Aunt Invites Cheating Ex-Boyfriend to Thanksgiving Dinner, Sparking Tension with Entire Family

Thanksgiving is supposed to be about comfort food, warm company, and a sense of peace. But for one woman, this year’s holiday is already shaping up to be anything but relaxing.

In a post on Reddit, she shared that her aunt recently announced plans to bring her ex-boyfriend to Thanksgiving dinner — the same man who shattered her aunt’s trust and left the rest of the family furious in the process.

According to the poster, the breakup wasn’t a quiet one. The ex had told the family he was going on a cruise with relatives, only for the truth to come out later: he had actually gone with another girl to celebrate her birthday. The aunt discovered the betrayal after finding evidence on his phone, which ended the relationship and pushed her into counseling to rebuild her emotional well-being.

The situation still carries extra weight because the split happened on Thanksgiving itself. That year, the aunt didn’t attend the holiday at all, and the memory remains raw for everyone involved.

Despite all of that, the aunt now seems determined to bring him back into the fold. When she first suggested inviting him this year, the poster’s mother shut it down immediately. But the aunt didn’t let it go. She took the request to their great-grandmother, who hosts Thanksgiving every year — and got approval.

That one “yes” has put the rest of the family in an awkward spot. The poster admitted she and her mother don’t feel ready to face him. “I don’t want him to speak to me because I am going to say some not so nice words,” she wrote.

In the comments, many people sympathized with the poster’s anger and discomfort. Still, they pointed out a hard truth: since neither she nor her mother is hosting, they can’t fully control the guest list.

One commenter offered blunt advice for getting through the evening: ignore him completely. Don’t engage, don’t look his way, and let the silence speak louder than any argument — with the hope that he’ll take the hint and leave early on his own.