Search icon

Life

14th Jul 2023

I made a ‘cruel joke’ about my friend’s pregnancy- did I go too far?

Ellen Fitzpatrick

Like all of us, we crack jokes with our friends and think nothing of it. Usually, we can say things around them and know where the line is.

While most of us know how far we can go with our pals, one 29-year-old woman found herself in all sorts of trouble when she made an insensitive joke about her friend’s pregnancy.

The woman claimed that her friend Alice had been trying to conceive for three years while she had decided to remain child-free.

While they normally poke fun at the vast differences in their lives, neither had ever taken offense until one incident.

Taking to Reddit, the confused woman revealed: “On Friday, Alice, a couple of other friends, and I went out to lunch and Alice told us that she was three months pregnant.

“I jokingly said, ‘I’m so sorry. Let me know if you need a ride to the clinic’. Alice flipped out and called me an insensitive b****. I told her that I was joking but she wouldn’t hear it and she ended up leaving. She hasn’t responded to my texts and calls ever since.”

Reaching out for advice, she continued: “Our other friends are staying out of it and don’t want to give their opinions. I understand that my comment would come off as rude if I said it to a stranger but Alice knows me and this is how we joke with each other.”

A lot of people on Reddit responded saying they agreed with Alice.

One said: “Not everything is a joke. She has tried for a baby for years and you couldn’t give her a moment of earnest support and congratulations?”

Another agreed: “There are so many sweet things she could have said that were supportive.”

A third person wrote: “There is a time and a place for jokes and this was not it. Infertility is no joke. My friend just had a baby with her boyfriend after trying for five years and having PCOS. She also suffered a miscarriage.

“It’s not cute to make jokes like that and I don’t blame her if she never wants to talk to you again.”

READ MORE