A poorly timed joke can turn a pleasant situation into an awkward standoff. But a bad prank might even threaten someone’s life.
A few days ago, a woman turned to the subreddit r/AmIOverreacting for help processing a recent falling out with her husband.
However, after she described how he tried to ‘monetize’ her sedated and confused state in hopes of going viral, people were shocked that a loving partner could actually attempt such a stunt.
This woman is unsure if she can fully trust her husband after the practical joke he tried to play on her
Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages/Envato (not the actual photo)
Even though he’s begging for her forgiveness
Image credits: ktsimage/Envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Prostock-studio/Envato (not the actual photo)
Experts say that people who do these things to their partners often lack empathy and self-esteem
There’s a term for what the Redditor’s husband has done to her—the exploitation of one’s most intimate relationships to gain online influence and popularity—and it’s called cloutlighting.
According to Jade Thomas, psychotherapist and founder of Luxe Psychology Practice, people who engage in this kind of behavior tend to display a lack of empathy if the other person displays or shares an emotional, negative, or upset response, explaining that it can lead to a “lack of boundaries or disrespecting of boundaries.”
Image credits: Ben Tofan/Unsplash (not the actual photo)
“At the end of the day, relationships are supposed to be of a team dynamic, and if one partner is constantly the target of a joke or prank and not finding it funny, it must be questioned whether it is emotionally and psychologically abusive,” Thomas said.
However, the author of the post said that her husband hasn’t done anything like this to her in the past and that he was very, very apologetic during the aftermath, so there is probably a considerable chance that he doesn’t belong to this group.
Another study from 2020 found that regardless of age, cloutlighters usually have low self-esteem and are “higher social media users.” Interestingly, males are over four times more likely to engage in cloutlighting than females.
After her story went viral, the woman posted an update on the situation
Image credits: ThrowRA190912112
Cloutlighting isn’t a new phenomenon, but social media is really exacerbating it
Gary Mortimer, professor of Marketing and Consumer Behavior at Queensland University of Technology and Louise Grimmer, senior lecturer in Retail Marketing at the University of Tasmania, say there is nothing new about filming and publishing a practical joke.
“US reality show Candid Camera first aired in 1948; like the more recent Punk’d and similar shows, they feature footage captured by a hidden camera of everyday people (sometimes celebrities) caught up in pranks or hoaxes,” they wrote.
“However, social media has created a platform for people to use pranks as a means of generating more clicks and … popularity: clout.”
Image credits: A. Calvar./Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Today, anyone can be a comedic celebrity, and YouTube is full of them, oftentimes to other people’s detriment.
“While many of the skits appear highly produced, the genre of cloutlighting pushes beyond the boundaries of comedic entertainment, towards promoting intimate partner abuse and misogyny,” Mortimer and Grimmer explained.
So, why is there a demand for it? Passive voyeurism, the academics say.
“Many of these cruel and embarrassing clips have been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times, suggesting our appetite for passive voyeurism. Just as reality television illustrates suffering and loss and a preoccupation with personal trauma for the sake of entertainment, clout-lighting videos do the same thing.”
People think this woman’s reaction is perfectly reasonable
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A serial prankster and an influencer wannabe? Nope, he’s a fricking psychopathic turd.
I would make him make a post on whatever social media about how much of an AH he he is, and that everyone who follows prank pages should stop because they are dangerous and stupid. Then get rid of all social media with a promise to never play a prank again. That would be the very absolute least he can start with.
Load More Replies...The only people more moronic than pranksters are people who do them for social media likes. Some pranks are criminal - a ssault (apparently a banned word), vandalism etc. Just because you're filming it doesn't make it legal or even a good idea. Playing any sort of prank on someone who is or has been under sedation is utterly ridiculous.
Practical jokes are never funny. They're all mean, meant to make someone look stupid.
IMO practical jokes and pranks are nothing short of bullying that for some reason is socially acceptable to many. It is abuse even if it results in no physical damage. The resulting embarrassment and humiliation deliberately inflicted on someone in the name of "fun" is emotional abuse that is only made worse when it is inflicted by someone who professes to love you.
Divorce him. Have the footage of the “prank” run in the courtroom. Remind the judge he was filming you while you were unconscious, and therefore unable to give consent, Have the judge throw the book at him and make him pay you everything he makes for the rest of his life. Own him. Someone who would do something like that for no other reason than views and likes is NOT someone who should be allowed to live around people.
After this, if he cannot give up "pranking" for good, then it's time to move on.
"I was super out of it from the d***s" Needless censorship. Was she out of it from the dikcs? The dingos? Thanks for saving us from a perfectly innocent word, BP /s
Quit whining dude. We all hate it but there's nothing that can be done. Either shut up or don't open this site.
Load More Replies...Holy crapola ! OP wanting to hit the deserving wank stain is justified here, this comes from an ex-husband to a violent ex-wife. I literaly evacuated our home from her. I made the mistake during our marriage thinking "If i can't take a hit from her, how can i protect her ?" Learn't after deivorce neither should raise their hand. But that twit deserves it. He endangered his wife, the mother of his child.
That would be the end of his pranking days and social media usage. If he wants to act like an irresponsible idiot then he's getting treated like one.
May I kindly suggest that you get counseling to get you past this awful event, which can easily become PTSD and haunt you for years. Your husband should also get some therapy to help him become an actual adult. There are other suggestions for how your husband can make amends that are very good. What an idiot he is! Don't leave your child alone with him.
TikTok is not the problem here. Him being a f*****g idiot is the problem.
Load More Replies...How is she not getting what is really wrong with this man? She points out that she has watched videos with him and told him which ones were not funny and he doesn't get it - and his go viral prank could have k****d her quite literally could have k****d her - She needs to go to the police.She needs to press charges, and she needs this man to have a record so she can keep her baby safe, because at some point he's going to start pranking his kid, whether they're married or not.
Poor woman has a big, big trauma to deal with (the fact that she has watched the footage so many times) and she won't be able to take any decision soon. That man is a man child, stupid and thinking he's interesting doing stupid pranks. No way somebody that dense can be trusted around a baby.
I so wish this was fake. Holy c**p. What he did to her... and the cherry on top, he recorded it and was going to post it online? What??? Even just recording someone who's recovering from anesthesia without their consent would be enough to call him a psycho.
The only thing worse than an "influencer" is a "wanna-be influencer". This boy is clearly not mature enough to be a husband or a father. He's on tik tok ffs.
Let’s say the “prank” went exactly the way he planned and she woke up with this random tooth in her mouth and freaked out about her dental work. What is funny about that? Why would anyone want that posted on the internet? The truth is that either way this “prank” went she needed a divorce and full custody yesterday. He endangered her when she was vulnerable. He can no longer be trusted around her or his child. Full stop.
There is no such thing as a "prank". It's just another word for bullying people. Any joke had better get everyone laughing and not be at another's expense. If it doesn't get everyone laughing, and it is at someone's expense, then it's just plain bullying and the one doing it is nothing but an ignorant a*****e and deserves NOTHING but humiliation and contempt. Divorce the a*s. He doesn't love you, doesn't care about you or your child (risking k*****g his child's mother and leaving the child motherless). He was raised by wolves and needs to go live with them. He's not fit for human companionship.
I think I would have drawn a boundary long before something like this happened. If my husband started fantasizing over going viral on tiktok for some epic prank, my first response would be "if I or anyone in this house is targeted by any prank EVER or recorded without permission- the marriage us OVER." As someone whose biggest fear is to go viral for ANY reason, this adds another dimension of fear and distrust. Also- if OP had actually choked to death, the baby would not have a mother OR a father because he would go to prison.
“ i know he didnt mean to hurt me” yes he did, one way or another he did want to hurt you for internet clout. But instead of just humiliating you, he nearly killed you. The only outcome worse than this would be if you had died. I hope she divorces him and with the video she could easily get 100% custody of their kid (he can have supervised visits, if that)
When my grandma was still alive, I dreamed of pulling the ultimate prank. I would wait until she was asleep, quietly remove her dentures from her nightstand, and replace them with a 50-dollar bill and a note that read, "Love, The Tooth Fairy." But as I matured, I realized that not only might she not find that funny, but even in my 20's, I would have been in serious danger of getting the tar beat out of me. OP'S husband obviously did not think his prank through. The best thing would be for him to remove himself from the house for at least 90 days--enough time for both parties to decide whether or not this marriage is worth saving. If yes, trauma therapy for OP, counseling for hubby, and marital counseling for both. If not, counseling anyway. Hubby has seriously damaged OP'S bond of trust, and needs to own it before he can fix it.
Can anyone find an update. I'd like to know what happened after the sit down discussion.
The original Reddit post is only 3 days old, and OP last commented 2 days ago. I've got the link to the Reddit post saved; I'll check it tomorrow to see if there's an update.
Load More Replies...What would have been a lovely prank would have been leaving her flowers from the tooth fairy by her bedside or popping money under her pillow from the tooth fairy to treat herself when she felt better ❤️ Not trying to kíll the mother of your child whilst she's under the influence of drügs and anaesthesia that can affect swallowing and mental capacity at that time. He should have been looking After her, protecting her, keeping her safe. Poor poor woman. I would leave him, I could Never trust him again. She was ASLEEP! Get copies of the evidence and consider going to the police. He's beyond Stupid
If this happened to me I would go straight to the police and file for divorce
once started choking on a piece of meat when I was all alone and had to try to heimlich myself. I was not drugged or anything, was completely alert, but it's still a really scary thing to start choking, very traumatic! What OP experienced is so much worse, I would seek out some therapy or counseling because it's pretty much PTSD for her.
Hes an ignorant piece of s**t. He needs to leave the house and definitely.. what would stop him from pranking the kids when they're older and putting their life in danger just because he's desperate for social media attention. There's no way absolutely no way I live in the same house with that a*****e
If she wants to stay with him after he nearly k****d her, that's her decision. She's a fully grown adult who can put her life in danger if she chooses. If she chooses to stay with him, however, every single person who knows her should report this to child services. That child is not safe in that idiot's circle, and she is totally unable to get herself out of it.
I could see why he would think having her wake up to a tooth falling out of her mouth would be funny. However, this should be HIS wake up to stop doing these d*****s pranks. Aside from putting a bunch of teeth on the bed next to her and have wake up and think a bunch of teeth had fallen out was probably the more obvious and funnier prank, not to mention much safer.
I'd say maybe he's legit uneducated in absolutely everything medical, as in he didn't understand the risk of choking with/during/after anesthesia but he knew how to do the heimlich which makes it even more like what in the actual f**k was he thinking?!
I don't even have the words to describe how stupid and a f*****g ignorant your husband is, he is too old for that b******t and he wants to be an influencer? That just proves how f*****g moronic and immature he is. I would throw that trash to the curb.
I hate pranksters. They think they're so funny. They always go too far and they never know when to stop.
Anyone who wants to be a social media prankster/influencer is a piece of trash
What is with this generation's desperate need to go viral on social media? It's stupid and cringy.
Couples therapy - promise of no more pranks - delete TikTok (and not allowed to watch with friends) - if he cannot do it - divorce
I feel bad for OP. It is not easy to get back into a groove with your partner after something a dumb as that prank was. I can't imagine what he was thinking since it didn't occur to him how unfunny and dangerous that was. Didn't do herself any favors by leading with her husband wants to be an influencer. Wish I ad some words of wisdom to share but this is not going to be a quick or easy fix to come back from. Best of luck. Maybe therapy for ptsd
So sorry that happened to you. He's a prankster but he doesn't sound like he's mean, and by the way he's doing whatever you tell him to now, it also sounds like he's genuinely sorry. Yes, what he did was bad and stupid, but if he's truly learned his lesson, maybe some counseling could help for both of you. I think it's safe to say k*****g you was never what he intended. Hopefully this has taught him something and he'll do some growing (maybe not aspiring to go viral is a good first step). I wish you all the best.
Your husband just showed you his true colors. My heart goes out to you. God bless.
OP, RUN and take the baby! Pranksters, ROT IN H**L along with your idiot followers.
He’s is not a psychopath or sociopath, they would have no remorse and this gu is extremely sorry for his F’d up
It's entirely possible he has no remorse and is only sorry he got caught. One characteristic of psychopaths is the ability to imitate emotions they don't feel.
Load More Replies...That’s is abuse end off ! dangerous pathetic cruel and deadly tbh NOR in fact your under reacting big time I’m sorry but you should never let him near you again ! I’ve been an abused wife and that’s what he’s doing to you like wtf did he think would happen when your out of it oh right HE DIDNT THINK ! I’m totally fuming at him and gobsmcked that anyone could be so utterly stupid all for f kin thick too likes !! It’s all recorded keep those and please lovely for yous and your babies safety go to police he needs a short sharp shock asap as I’m dam sure they will not find it remotely funny what so ever ! Keep us updated plz n to the l*****e haters your as bad as the bloke is ! Blessed be and also please see a councillor as this will end up in ptsd other wise and they can help you navigate your way past this and where to go from here xx
"Hey, she knew he was a prankster when she married him and she was okay with it until now." You - and this attitude - are what's wrong with society. What you had the audacity to say is the *slightly* milder version of "Hey, she knew he was controlling and abusive before she married him, she's been okay with it until now when he punched her in the face." This "prank" could have k****d her, and even if it didn't, it caused her to feel terror and suffering. How is that "okay" just because she "knew" he was a prankster? Answer: it's NOT okay. You're victim-blaming to an extent. "She should have KNOWN he would prank her! She's been FINE with it until now!" - that is an appalling attitude. Everything else aside, pranks like this are NEVER funny and are NEVER acceptable, even if one party "knows" the other is a "prankster". Husband is a grown-áss man, not a 7-year-old boy who doesn't know any better.
Load More Replies...A serial prankster and an influencer wannabe? Nope, he’s a fricking psychopathic turd.
I would make him make a post on whatever social media about how much of an AH he he is, and that everyone who follows prank pages should stop because they are dangerous and stupid. Then get rid of all social media with a promise to never play a prank again. That would be the very absolute least he can start with.
Load More Replies...The only people more moronic than pranksters are people who do them for social media likes. Some pranks are criminal - a ssault (apparently a banned word), vandalism etc. Just because you're filming it doesn't make it legal or even a good idea. Playing any sort of prank on someone who is or has been under sedation is utterly ridiculous.
Practical jokes are never funny. They're all mean, meant to make someone look stupid.
IMO practical jokes and pranks are nothing short of bullying that for some reason is socially acceptable to many. It is abuse even if it results in no physical damage. The resulting embarrassment and humiliation deliberately inflicted on someone in the name of "fun" is emotional abuse that is only made worse when it is inflicted by someone who professes to love you.
Divorce him. Have the footage of the “prank” run in the courtroom. Remind the judge he was filming you while you were unconscious, and therefore unable to give consent, Have the judge throw the book at him and make him pay you everything he makes for the rest of his life. Own him. Someone who would do something like that for no other reason than views and likes is NOT someone who should be allowed to live around people.
After this, if he cannot give up "pranking" for good, then it's time to move on.
"I was super out of it from the d***s" Needless censorship. Was she out of it from the dikcs? The dingos? Thanks for saving us from a perfectly innocent word, BP /s
Quit whining dude. We all hate it but there's nothing that can be done. Either shut up or don't open this site.
Load More Replies...Holy crapola ! OP wanting to hit the deserving wank stain is justified here, this comes from an ex-husband to a violent ex-wife. I literaly evacuated our home from her. I made the mistake during our marriage thinking "If i can't take a hit from her, how can i protect her ?" Learn't after deivorce neither should raise their hand. But that twit deserves it. He endangered his wife, the mother of his child.
That would be the end of his pranking days and social media usage. If he wants to act like an irresponsible idiot then he's getting treated like one.
May I kindly suggest that you get counseling to get you past this awful event, which can easily become PTSD and haunt you for years. Your husband should also get some therapy to help him become an actual adult. There are other suggestions for how your husband can make amends that are very good. What an idiot he is! Don't leave your child alone with him.
TikTok is not the problem here. Him being a f*****g idiot is the problem.
Load More Replies...How is she not getting what is really wrong with this man? She points out that she has watched videos with him and told him which ones were not funny and he doesn't get it - and his go viral prank could have k****d her quite literally could have k****d her - She needs to go to the police.She needs to press charges, and she needs this man to have a record so she can keep her baby safe, because at some point he's going to start pranking his kid, whether they're married or not.
Poor woman has a big, big trauma to deal with (the fact that she has watched the footage so many times) and she won't be able to take any decision soon. That man is a man child, stupid and thinking he's interesting doing stupid pranks. No way somebody that dense can be trusted around a baby.
I so wish this was fake. Holy c**p. What he did to her... and the cherry on top, he recorded it and was going to post it online? What??? Even just recording someone who's recovering from anesthesia without their consent would be enough to call him a psycho.
The only thing worse than an "influencer" is a "wanna-be influencer". This boy is clearly not mature enough to be a husband or a father. He's on tik tok ffs.
Let’s say the “prank” went exactly the way he planned and she woke up with this random tooth in her mouth and freaked out about her dental work. What is funny about that? Why would anyone want that posted on the internet? The truth is that either way this “prank” went she needed a divorce and full custody yesterday. He endangered her when she was vulnerable. He can no longer be trusted around her or his child. Full stop.
There is no such thing as a "prank". It's just another word for bullying people. Any joke had better get everyone laughing and not be at another's expense. If it doesn't get everyone laughing, and it is at someone's expense, then it's just plain bullying and the one doing it is nothing but an ignorant a*****e and deserves NOTHING but humiliation and contempt. Divorce the a*s. He doesn't love you, doesn't care about you or your child (risking k*****g his child's mother and leaving the child motherless). He was raised by wolves and needs to go live with them. He's not fit for human companionship.
I think I would have drawn a boundary long before something like this happened. If my husband started fantasizing over going viral on tiktok for some epic prank, my first response would be "if I or anyone in this house is targeted by any prank EVER or recorded without permission- the marriage us OVER." As someone whose biggest fear is to go viral for ANY reason, this adds another dimension of fear and distrust. Also- if OP had actually choked to death, the baby would not have a mother OR a father because he would go to prison.
“ i know he didnt mean to hurt me” yes he did, one way or another he did want to hurt you for internet clout. But instead of just humiliating you, he nearly killed you. The only outcome worse than this would be if you had died. I hope she divorces him and with the video she could easily get 100% custody of their kid (he can have supervised visits, if that)
When my grandma was still alive, I dreamed of pulling the ultimate prank. I would wait until she was asleep, quietly remove her dentures from her nightstand, and replace them with a 50-dollar bill and a note that read, "Love, The Tooth Fairy." But as I matured, I realized that not only might she not find that funny, but even in my 20's, I would have been in serious danger of getting the tar beat out of me. OP'S husband obviously did not think his prank through. The best thing would be for him to remove himself from the house for at least 90 days--enough time for both parties to decide whether or not this marriage is worth saving. If yes, trauma therapy for OP, counseling for hubby, and marital counseling for both. If not, counseling anyway. Hubby has seriously damaged OP'S bond of trust, and needs to own it before he can fix it.
Can anyone find an update. I'd like to know what happened after the sit down discussion.
The original Reddit post is only 3 days old, and OP last commented 2 days ago. I've got the link to the Reddit post saved; I'll check it tomorrow to see if there's an update.
Load More Replies...What would have been a lovely prank would have been leaving her flowers from the tooth fairy by her bedside or popping money under her pillow from the tooth fairy to treat herself when she felt better ❤️ Not trying to kíll the mother of your child whilst she's under the influence of drügs and anaesthesia that can affect swallowing and mental capacity at that time. He should have been looking After her, protecting her, keeping her safe. Poor poor woman. I would leave him, I could Never trust him again. She was ASLEEP! Get copies of the evidence and consider going to the police. He's beyond Stupid
If this happened to me I would go straight to the police and file for divorce
once started choking on a piece of meat when I was all alone and had to try to heimlich myself. I was not drugged or anything, was completely alert, but it's still a really scary thing to start choking, very traumatic! What OP experienced is so much worse, I would seek out some therapy or counseling because it's pretty much PTSD for her.
Hes an ignorant piece of s**t. He needs to leave the house and definitely.. what would stop him from pranking the kids when they're older and putting their life in danger just because he's desperate for social media attention. There's no way absolutely no way I live in the same house with that a*****e
If she wants to stay with him after he nearly k****d her, that's her decision. She's a fully grown adult who can put her life in danger if she chooses. If she chooses to stay with him, however, every single person who knows her should report this to child services. That child is not safe in that idiot's circle, and she is totally unable to get herself out of it.
I could see why he would think having her wake up to a tooth falling out of her mouth would be funny. However, this should be HIS wake up to stop doing these d*****s pranks. Aside from putting a bunch of teeth on the bed next to her and have wake up and think a bunch of teeth had fallen out was probably the more obvious and funnier prank, not to mention much safer.
I'd say maybe he's legit uneducated in absolutely everything medical, as in he didn't understand the risk of choking with/during/after anesthesia but he knew how to do the heimlich which makes it even more like what in the actual f**k was he thinking?!
I don't even have the words to describe how stupid and a f*****g ignorant your husband is, he is too old for that b******t and he wants to be an influencer? That just proves how f*****g moronic and immature he is. I would throw that trash to the curb.
I hate pranksters. They think they're so funny. They always go too far and they never know when to stop.
Anyone who wants to be a social media prankster/influencer is a piece of trash
What is with this generation's desperate need to go viral on social media? It's stupid and cringy.
Couples therapy - promise of no more pranks - delete TikTok (and not allowed to watch with friends) - if he cannot do it - divorce
I feel bad for OP. It is not easy to get back into a groove with your partner after something a dumb as that prank was. I can't imagine what he was thinking since it didn't occur to him how unfunny and dangerous that was. Didn't do herself any favors by leading with her husband wants to be an influencer. Wish I ad some words of wisdom to share but this is not going to be a quick or easy fix to come back from. Best of luck. Maybe therapy for ptsd
So sorry that happened to you. He's a prankster but he doesn't sound like he's mean, and by the way he's doing whatever you tell him to now, it also sounds like he's genuinely sorry. Yes, what he did was bad and stupid, but if he's truly learned his lesson, maybe some counseling could help for both of you. I think it's safe to say k*****g you was never what he intended. Hopefully this has taught him something and he'll do some growing (maybe not aspiring to go viral is a good first step). I wish you all the best.
Your husband just showed you his true colors. My heart goes out to you. God bless.
OP, RUN and take the baby! Pranksters, ROT IN H**L along with your idiot followers.
He’s is not a psychopath or sociopath, they would have no remorse and this gu is extremely sorry for his F’d up
It's entirely possible he has no remorse and is only sorry he got caught. One characteristic of psychopaths is the ability to imitate emotions they don't feel.
Load More Replies...That’s is abuse end off ! dangerous pathetic cruel and deadly tbh NOR in fact your under reacting big time I’m sorry but you should never let him near you again ! I’ve been an abused wife and that’s what he’s doing to you like wtf did he think would happen when your out of it oh right HE DIDNT THINK ! I’m totally fuming at him and gobsmcked that anyone could be so utterly stupid all for f kin thick too likes !! It’s all recorded keep those and please lovely for yous and your babies safety go to police he needs a short sharp shock asap as I’m dam sure they will not find it remotely funny what so ever ! Keep us updated plz n to the l*****e haters your as bad as the bloke is ! Blessed be and also please see a councillor as this will end up in ptsd other wise and they can help you navigate your way past this and where to go from here xx
"Hey, she knew he was a prankster when she married him and she was okay with it until now." You - and this attitude - are what's wrong with society. What you had the audacity to say is the *slightly* milder version of "Hey, she knew he was controlling and abusive before she married him, she's been okay with it until now when he punched her in the face." This "prank" could have k****d her, and even if it didn't, it caused her to feel terror and suffering. How is that "okay" just because she "knew" he was a prankster? Answer: it's NOT okay. You're victim-blaming to an extent. "She should have KNOWN he would prank her! She's been FINE with it until now!" - that is an appalling attitude. Everything else aside, pranks like this are NEVER funny and are NEVER acceptable, even if one party "knows" the other is a "prankster". Husband is a grown-áss man, not a 7-year-old boy who doesn't know any better.
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