Woman Joins “Anti-Loneliness Club” To Make New Friends—It Turns Out To Be The ‘Cruelest Prank Ever’

Josie Stinson, a 21-year-old from Salem, Mass., thought she’d found the perfect way to make new friends by joining an “Anti-Loneliness Club” meetup. 

She shelled out $12 for a ticket, expecting dinner and new pals, only to be left alone at a restaurant with no event in sight. 

Her viral TikTok of her experience, which has racked up almost 1 million views, turned the flop into a surprising win, connecting her with others in the area.

Josie showed up ready to mingle, but no one came

Young woman joining anti-loneliness club celebrates graduation outdoors holding a dog also dressed in graduation attire.

Image credits: pastacoma

According to a report fromPeople magazine, Josie Stinson was all in for a meet-up of an “Anti-Loneliness Club” that she found on Eventbrite.

Prior to finding the event, Josie had been researching varioussocial groups in the area. 

“I thought, ‘Worst comes to worst, I have a nice meal at a place that I already like,’” she told the publication.

@pastacomathis is the saddest thing ever♬ original sound – YouTuber icons

There were signs that something was amiss when the day of the meet-up arrived.

“The day comes, and I get a little nervous because I realized I got a confirmation email, so I know that I have my ticket, but there were no instructions on if we were meeting somewhere, or what to do when you got there,” Josie said.

Young woman in a bedroom expressing concern after joining an anti-loneliness club event to make new friends.

Image credits: Pasta Coma

She arrived early at the Salem restaurant only to find the staff clueless about the supposed “Anti-Loneliness Club” event. 

When she showed the ticket to the restaurant’s owner, her worstfears were confirmed.

Young woman sitting alone in a restaurant, holding a glass with cucumber and ice, joining anti-loneliness club.

Image credits: Pasta Coma

According to Josie, the restaurant’s owner said that “this is the cruelest prank I’ve ever heard of in my life.”

The restaurant owner gifted her a free cake for her troubles

Comment from Jeffrey Granat expressing frustration about cruelty and sympathy for a woman in anti-loneliness club prank situation.

The restaurant’s owner clarified to Josie that he would have known about any event that was booked in the location.

“The owner explained that if there was an event, that he definitely would have known about it, because they have to tell him first,” Josie related.

Comment from Linda Broome about a woman joining an anti-loneliness club and facing a cruel prank with a positive attitude.

This left her to wonder if the entire thing was a scam or a mix-up. Still, she decided to wait and see if anyone would show up. 

Josie ended up waiting at a six-person table, sipping drinks and hoping others would show, but the night stayedsolo.

Commenter Lisa Caputo Touhill expressing support for a woman joining an anti-loneliness club to make new friends.

The owner, feeling bad for Josie, sent over a free cake. At this point, Josie was already finding the humor in her misfortune. 

There is some irony, after all, in an “Anti-Loneliness Club” meet-up that no one but one person attends.

Young woman with long hair sharing her experience after joining an anti-loneliness club to make new friends.

Image credits: pastacoma

“Once they sat me at that six-person table alone, my first thought was, ‘This is the funniest thing in the entire world,’” Josie later stated.

Netizens sympathized with Josie’slonely experience.

Young woman sharing experience about joining anti-loneliness club and facing the cruelest prank reaction.

Image credits: pastacoma

“That wasn’t funny at all, but she has a great attitude about it!” one commenter wrote.

“I’m getting pretty frustrated with how cruel and mean people are to each other. So sorry that she had to deal with this,” wrote another. 

Her viral TikTok turned a flop into new connections

@pastacoma Replying to @ganondorfwick i hate u @Eventbrite ♬ original sound – josie

Stinson later shared her experience on TikTok, where it exploded, nearing 1 million views. 

People reached out, sharing their ownstories and struggles in trying to make friends as adults. 

Her comments section was flooded with support, with many netizens suggesting other clubs or services that she could try out in her area.

Young woman smiling with ice cream cone outdoors, symbolizing anti-loneliness club and new friendship connections.

Image credits: pastacoma

Josie, for her part, noted that her experience might have just been the result of a series of unfortunate events.

In a comment to People, she stated that the same club had similar listings in her area, so it was likely that she just got stood up by her local group.

Despite the restaurant owner dubbing her experience as possibly the cruelest prank in the world, Josie stated that the experience “hasn’t steered me away from joining if I saw something similar.”

She did, however, highlight that the experience also taught her some lessons.

“Now it’s instilled in me forever to triple check every plan I ever do in my life and make sure I know exactly where I’m supposed to be, because I’m assuming I definitely just missed something, or they forgot to send me something,” she said.

Netizens shared their support for Josie and her unbreakable effort to make connections

Comment on social media post about anti-loneliness club, expressing support for those seeking new friends.

Comment about fulfilling social relationships and loneliness, expressing effort leads to connections in anti-loneliness context.

Social media comment supporting a woman who joined an anti-loneliness club to make new friends.

Comment from user Annabell_Iron discussing social interaction and willingness to invest time in making new friends.

Comment encouraging breaking the loneliness cycle and showing up, related to anti-loneliness club and making new friends.

User profile picture of a woman with blonde hair smiling, accompanying a comment about joining an anti-loneliness club.

Comment on social media encouraging self-confidence and anti-loneliness, emphasizing hanging out with yourself is not embarrassing.

Comment suggesting joining book clubs to avoid loneliness and make new friends, shared on social media.

Comment from user peach about being brave and building a village, related to anti-loneliness club and making new friends.

Text comment on social media from user Jess encouraging someone for joining an anti-loneliness club and making new friends.

Comment about hope and commitment in an anti-loneliness club to make new friends and overcome loneliness.

Comment on Reddit encouraging checking local pages for anti-loneliness club events to make new friends.

Comment from Natalie about joining a local book club to overcome loneliness and make new friends through socializing.

Screenshot of a social media comment about joining an anti-loneliness club to make new friends and weekly support.

Comment on social media about bravery and confidence, praising a woman joining an anti-loneliness club to make new friends.

Comment by Molly Dadison questioning if the anti-loneliness club is a cruel prank or revenge plot.

Comment on social media from user constant.fear saying If you become a villain, we understand with 2210 likes.

Comment about anxiety and fear of loneliness from a social event, shared by user Je suis Fatty-Gay on a social platform.

Comment by Julia Dovey questioning an event, mentioning agoraphobia support meeting in a moshpit, related to anti-loneliness club prank.

Comment by Karianne warning about the ease of scams on Eventbrite and advising to verify event venues on social media.

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