Lifestyle influencer Riley Madison made millions of TikTok users laugh in July when she shared a list from her ex-husband detailing the sacrifices he believed he had made for their relationship.
Being faithful to her, remaining civil with her parents, and getting a job to provide stability were among his top grievances.
The story resurfaced on October 6 after several mainstream media outlets revisited it, prompting social media users to poke fun at the man again.
Highlights
- Riley Madison’s ex-husband listed everyday marital compromises as major personal sacrifices, leaving TikTok users baffled.
- Psychologists weighed in on the behavior after viewers branded the influencer’s former spouse a narcissist.
- Fans believe Madison’s post-divorce life looks much happier as she revealed she’s expecting a baby with her new husband.
“How can I also divorce him?” one asked.
Riley Madison’s ex-husband was criticized for his bizarre take on marital sacrifices
Madison’s video about the crude checklist has amassed 15.5 million views.
Beyond the three complaints mentioned above, the list included 14 more entries, including giving up his choice of TV shows and watching adult content, giving up secrecy and pride, having to leave social outings by midnight, driving to see her when they were dating, and other habits.
He closed out the list by stating, “I could go on all day, but you get the point.”
Madison refuted some of his complaints while holding back laughter, sharing that they always watched Civil War documentaries because that was what he liked.
She also claimed he was not completely transparent with her, as she learned shocking information about him while she was pregnant.
“Let me know if I was the worst wife ever,” she asked her followers, and they chimed in with unmistakable severity.
“This is what men think suffering is?” one asked, while another probed, “Is he mentally well?”
“Why was he proud to be an a**hole?” questioned a third.
A separate user, meanwhile, offered an answer instead of a question about the man’s behavior.
“He’s a true and blue narcissist,” they said.
Psychologists agreed with the conclusion in a recent interview with The New York Post.
Experts said Madison’s TikTok was unique, but her ex-husband’s behavior wasn’t
Susan Spicer, a Michigan-based clinical psychologist and founder of Branwaive Technologies, told the outlet that 95% of her patients “are victims of narcissistic a**se and trauma.”
She identified “gaslighting, manipulation, blame shifting and avoidance of accountability” as classic tactics employed by them, all of which she said aligned with Madison’s ex-husband’s dismissive note.
Speaking about how to overcome such people, Spicer said the goal should not be to destroy them as a person but to destroy the “control that they have over you.”
This can be done by refusing to “justify, argue, defend or explain” things to someone.
She also advised people dealing with narcissists to “start trusting their patterns more than their promises.”
Dr. Ulrich Orth, a Swiss psychologist who studied more than 30,000 narcissists, echoed the same sentiment, advising people not to expect narcissists to change “when you meet them again after some years.”
“Narcissism is a stable personality trait,” he said.
Spouses were advised not to let marriages to narcissists become a lifelong chain, and Riley Madison did just that.
On TikTok, she revealed that she was reading her ex-husband’s memo while in bed with her new husband.
Madison’s social media paints a picture of happiness as she prepares to welcome a child soon
A September 2026 TikTok showed Madison announcing her pregnancy to her husband.
She laid out baby clothes on their bed alongside test kits while their dog jumped around them.
Her husband couldn't contain his excitement when he learned the news and lifted Madison into his arms.
“This is what they mean by ‘one person’s trash is another person’s treasure,’” a well-wisher commented.
“This is what an upgrade looks like,” added another.
A separate account of alleged gaslighting by an ex-partner also recently drew attention
A Reddit user went viral in August by sharing that he drove five hours to meet his girlfriend’s family during a large gathering, only to discover upon arrival that her ex was also staying at the house.
According to his account, no one had told him the former couple remained close to the family.
He claimed the situation became incredibly uncomfortable when his girlfriend’s mother repeatedly brought up stories involving her daughter’s former partner.
Things reportedly grew tenser when his girlfriend and her ex went outside together for what he estimated was 20 to 30 minutes.
When he asked about it, he said his girlfriend became defensive and accused him of embarrassing her in front of her family.
The man said he ultimately left and checked into a nearby hotel.
“Leave her and move on,” he was advised.
"Me when I'm just writing anything to make my essay longer," a netizen said about Riley Madison's ex-husband's list
