

People are out here doing this. First of all, I just need to say Medically, do not recommend. Do not run a marathon without. Start with a 5k, 10k all half marathon. But y'all leap. This is some. Like, I got thasselophobia thinking about running a marathon without training. And there's no oceans involved in a marathon.

[Morgan]

Oh, okay.

[Michelle Carre]

So we have two people who have not trained for a marathon that are about to run it.

[Morgan]

2.

[Michelle Carre]

2 and 1 is like, let me just. Let me just get in a quick marathon before I have surgery.

[Morgan]

Insane. I think I figured we could both run really slowly together. The whole week I was trying to find a bib. I told her I was planning to sign up too. She was fine with that until I told her I finally found a bib, and then she got really upset. I had posted on Facebook saying I was going to run it last minute, and she freaked out. She told me that running this marathon was her thing, and it feels like I'm trying to take over something that's special to her. She said that me posting about it on Facebook would overshadow her post. I never saw it that way. I just thought we could even support each other. During the run, she accused me of being a shitty friend and just said some really terrible things to me. At the run itself, I lost her at the first mile. I texted her like five times, called her three times. She ignored all of them. She called me two hours later and she's three miles behind me and tells me to stop and wait for her. At this point, I had decided to run the marathon for myself and I'd see her at the end. So I said no, which she insists is a sign that I'm selfish and an unsupportive friend. She was so mad that I was ahead of her that she quit at mile 16 and cut the course to finish with a better time than me, which, I mean, is fine. Is this crazy? I finished in 6:15 and was proud of myself. In the end, she is insistent that running is her thing and says I'm not allowed to engage in it, which feels literally insane to me. She was originally going to help me with post surgery stuff, but now she's decided not to, saying she feels betrayed by me doing the marathon. I don't feel like running a race should be something that belongs to one person, especially since it's something I love too. But maybe I missed something in how I approached it. Am I the asshole?

[Michelle Carre]

This is so wild to me. Like, again, just all the, like, little pieces of tidbits of scenes that we got from this essay was so revealing. Like who's picking up the phone and calling someone else during a marathon, that's nuts.

[Morgan]

And then for that person to be.

[Michelle Carre]

Like, hey, can you wait a quick three miles for me to catch up? Like, if you're running 6:15 mile, like, if you're running a marathon in 6:15, I don't know the math, but you're probably doing like 10 to 15, 15 minute miles maybe. So that means she's basically asking her friend to wait like 30 to 45 minutes.

[Morgan]

At least 30 minutes.

[Michelle Carre]

That's not cool. Because then you're cooling down, you're cramping.

[Morgan]

Like that acid buildup, I mean, everything. Like, I don't even know if you'd be able to continue after pausing for that long. Like, people, after they get done running marathons are like, I mean, you've done it, I haven't. So, like, I feel like you just are like, you kind of get numb.

[Michelle Carre]

Completely depleted, shut down, totally depleted. Like, and there's also a lot of. There's also a lot of physiology that comes with timing liquid and food intake when you're doing a long cardiovascular activity. So for example, if this person at mile 16 or whatever stops your metabolism will get kind of crazy because your body will think, okay, now we're recovering. And then to suddenly be like, JK, 30 minutes from now, we're going from a dead stop to suddenly running another 10 miles. Yeah, that's so bad for you. It's so much better to keep going because then what happens is when you pause and maybe you notice this, like, even if you just go to the gym and you work out, the second you finish working out, you might notice you're hungry pretty immediately. And that's because your body is like, all right now, now that heart rates come down and everything, we're noticing sugar and protein stores are low and we need to refuel. So it's that signal to the body of like, it's, we're in recovery mode. And I'm not a scientist, I'm saying all this wrong. Probably. I think that would have been very bad for the OP's race.

[Morgan]

Absolutely.

[Michelle Carre]

What I think is actually going on here is a case of when you have like an all star friend.

[Morgan]

Oh my God. And that's.

[Michelle Carre]

I have so much empathy for that. I have so much empathy for the other person in this situation of when you are friends with somebody who is just naturally really good at everything, and they come in and they're, you know, they don't study for the test, but they get an A. Or you Know, they post a picture and it gets way more likes than you on Facebook or whatever. Who's.

[Morgan]

I don't even.

[Michelle Carre]

I forgot Facebook existed, honestly. And we've all experienced jealousy of someone for whom we think life is easier for them than for.

[Morgan]

Absolutely.

[Michelle Carre]

So I get that. But I think that that's what this is.

[Morgan]

It's really interesting. It seems like. I don't know, it seems like they really wanted this for themselves. But it's also like, what about the other 8,000 people that are running that marathon is like, that's not just your thing. Like, realistically, you can't gatekeep running. It is one of the most accessible hobbies people can have. Passions, like, people are going to run. Your friend, who you're mad at for signing up last minute has already run a marathon in the past. It's already not just your thing. So I'm not sure. Like, this is just so unrealistic. And then. And then you're so threatened by your friend being ahead of you, you almost want to sabotage them by having them wait. And then you don't care that they're not waiting for you. You just want a better time. So you cut the course. You didn't even finish the marathon. You cheated. So what is this really about?

[Michelle Carre]

I think it is jealousy.

[Morgan]

I can't imagine. And I. I get being jealous. Like, I've. I've been in that position. Like, I've been jealous of friends in the past. But then you have to kind of ask yourself, like, is this person? Like, am I being a good friend of this person? Or, like, is it good for my mental health to be friends with this person? Like, I feel like there's so many people out there that have friends that are secretly, like, their biggest hater.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah, for sure.

[Morgan]

And that is just so toxic. And if you are the hater friend, like, you need to buck up and stop being friends with that person for both of your own sake, your own good, and move on. Find friends that you don't have that toxic competition drive with. I've had that. It does not work.

[Michelle Carre]

No, it's.

[Morgan]

It's crazy. And it's harder as the person not even realizing there's a competition, but yet you have a friend that's constantly competing with you. And it's like, I'm not competing with you. Like, I thought we were friends. And that's this weird energy here. This is just not healthy. Yeah, I don't. I can't imagine someone telling me I can't do something. It's my thing you can't ride horses, Michelle. You cannot ride horses. It's my thing.

[Michelle Carre]

Everyone knows riding horses is your thing for sure.

[Morgan]

That would be crazy, though.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah.

[Morgan]

And it's my goal to get you on a horse.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh, I can't wait.

[Morgan]

It's gonna be good.

[Michelle Carre]

I'm excited.

[Morgan]

But it's just. It's weird.

[Michelle Carre]

But yeah. She wants to claim running as like her corner where she's good at something and better than other people at it.

[Morgan]

I don't get it. Top comment. Not the asshole. This is absolutely bizarre. A true enthusiast of any sport wants everyone to join in. She's an insecure asshole.

[Michelle Carre]

Agree.

[Morgan]

OP does respond and goes, exactly. She's like, I can't even do that to you with climbing because I don't have health insurance. I'm like, I would love for you to get into climbing. Her worldview seems warped. You've also done climbing too.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah, it seems like a. That's an excuse. If you're saying I can't do climbing because I don't have health insurance, why are you. Why are you running? Why are you doing other things? You know, all of those things are injury prone activities.

[Morgan]

You can't live in a bubble. She doesn't have health insurance, but is running a marathon without training.

[Michelle Carre]

That's correct. And crazy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't. I. To me, that seems like a conveniently bizarre excuse because I don't want to go rock climbing with you because you're better at it than me. And I'll feel bad because I won't be the best.

[Morgan]

Oh, my gosh. So crazy. I think my little editor over there ran a half marathon without training.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah, that's amazing.

[Morgan]

She goes, I did do that. I heard you got real bad shin splints. She couldn't walk for two weeks. You wore really old shoes. And this is why we train properly, have good footwear. You prepare. Just don't be like, that's so impressive though. Jenna's over here. She's like, why'd you rope me into this, Morgan? Don't worry, guys. You'll see Jenna on an episode very soon.

[Michelle Carre]

Yay.

[Morgan]

It's happening. Okay, moving along, I think I'm gonna give you a choice on this One Choice? Yeah. Option number one. Today I fucked up and accidentally ruined something my boyfriend really cares about. Or two, am I the asshole for telling my boyfriend he crossed a line with my work life? Balance. Two. Two. Okay. It's five hours old. Again, titled, Am I the asshole for telling my boyfriend he crossed a line with my work life balance. I, 28, female, work long, intense hours at a high pressure job, and my boyfriend, 30, male, knows this. Recently, I finally set boundaries to stop taking work calls after 7pm this has helped me unwind and prioritize our time together, which he initially seemed to support. Last night, my Boss called around 8:30pm, but I ignored it. My boyfriend asked why I didn't pick up, and I explained I didn't want work intruding on my evening. To my shock, he picked up my phone and answered the call himself.

[Michelle Carre]

Nope, I'm out.

[Morgan]

Saying I was, quote, too busy relaxing to talk.

[Michelle Carre]

What? So not only did he pick up the phone, but tattled on her.

[Morgan]

I was mortified. My boss sounded annoyed and I had to spend 30 minutes on the call only because he made it sound like I was slacking off. Afterwards, I was furious and told him it wasn't his place to interfere with my work like that. He thinks I'm overreacting and shouldn't be ashamed of setting boundaries. Am I the asshole?

[Michelle Carre]

Okay, I need more information. What does he do? Why does he feel entitled to mess with her work? Sounds like he doesn't have a job.

[Morgan]

I would never answer the phone. No, with someone else's boss, I would.

[Michelle Carre]

Never answer someone else's phone. Unless they're like, hey, can you get that for me?

[Morgan]

So weird.

[Michelle Carre]

To, like, to interact with someone's phone and like, without permission is very strange. Super inappropriate.

[Morgan]

Well, and to just be like, hey, she's unavailable. Can I take a message? Like, it wasn't him doing that. It was him being like, hey, she's too busy relaxing.

[Michelle Carre]

Why does he want her to fail? See, this is why I feel like, is he jobless and trying to make her, like, work more or something? I don't know.

[Morgan]

I'm looking at OP's comments. I don't see anything about him and his work. Opie is just like, I do need to set firmer boundaries with both my boss and him.

[Michelle Carre]

Why are they, like, in cahoots? It feels like the boss, like, threw the boyfriend 100 bucks and said, like, if she doesn't answer, answer and pressure.

[Morgan]

Her to work, people are kind of like, it sounds like he's trying to sabotage you.

[Michelle Carre]

Yes.

[Morgan]

And Opie goes, I really hope he wasn't trying to sabotage me. Oh, definitely going to have a serious talk with him. It almost felt like he didn't care about the consequences at all. What? How do you not, like, potentially think if I answer this call and make her look bad by saying this, she could get Fired.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah. And then what does that mean for both of us?

[Morgan]

It's crazy.

[Michelle Carre]

I. I just feel like having a partner who is a cheerleader for you is such an important part of personal confidence in. Within a relationship. And he's the opposite. He's, like, bullying and. And undermining her work.

[Morgan]

Yeah.

[Michelle Carre]

It's also like she's trying to not only have more time to relax, but I assume also for the relationship. Why does he want her to work during their hangout relationship time after work?

[Morgan]

And it's just a complete lack of respect. Lack of respect for the boundaries. And I don't know how you can be firmer. Like, you already set the boundary and now you're. You're going further. Like, how do you even go further? Don't touch my phone ever. Like, that's where you're at now after this. And then if he really doesn't respect you, like, you don't have a partner. You don't have someone who's going to be your cheerleader. Like, you have someone who's at that point being willfully incompetent and stupid and I would have to assume is trying to sabotage you.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah.

[Morgan]

There's no other. There's no other explanation. Top comment. Wow, this is really inappropriate. He just undermined you and damaged your relationship with your boss. To me, it's creepy that he even answers your phone at all unless there was emergency, much less when he knows it's your boss calling, not the asshole. And it is super odd that he still chose to answer after he got a direct explanation of like, oh, I'm setting boundaries. I'm not answering my phone. That's why I'm not picking up. And then he, like, grabs it still after that and goes, hey, she's too busy relaxing to come to the phone.

[Michelle Carre]

It seems really toxic, I think. So that is not a partner. That is an enemy.

[Morgan]

Yeah, I wouldn't be able to stay with someone. I know it seems really small.

[Michelle Carre]

I don't think it's small. He could have gotten her fired.

[Morgan]

And I'm curious what else is going on? Like you said, like, what else is going on here? There were no comments from OP about his job, him having a job, or any other context surrounding that. And I'm. I'm giving. It's giving. Kind of like he's a sugar baby. He's.

[Michelle Carre]

Yes.

[Morgan]

He doesn't work.

[Michelle Carre]

Like, nobody with a job behaves like that.

[Morgan]

No. Unless he just doesn't understand, like, social expectations. But even then, she literally just said, I'm not answering for a reason. So like to take it upon yourself. You're crazy. You're being. You're being goofy. I don't know. I don't like it.

[Michelle Carre]

I don't either.

[Morgan]

I don't like it.

[Michelle Carre]

I'm out.

[Morgan]

I'm out. Okay, I have one last one for you today.

[Michelle Carre]

Okay.

[Morgan]

It is coming from our very own two Hot Takes subreddit.

[Michelle Carre]

Yay.

[Morgan]

It is titled Sometimes I Hate My Son.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh my God. Okay, here we go. I am not a mother, so probably don't take my advice.

[Morgan]

That's how I need to start prefacing. Every mom parenting take I have. I haven't had a kid. Don't believe anything I say. I'm a single dad of 2 kids, 17 female and 3 male. This post is about my son. His mom just sort of dropped him off in 2021 when he was three months old and I've been solely responsible for him since. Oh, he was a cute baby but is now pretty big for his age. Doc said it's normal. He's just big because of that. He can be an absolute terror, hitting and even biting his older sister, starting fights at dinner for no reason, throwing tantrums if he can't have his favorite snacks, et cetera. So far he's broken a tv, peed on my favorite reading chair, trashed the bathroom on multiple occasions, continuously bullies his sister to the point that she now needs to sleep in my arms like when she was little so that she can even feel safe. He's keeping me up at nights, refusing to sleep and running all around the apartment after repeated attempts to put him to bed. It's costing me sleep and sometimes I just hate him for being so annoying. I know he's young and can't help it, but God. He will be four at the end of October and my oldest daughter is currently dealing with some health issues and his bullying doesn't help. I do leave my oldest in charge while I work as I can't afford a sitter. So my son's bullying can't really be addressed properly in the moment. When I'm not at home, I'm at a loss. Morgan and fam, what do I do? Also, they are both cats.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh my God.

[Morgan]

The sigh of relief.

[Michelle Carre]

I'm sitting here rolodexing through like wow, this is. This is crazy. We are talking like kid getting dropped at the firehouse type of. Oh my God. I need a moment. I just need a moment. Also, they're both cats.

[Morgan]

Last line in there. When I first read this, I was Fuming. I was so mad. I was literally in the comments, typing on my own sub, like about to be like, what is happening here? You hate your kid, get help. Like, we need therapy, family therapy. They're both cats. Oh, I feel dumb now.

[Michelle Carre]

Seems like. I don't know. I know there are dog trainers. Are there cat trainers? Maybe this is like a behavioral thing to be addressed, but probably what's going on is. So is it they broke up, the mom left. Is the mom a human or a cat in this metaphor?

[Morgan]

I think the mom was a cat.

[Michelle Carre]

Like drop dropping them off, found a baby cat.

[Morgan]

Apparently there are cat trainers. Hiring a cat trainer can be a great way to help your cat adjust to their new home, learn good behaviors and manners, and even enjoy themselves in the process.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah, maybe spend like.

[Morgan]

I had no idea.

[Michelle Carre]

Expensive too.

[Morgan]

But there's YouTube videos.

[Michelle Carre]

YouTube videos.

[Morgan]

Here you go. Next challenge. Challenge accepted. I trained as a cat trainer.

[Michelle Carre]

Absolutely not. You're on your own. You're on your own. Opie. I can't do it. Yeah, I think you gotta fire up YouTube. You gotta look inward because at the end of the day you did accept the responsibility of being a parent and therefore you've gotta follow through.

[Morgan]

Yeah. And the one cat, 17, I mean, oh, she's a senior. Senior gal. Can't let this three year old little boy bully him. Bully her. Like, might have to separate them in different rooms while you're, you know, at work during the day, but. Top comment, you totally had me the entire time. I was so outraged until the very end. Right? Like, how much of a terror can this kid be that his 17 year old sister had to sleep with dad in his arms, no less. I love this. This was a light hearted way to end us after all the crazy. Today I have messaged OP asking for a cat tax. So hopefully by the time this episode comes out, there will be a picture of the cat inserted here. But other than that, Michelle, thank you so, so much for being here. Where can everyone find you your content, all of your amazing videos, I mean the black belt one that I just got the pleasure of coming to, the premiere was amazing.

[Michelle Carre]

Thank you.

[Morgan]

You have so, so many amazing videos and all of your challenges, I mean from you. Treasure Hunted, the Houdini deadliest trick by far blew me out of the water. You've done FBI hostage negotiation, air traffic control, which that would send me spiraling. I mean, you've done so many. So where can people find you?

[Michelle Carre]

You can find me on YouTube @michellecare. And thank you so much for having me Morgan and tht family.

[Morgan]

You did so good.

[Michelle Carre]

Oh my God.

[Morgan]

I'm excited to see what people think about these ones. I feel like this is one of the episodes where my take has really disagreed from the Reddit vote.

[Michelle Carre]

Yeah.

[Morgan]

So I'm excited to see where people align on all of these.

[Michelle Carre]

We look forward to your comments and thoughts, agreeing or disagreeing.

[Morgan]

I'm excited. All of Michelle's links will be in the description. Be sure to go watch some of the videos on her channel, subscribe, check it out, but you will not regret it. Again, like, I've I've been blown away and I'm so happy you came on. So thank you again.

[Michelle Carre]

Thanks for having me.

[Morgan]

Other than that, fam, head over to Patreon for some more fun stuff. But until next time, bye.