“She’s not the one”: Couple breaks up over clown collection, but who’s at fault?

An “Am I the A**hole” post from earlier this year drew strong opinions from Redditors over one woman’s objection to a clown collection. That’s not a euphemism, but a man’s literal collection of clown figurines, toys, masks, and other items.

The clown lover’s girlfriend was fine with the collection at first, but suddenly changed her tune when the masks arrived.

Suck it up, clown hater

Following a fight over a clown-themed apartment, one Redditor asked for judgment. The young couple had been together for two years, but living separately, and he didn’t appreciate his girlfriend trying to dictate how he lives.

“AITA for telling my girlfriend to ‘Suck it up’ around my clown figurines?” he asked.

“Since we started dating she’s KNOWN that I love clowns,” he went on to explain. “I have several porcelain clowns displayed around my house on walls, hung from the ceiling on little swings, and on shelves. I adore these weird little creatures.”

While many might find this weird, his girlfriend didn’t object to the collection until recently, shortly before he posted the query on March 7. After he brought home a pair of Venetian masks, it became an issue out of nowhere.

“She told me that she’s sick of seeing my weird decorations and clown toys everywhere. That they’re ugly and creep her out. I asked her where this was all coming from because she has NEVER MENTIONED MY CLOWNS BEFORE and she said me ‘bringing those ugly f*cking masks into our home was her last straw.’”

When the OP refused, calling her demands “controlling,” she stormed out. In an update, the Redditor revealed the real reason for her sudden change of heart. It was one of those “relationship tests” beloved on TikTok.

“Turns out she wanted to ‘see if I’d get rid of my collection if it meant keeping her.’”

That was the end of the road for the relationship, and cemented the Reddit judges’ “not the a**hole” decision.

The verdict: “Good thing you found this out about her now”

Most commenters agreed with the OP that it wasn’t acceptable for her to try and dictate how he decorates his own space. Besides, if she really hated his passion that much, then the relationship wasn’t worth keeping.

“If she’s giving you ultimatums over how you decorate your own space based on your own interests, she’s not the one,” wrote u/Fun_Effective6846. “There will be someone who will appreciate your collection, if not add to it themselves.”

“Good thing you found this out about her now. It isn’t going to last,” said u/Relevant_Turnip_7538. “You’re NTA right now, because it is your place, but if the relationship progresses, you’re likely to have a place together, and then she won’t allow it, and you’ll be right back at this point, but with more feelings.”

Others voted that nobody was in the wrong in this situation (likely before the update about the relationship test), but that it’s simply an issue of compatibility. At two years, the OP’s girlfriend may be starting to think long term and wondering if she can live in a clown palace for the rest of her life.

“She isn’t exactly an asshole for talking about her feelings or asking him to tone it down,” opined u/Cynical_Feline. “She’s in that stage of a relationship where she’s thinking about the future and is coming to realize that the clowns just aren’t her thing.”

“I think you’re both willing to break up over these clowns, so I don’t think y’all are the best fit,” concluded u/Minute-Set-4931.

The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.