Man Refuses to Rebuild Relationship with Wife’s ‘Family from Hell’ After Mother-in-Law’s Death

A man recently took to Reddit to share his frustration over renewed interest from his late mother-in-law’s side of the family — a group he bluntly calls the “family from Hell.”

According to his post, the family now wants to “draw the family closer” since his wife’s mother passed away, claiming they’ve “grown apart.” But he has no interest in reconnecting.

The man describes the relatives as people who “sling insults” disguised as jokes, many of whom “hate” him because he refuses to “roll over and take their s—.”

“I’m not letting anyone talk to my wife like that,” he writes. “I couldn’t care less if they dislike me — I hate them too.”

He says the family is full of “master manipulators” who are now “using guilt to get my wife back into their clutches.” His wife, he adds, also avoids them whenever possible.

“We spent too long getting roped into every family affair,” he recalls. “The child of someone’s in-law’s second cousin’s ex-wife’s sister just completed third grade — we should celebrate! You bring the liquor, dessert, and main courses, we’ll bring the sides. That happened nearly every weekend!”

The breaking point came one Easter. They invited eight people, which grew to 12, then 16 — only for 50 people to show up unannounced, none bringing food.

“We couldn’t handle 50 people with no notice,” he writes. “Wife was distraught. ‘What’re we gonna do??’”

His solution? He told the crowd it was “a real shame no one thought to bring anything” and gave them directions to Denny’s. They left in a huff — and the couple enjoyed “blissful peace for three years” without invitations or contact.

Now, with the family trying to reconnect, his wife is feeling torn.

“I reminded her how bad it was when they were in our lives, and how fantastic it’s been with them out of it,” he writes. “We played nice while the MIL was dying and we did our part to help out. Now, they’ve taken that as a sign we’re going to be one big (un)happy family again.”

He says it’s easy for the relatives to bypass him and appeal directly to his wife. “Genuinely have no idea what to do to make things easier on the wife but also feeling like I’m a huge part of the problem, not the solution.”

Other Reddit users encouraged him to hold firm. One wrote: “You should encourage your wife to get therapy. She should not get back into the clutches of her toxic family. Also let her know that whatever she decides, you will not be engaging with them. They’re not allowed in your house and you will not go with her to see them. Maybe that will help her decide.”