15 Stories of Exes Who Went From Bad to Worse

Everyone has a story about a bad breakup, but some exes take things to a whole new level. From petty revenge to bizarre stunts, here are the stories that prove that not all relationships end with closure—some end with pure chaos.

1. The Tinder trap

So, last week, my coworker pulled me aside and said, “Your Tinder bio is hilarious, but maybe a little too honest?” Alarm bells.

Turns out, my lovely ex had created a fake account using my photos and the bio: “Full-time mess, part-time plate juggler (literally—I dropped one last week). I own 12 plants but forgot to water 11. Swipe right if you can parallel park because I can’t.”

Now, my coworker keeps offering to “teach me” how to park. Thanks, Steve.

2. The case of the missing remote

We had a bitter fight about the TV before breaking up, mostly over what to watch. A week later, I realized every single remote control in my house was missing. My TV remote, my fan remote, even the remote for the LED lights under my bed—all gone.

I tore the place apart and finally found them... taped inside a Tupperware container, frozen in a block of ice in my freezer. She’d left a sticky note on top: “Cool off, loser.”

3. The rebranded coffee

My ex knew I loved my morning coffee. I always ordered from the same café and even used a reward card. After the breakup, she worked her connections and somehow convinced the barista to rebrand my usual latte as “The Sad Single.”

I found out when the barista yelled, “Sad Single for Brian!” in front of a packed line. Turns out she was friends with the barista’s roommate. I tipped double and pretended I didn’t care, but I started making coffee at home after that.

4. The silent alarm

After we split, I started waking up at 4:17 a.m. every day, even though I hadn’t set an alarm. I thought I was losing it.

Then I remembered we’d connected our phones to the same smart home system. She was using the app to set alarms on my devices remotely. I got revenge by setting her lights to flash like a rave at 3 a.m. every night until she blocked me.

5. The birthday hijack

For my birthday, my ex sent a cake with the words, “You’re not that special, but happy birthday anyway.” It was delicious, but still rude.

6. The ultimate re-gift

I found the necklace I bought her on Facebook Marketplace, listed as “Free if your ex was the worst too.”

7. The meme war

After we broke up, my ex started posting memes about me. But not just any memes. He created a whole meme series featuring me as a villain, calling me “The Queen of Unread Texts.”

Every time he saw me at a party or event, he’d shout, “Here comes the queen!” It got weirdly popular among our friends, and now every time I get a text, someone will inevitably shout, “Better respond, or you’ll be the meme again!”

8. The post-it scandal

He covered my car in bright pink sticky notes that spelled out, “Thanks for NOTHING.” It rained that night. Took hours to scrape off the mess.

9. The selfie sabotage

My ex posted an unflattering picture of me from a night out together. I was making a weird face and had just spilled my drink on myself.

The caption? “When you think you’re cute, but the universe disagrees.” It went viral among our friend group, and for a while, I was that girl who couldn’t take a good picture. Thanks, ex.

10. The jar of hair

After the breakup, I thought I was done with my ex’s drama. But one evening, I received a package from his new girlfriend. Inside were some of my things he’d “forgotten” to return—my hoodie and, strangely, a jar with a lock of my hair. At first, I was confused, then horrified.

But that wasn’t all. Along with the items, there was a note from her saying she’d made a few “improvements” to my things. When I opened the package fully, I saw that she had decorated each jar of hair with rhinestones, making them look like some sort of bizarre trophies.

At first, I couldn’t stop laughing at how absurd it all was. But then it hit me—this was some weird, passive-aggressive power play. I was tempted to text her back, but instead, I just blocked both her and my ex. I still have those jars, though. They’re just too weirdly funny to get rid of.

11. The fake pregnancy

My ex tried to win me back by telling me he’d met someone else, and she was pregnant. I felt awful for about a day until I noticed he’d reused an old ultrasound photo from Pinterest. I printed the screenshot, mailed it to him, and blocked him. Guess he’s due for some therapy instead.

12. The Venmo request

My ex sent me a Venmo request for $20, claiming I “owed him” for gas money during our relationship. I paid him—with the note: “For all the emotional labor I put in, we’re even now.”

13. The forgotten box

After we broke up, my ex left a box of “special stuff” at my place, demanding I keep it safe. I opened it months later and found old love letters... to his other exes. I mailed it back with a sticky note: “You forgot these. Again.”

14. The borrower

When we were together, I lent him $500 to “get back on his feet.” After we broke up, he ghosted me and pretended it never happened. Months later, he DMed me, asking for money again. I just replied, “Nah, I’m broke,” and blocked him.

15. The new girlfriend drama

My ex’s new girlfriend called me, asking if I had any advice for dealing with him. I just said, “Run.” She laughed, hung up, and broke up with him that week. Guess my advice was solid.

Here, you can read a story about a woman who thought her trip was over, then she got a creepy text from a stranger at the airport.