Listening to people reveal their secrets can often be a fun, amusing activity. After all, there’s a reason why kids love playing truth or dare! But if someone is willing to reveal the darkest parts of themself without being prompted at all, you might not actually want to hear what they have to say.
Redditors have recently been recalling the most disturbing and unsettling confessions they’ve casually heard other people share. From admitting things that could land these individuals in prison to spilling dark secrets that could tear their families apart, we’ll warn you right now that some of these replies are not easy to read. But they might make you feel a little bit better about the skeletons you have in your own closet!
#1
One of my mom's friends, a tiny and friendly old man, once gave me a job at the cleaning service company where he worked. I was 18 and it was easy money, he was chatty and helpful, and over lunch he started talking about how he didn't hear so well out of one ear.
He then just throws out there that he was tortured by electricity and ear drum slaps in his home country (a Latin American country under a military regime in those days) until he passed out, and he then came to his senses in a mass grave.
He reckoned they thought him dead and dumped him, and he woke up, crawled among the bodies and found his way home.
A tiny, friendly old man survived the kind of s**t the word "hell" barely can describe with accuracy, the kind of thing that would reduce me to a drunken, s******l wreck, and decided to tell Death to f**k off while he lived the best life he could.
It redefined the word "tough" for me. It's not the hard muscular alpha-male type dudes, it's the people who've seen the Devil and still continue on enjoying life, BECAUSE they've seen him and know what an alternative might be.
He then just throws out there that he was tortured by electricity and ear drum slaps in his home country (a Latin American country under a military regime in those days) until he passed out, and he then came to his senses in a mass grave.
He reckoned they thought him dead and dumped him, and he woke up, crawled among the bodies and found his way home.
A tiny, friendly old man survived the kind of s**t the word "hell" barely can describe with accuracy, the kind of thing that would reduce me to a drunken, s******l wreck, and decided to tell Death to f**k off while he lived the best life he could.
It redefined the word "tough" for me. It's not the hard muscular alpha-male type dudes, it's the people who've seen the Devil and still continue on enjoying life, BECAUSE they've seen him and know what an alternative might be.
121points
#2
I am a wheelchair user and was stopped by a homeless woman in Vegas who was very distraught about me crossing the street. She claimed she’d seen another wheelchair user get run over and k**led on that particular road and that I should always travel with someone abled for visibility purposes. She got hysterical at that point and I excused myself, promising to be careful. I was unsettled.
I googled the incident later. Her mug shot came up in the search. She was the driver.
I googled the incident later. Her mug shot came up in the search. She was the driver.
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101points
#3
My grandmother was born in 1918 in Germany. She survived heavy bombings in WW2.
Our family never talked much about the bad things. If they talked about the war, it's was mostly light hearted anecdotes.
I was around 9 when we were watching a documentary with my parents and grandma. It was about the bombings and when the term firestorm came up we kids were curious. My parents startet explaining how a big fire can draw so much air that it creates a strong wind that pushes the flames even further.
My grandma suddenly got that 1000 yard stare and casually said "I have seen people burn like torches".
We said "What?!" and grandma snapped out if it and said "What?".
I guess it had to come out, but she didn't even realise saying it.
Our family never talked much about the bad things. If they talked about the war, it's was mostly light hearted anecdotes.
I was around 9 when we were watching a documentary with my parents and grandma. It was about the bombings and when the term firestorm came up we kids were curious. My parents startet explaining how a big fire can draw so much air that it creates a strong wind that pushes the flames even further.
My grandma suddenly got that 1000 yard stare and casually said "I have seen people burn like torches".
We said "What?!" and grandma snapped out if it and said "What?".
I guess it had to come out, but she didn't even realise saying it.
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86points
To find out how this conversation started in the first place, we got in touch with Reddit user TrustyMadman. He was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and share what inspired him to start this thread.
"We've all been told that secrets, etc. are akin to entering a pact. When in reality, most of these need to be spoken aloud to protect the speaker and/or others of mistreatment," the author shared. "[Some] should be kept as family secrets, as no one needs to air their laundry publicly. But everyone in the family needs to speak to each other bluntly and matter of factly."
#4
Was at a club one time with a group of work friends. One dude grew up super religious and it was his first time really drinking. He tearfully confessed he was gay and probably forgot the next day. I still follow his socials and he’s still deep in the closet.
73points
#5
I used to work for a store that puts the stuffing in teddy bears. One day I was outside wheeling around a cute one to try and bring customers in and get reactions from kids and I smiled and said hi to an older lady. She stopped, we had a conversation and she said “this is the only conversation I’ve had with a human being in over a week.” And went on her way. I was devastated for her and I still think about it a lot.
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71points
#6
Many years ago, I was a young police officer in London. Posted to station officer one night, an old lady walks in to report a theft from her garden. I took basic details from her, including her family name and commented that it sounded very French. She had a faint accent, so it made sense, and she said that she was originally from a village in northern France.
The lady went silent and then said how much I looked like the father of a childhood friend. In a casual tone she then recounted how after the N***s invaded her town in WW2, the townspeople joined in the arrests and k**lings of the Jewish residents. She hid in a drain for a day and a half, listening to screams and gunfire crept out after 2 nights and escaped to Switzerland, where she lived on the streets for 5 years before coming to live in the UK.
She then looked up at me and said, " I don't suppose you'll find my hanging baskets, will you ?".
The lady went silent and then said how much I looked like the father of a childhood friend. In a casual tone she then recounted how after the N***s invaded her town in WW2, the townspeople joined in the arrests and k**lings of the Jewish residents. She hid in a drain for a day and a half, listening to screams and gunfire crept out after 2 nights and escaped to Switzerland, where she lived on the streets for 5 years before coming to live in the UK.
She then looked up at me and said, " I don't suppose you'll find my hanging baskets, will you ?".
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68points
We also asked the OP if he had ever heard anyone casually throw out a shocking confession. "I've had multiple people disclose a variety of things to me personally over the years," he noted. "Being in the military for almost 24 years now, I've heard everything from minor and highly fragile family situations. Being senior leadership, I've become one of those people that anyone can talk to, and I love being able to help out."
However, TrustyMadman says it's important to determine whether he's talking to the victim or the person who made a mistake. "If it's the victim, there are multiple resources for everyone and I can walk them through it," he continued. "I've done this many times. If they are one of the a**holes that did something stupid, I will ensure all matters illegal or borderline illegal are reported."
#7
An old friend of mine confessed once that he hates women having a say in whom their partner is, and that it would have been much better if we can just take whoever we want. It goes without saying that he was an incel, but a pretty chill one up to that point. He said it so casually that it took me a while to register it.
The next day we had a fight and he blocked me for telling him he is deranged for saying he would r*pe women if not for the law. It's been a year since then, and thank God, he is still single.
The next day we had a fight and he blocked me for telling him he is deranged for saying he would r*pe women if not for the law. It's been a year since then, and thank God, he is still single.
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68points
#8
I was talking to a very good friend of my now deceased father.
He said that many years ago he talked my father out of murdering my mom. He believed she was cheating on him, even stalked her on the way to college with a gun in the car. She wasn't cheating, also they already had kids at the time. I'm 100% sure what he told me is true.
Got chills thinking what my life would have been, had this occured. My mom is the greatest person I know by a mile, I'm glad she's still here.
He said that many years ago he talked my father out of murdering my mom. He believed she was cheating on him, even stalked her on the way to college with a gun in the car. She wasn't cheating, also they already had kids at the time. I'm 100% sure what he told me is true.
Got chills thinking what my life would have been, had this occured. My mom is the greatest person I know by a mile, I'm glad she's still here.
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67points
#9
When the first Harry Potter movie was released in 2001, my ex boyfriend at the time told me while we were sitting in the theatre that he had a crush on Hermione (Emma Watson) in the movie. She was 10. He was 25 at the time. I was pretty stunned at his casual comment about being attracted to a child. Anyways a few years later it came out that he had sexually a****d a young girl from the family who took him in when his mum kicked him out. He was 16, she was under 10 I think. So yeah, glaring red flags.
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65points
Next, we asked the author what he thought of the replies to his post. "I've read each of the thousands posts, diving into the unique ones," he shared. "They were mostly very well written, and I thank everyone who contributed."
#10
I was talking to a close freind when out of the blue he mentioned that a few months back (at the time) he nearly committed s*****e. I enjoy talking and being social. That hit me to my core, and I became non-verbal. I love that man and it hurt that I didn't know how badly he was feeling.
I talked to him more on this, at first he was hesitant, but he is okay now. I got him the help he needs.
I talked to him more on this, at first he was hesitant, but he is okay now. I got him the help he needs.
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63points
#11
Met a guy, first date. 10 minutes into it, he tells me that he recently k****d a cat with his bare hands, but can‘t remember most of it.
61points
#12
My now-ex-husband mentioned that when he was in high school he beat up a disabled kid. EX husband.
61points
Finally, TrustyMadman left us with some wise words. "If you have something that you've been carrying and it's eating you alive, you need to talk and get resolution," he says. "Whether you're the guilty party or not, I've been told repeatedly that feeling is permanent until you do. After you realize this fact, the rest is self-inflicted purgatory."
#13
Not a direct confession, but a coworker told me about a lawsuit he was involved in that sounded interesting, so I googled it to see if I could find the court case. Instead I found an article where he had gotten caught and arrested for filming minors.
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60points
#14
I once heard someone casually say, “oh yeah, i’ve been watching my neighbor sleep for months now it’s like my hobby.”.
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60points
#15
Playing a boardgame with a friend who had become a d**g d****r
Told me that there was a night where someone had ripped him off and he and his friends went after him leading to a car chase. The other car hit a bystander and left the victim paraplegic.
He felt really guilty about it, would obsessively watch news reports of the incident over and over again.
I found out he had died of alcohol poisoning about a year later.
Told me that there was a night where someone had ripped him off and he and his friends went after him leading to a car chase. The other car hit a bystander and left the victim paraplegic.
He felt really guilty about it, would obsessively watch news reports of the incident over and over again.
I found out he had died of alcohol poisoning about a year later.
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58points
#16
My mom picked me up so we could get food on my birthday a few years ago and randomly brought up an instance when me and her went to disney for a cheering competition I was in where the only thing I asked for on the whole trip aside from food was this round minnie mouse plushie filled with those soft styrofoam like beads. It was so squishy and soft so I took it to my mom and asked if I could have it. She had said no so I just assumed parent saying no because they don't want me to have it.
She casually drops *why* I wound up getting it on the last day of the trip. My bio dad and her were still married at the time and he *drained their join bank account on strippers at a local strip club*. Her friend who was with us who's daughter was also on the team had to cover dinner for us that night and I didn't know. She had to call the next morning and ask her job to give her a 3 day advance on her paycheck as we weren't leaving until saturday morning so that was gonna be like 3 1/2 days without food for the day as our stay package only included breakfast at the resort.
I already hated my bio dad by this point and I just couldn't believe he would be so f*****g reckless. I believed he would do it but not that he would put me and my mom without food for 3+ days. The j*****s... I still have that plushie by the way its in my closet my bio dad tho? No contact.
She casually drops *why* I wound up getting it on the last day of the trip. My bio dad and her were still married at the time and he *drained their join bank account on strippers at a local strip club*. Her friend who was with us who's daughter was also on the team had to cover dinner for us that night and I didn't know. She had to call the next morning and ask her job to give her a 3 day advance on her paycheck as we weren't leaving until saturday morning so that was gonna be like 3 1/2 days without food for the day as our stay package only included breakfast at the resort.
I already hated my bio dad by this point and I just couldn't believe he would be so f*****g reckless. I believed he would do it but not that he would put me and my mom without food for 3+ days. The j*****s... I still have that plushie by the way its in my closet my bio dad tho? No contact.
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57points
#17
My dad once told me about one of his college buddies who loved doing nitrous oxide so much that he tied a bag of it around his head and asphyxiated. He said this in a joking way and chuckled until I pointed out that it was likely a s*****e then his face dropped like he hadn't ever thought of it.
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55points
#18
A really good friend of mine had been out of contact traveling the country, hitchhiking, sleeping on random people's couches, camping out in the desert, etc. for around a year, and so when he came back we all got together to hang out, and it basically turned into a small party. At some point he just casually drops that he has a court date coming up, and explains it was because his ex is suing him over the fact that he beat his infant daughter nearly to death sometime before he left. He then just tried to continue on with the party like nothing happened.
I don't think I ever heard of anyone who was there hanging out with him again after that.
I don't think I ever heard of anyone who was there hanging out with him again after that.
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53points
#19
A good friend of mine told me how when he was 7 he went to pee and apparently got a little on the floor….His dad made him lay in front of the toilet and he pissed on him to teach him not to miss the toilet. He said this very casually.
It’s sad to know that definitely wasn’t the only lesson his dad taught him. And that he said it like it was normal for that to happen.
It’s sad to know that definitely wasn’t the only lesson his dad taught him. And that he said it like it was normal for that to happen.
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53points
#20
I once sold weed to a coworker I didn't know all that well after our night shift. He stopped by my house and we smoked a little and he says his ex wife doesn't seem to want to get back together. Then says really casually he's not sure if it has to do with the fact he tried to drown her in their bathtub when they were married. He said he didn't think he held under water all that long! So why won't she take me back?
53points