13 People Reveal the Most Hurtful Questions They’ve Ever Been Asked

Most of the time, people mean well. But sometimes, you might be in a conversation with someone who comes out and just asks the rudest, most insensitive question ever.

Ever been there? In a popular Reddit thread, people discussed some of the most hurtful questions they’ve ever been asked, and boy does it really kick you straight in the gut. People can be so oblivious! Here are the top responses.

  1. “You know [Adoptive Father] isn’t your real dad, right?”

    “No sh*t, he’s not my biological parent. But he is still my dad nonetheless. What a hurtful thing to say.”

  2. “Why don’t you just, like, have a baby?”

    “Asked a day after I told her I had a miscarriage.”

  3. “What did you do to cause that?”

    “After I told a female friend of my ex-boyfriend he cheated on me.”

  4. “Didn’t you have more acne the last time I saw you?”

    “My skin is horrible to me. I have eczema on top of just being super oily so when I was in elementary/middle school, I had more acne than most of my peers. I was often ostracized and even teased because of it. Even my own parents treated me like I wouldn’t be attractive until I had zero acne. Keep in mind, it was nowhere near the severe cystic acne some people get. It was just more acne than what was normal at my age and looking back, everyone was overreacting. But at the time, my skin had become my biggest insecurity. Eventually, I got really into skincare and I started to see results. This person that asked me that question was seeing me for the first time in three years and it brought back all the shame I felt about my skin.”

  5. “How does cremation work exactly?”

    “Soon after I got home from cremating my child, someone asked if the cremation left chunks of bone and, if so, do they grind that down. Thankfully I saw the humor in it, largely because I could see his wife wanted to kill him.”

  6. “Oh, so you want a Twithx?”

    “Am 30 now, but grew up with a lisp. Was in speech therapy for years. When I was about 8 years old or so, I went up to a concession stand at my brother’s little league game. Asked to buy a Twix. The teenage guy behind the counter, trying to impress his lady coworker, decided to repeat my words back to me. Made me cry. One of the only times in my life I’ve ever seen my mom go full Momma Bear. She asked me why I was upset, and when I told her, she marched up to that dinky little stand and tore the guy a new one.”

  7. “Are you going to make your sister’s death a national holiday?”

    “This was because my sister died at 43, the first significant loss ever in my life. This was the one year anniversary of her death, and I knew it would be hard for me, so I requested the day off of work.”

  8. “When are you due?”

    “My ex-MIL ran into me and asked when I was due. Thing is she knew I had miscarried a child with her son, one of the reasons we split up and also knew because of that I could not have children. I just happened to have a still slightly swollen abdomen after a full and total hysterectomy at the time. Needless to say, I had a very hormonal and emotional response!”

  9. “Do you what you having cancer does to everyone else?”

    “I was asked if I knew what I was putting people through by having cancer. I’m so sorry that I woke up one day and decided I wanted to have cancer just to inconvenience you? If I knew it wasn’t convenient for you to worry about me, I never would have decided to jump on the cancer bandwagon.”

  10. “Why did you give him the money?”

    “My manager’s response to me telling her I got robbed at gun point in our store.”

  11. “I can’t get a good shot, Would mind moving?”

    “…Said my cousin, sitting behind me at my grandfather’s funeral. I’m still mad I didn’t throw him in the casket too.”

  12. Did you know you’re prettier when you smile?”

    “When I was 16 I got asked by some random guy at my aunts house if I knew that I was prettier when I wasn’t smiling. I’ve always been self conscious of my teeth and he made it so much worse. I’m 28 now and still hate them but will at least smile in some pictures.”

  13. “How was she murdered?”

    “They asked how my daughter was murdered. I said a knife. They then said, ‘but I mean, how? You found her tell me how. What did she look like? Was she tortured?”

Does a hurtful question someone asked you stand out in your head?