Man Won’t Stop Calling Friend’s Wife by Ex’s Name

A woman on Reddit shared that she finally snapped after her husband’s friend continued to call her by her husband’s ex-wife’s name over and over again.

“My husband and I have been married for two years, and everything has been great—except for his best friend, Jake. Jake is nice enough most of the time, but he has this habit of calling me by my husband’s ex-wife’s name, Laura,” she began.

“Laura and my husband divorced five years ago, long before I was in the picture. I’ve never met her, but from what I understand, Jake was very close to her. My husband says Jake just ‘slips up’ sometimes because he’s known Laura for years,” she added.

The woman explained the “slip ups” happen often and repeatedly, and she finally recently reached a boiling point.

“The first time it happened, I let it go. The second and third times, I corrected him politely. But it kept happening, and now it feels deliberate. For example, we were at dinner recently, and Jake called me Laura three times in one evening. Each time, I corrected him, and he just laughed it off, saying, ‘Old habits die hard,'” she shared.

“Finally, I snapped and told Jake, ‘My name is [my name], not Laura, and if you can’t respect that, maybe you shouldn’t come around anymore.’ He looked shocked, and my husband told me later that I embarrassed Jake in front of everyone,” the woman continued.

Jake told the woman she “overreacted” and that it was an “innocent mistake.”

“I’m not so sure. My husband is torn—he understands why I’m upset but thinks I should’ve handled it more privately. Am I the jerk for calling Jake out in public?” she asked Reddit.

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Users in the comments section mostly sided with the frustrated wife.

“If Jake can remember how to tie his shoes, he can remember your name. You gave him multiple chances to get it right, and he kept doubling down on the disrespect. Sometimes a public call-out is the only way to reset someone’s old habits,” one person wrote.

“Your husband should put a stop to his friend’s antics. Good for you for correcting this. If it is one or two times, I’d be with Jake saying it’s unintentional, but three times in the same setting? That’s deliberate. Next time, if there is, ignore him when he calls you by another name. Maybe it is his way to annoy you or provoke you,” another shared.

“Three times in one evening? He’s doing it on purpose,” someone else chimed in.

“Your husband needs to correct Jake… by repetition, loudness level or putting in a time out by refusing to hang if he can’t get it right. He is letting Jake be rude to you. It needs to stop,” another added.