As kind and hopeful as the world can be, it also hides a much darker and more sinister side. These Redditors know this all too well, having learned some truly disgusting secrets about the people they once trusted.
If you’re curious to hear the startling truths they’ve uncovered, you’ll find their stories below—but be warned, these shocking revelations may haunt you long after you’ve read them.
#1
There were rumors when I was a child that a friend of mine was being m****ted by her stepdad. Adults were told but nothing came of it and she went through emancipation as soon as she was old enough. I learned later on that stepdad was having his way with all of the children in the house. Male and female, step and biological. 5 kids.
The thing that disgusts me the most is that for the first time in my life I talked to somebody about it and learned that a lot of people in town knew it was going on. She and I were 11 years old. Not a damn thing either of us could do. But the adults should've f*****g helped those kids. Teachers knew. The principal of our school knew. I don't have all the details as to why they weren't removed from the home but there's no reason or excuse for all of them to stay in that place with that man for years.
#2
Found out my uncle r***d my mom (teens). She kept quiet about it until recently (50s). Turns out he also did it to my aunt (didn't mention it until mom did). Same dude I went to holiday dinners with, hikes, hugged, etc. She acted so normal around him I had no idea.
Edit: It's horrific how many people say this same story or something similar. If this is happening to you, and the secret hasn't come out, please tell people for their safety.
#3
This guy in my friend groups older brother was into young girls. Even though he was in his early
20’s he’d routinely go after girls as young as 14. However this one time it ended very badly for him. He brought two 14 year old girls to the sports complex he worked at late at night. They convinced him to let them tie him up on a flagpole sort of thing so they could give him a show and then do him. They tied him up real good, pulled his pants down, took his car keys, and left him there. Well deserved.
Image credits: Lordsnow89
#4
Im on disability in my country and a few years ago my old disability case worker popped up on my people you might know on Facebook against my better judgement I looked at her profile
I was all racist stuff and posts about how much she hates disabled people and she wish they would all die and how disabled people should be killed on the spot
Tons of racism towards basically everyone even pictures in black face
I did report her but nothing happened she still works at this disability office as far as I know.
Image credits: BipolarSkeleton
#5
Caught my *very* religiously "devout" Mormon dad snuggled up with a stripper in his lap at the club he didn't know I was cocktail serving at. I blew his s**t wide open to my siblings who told our mom, and in the fallout, it fell out that it wasn't a one-off. Forty years of strip clubs, street corners, and "massage" parlors, and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Image credits: chewbubbIegumkickass
#6
Found out a co-worker was microwaving their underwear at work to 'freshen them up' after lunch breaks. It was… an unpleasant revelation. Made me think twice about using that microwave ever again.
Image credits: kaciii_woods
#7
A guy had a decently successful restaurant in my town. He was community oriented, donated time and money to the town, just overall nice. There was something I always thought was off or fake about him.
He tried expanding and buying a new restaurant, but needed a financial backer. They had a disagreement over something and she went missing. He took care of her son during her absence.
Turns out, he murdered her and buried her in a shallow grave behind a manufacturing building. Really hit our town hard.
Image credits: NoEvidence136
#8
My ex accused me of cheating so many times that it finally drove me nuts enough to end it. I ended up finding out that she was cheating on me the entire time with multiple men and one of those times was a threesome with two dudes. She’s blocked on everything and still tries to get in contact with me any way she can.
Image credits: Sailor_NEWENGLAND
#9
Found out a friend never washes their gym clothes like ew that’s so gross.
Image credits: ellayourgf
#10
When my Grandfather passed away we discovered that he did not exist. His name was not in any government registry. He was a normal citizen, paid taxes, had a license and everything. Lived a long life, married to my grandmother for over 50 years, had multiple children, everything normal.
Still to now, no one knows who he really was and why he had a false name.
Image credits: Desirable44Cupcake
#11
My family doctor between the ages of 15-23 was charged by several women for sexually assaulting them. He once did a physical for me and made me remove my entire shirt + bra with no gown. I thought it was normal at the time. He also always touched my tattoos and asked what they meant. Super creepy looking back on it.
Image credits: MrsBellaNine
#12
My friend confided that her and her brother got drunk and banged recently. I am friends with both of them. It’s the weirdest s**t hanging out and pretending you don’t know.
Image credits: New_Weekend9765
#13
My dirtbag uncle convinced my grandmother to hand over her power of attorney to him and then proceeded to sell her house and put her into a senior living home when she was only in her fifties. He left her there to rot and then threw out most of her belongings and absconded with all of the family heirlooms from my great grandfather who was a famous artisan. In the intervening years he pawned off most of the heirlooms as he continued to scam his way across the country.
Last I heard he had somehow swindled his way into being a judge in Montana. He tried calling my dad a year or so ago and lying about what he had done to my grandmother. My dad called him out on that s**t and the dirtbag hasn’t tried contacting any of us since.
Now that my sister and I are grown living on comfortable wages, we have been slowly buying my great grandfather’s works as we see them appear up for auction or on eBay to bring them back into the family. A couple years ago we found one of my great grandfather’s pieces that my dad had thought to be lost forever and surprised him with it for Christmas. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him more overjoyed than he was that day.
#14
The kid that bullied me in grade 5 & 6... turns out his father was m****ting him and his brother, throughout their childhood.
Image credits: TemptingWomen7
#15
I worked with a woman for years. Knew her fairly well. Later found out that she and her husband were the ringleaders of the local swingers organization.
My only problem with it was that she never invited me!
Image credits: edgarpickle
#16
I grew up in a very religious family (church 3x a week) and went to catholic school. The priest who built our parish was beloved by all, but just gave me ick vibes. In the early 2000’s someone from his previous parish, 30 years before, claimed he was inappropriate with them. Of course no one believed it and assumed she was saying that for money.
A couple of years ago, a friend from school posted on Facebook that she was looking for other girls from school he abused, because she couldn’t believe she was the only one. I was close to her growing up and had no idea. She didn’t ask for a penny from the church, and still is a dedicated member of the church (the priest has since passed). I 100% believe her as her accusation only hurt her within the community (but helped her heal from the trauma).
Image credits: IHeartSquirrels
#17
My dad used to smoke c***k and then film himself dressing up in women’s clothes and doing his makeup (poorly). That’s not the disgusting part though.
The disgusting/funny in an absurd way part is that when my mom found out about all that and other stuff, she found his hidden stash of dresses and presented them to me (age 12-13) as gifts and told me I should wear them right away and show dad when he gets home. So I was just constantly parading around the house in my dad’s pretty crack dresses, not understanding why he was weirded out lol.
Image credits: bubble-tea-mouse
#18
A man that used to regularly visit a gallery I worked in killed his wife and boiled her body parts. He’s in prison now. Bleh.
Image credits: Rontunaruna
#19
My first babysitter (next door neighbor’s kid) attacked her mother with an axe. Her mother survived and shared this in her Christmas letter to friends and family years later.
Image credits: Tinkletorium
#20
Not disgusting but scary, my maternal granny's brother was an assassin. He was also assassinated.
Image credits: EntrepreneurLivid491
#21
They hoard their own feces in their house.
Image credits: Professional_Feisty
#22
I work in a small office, just me and two other women. The other day I walked into the restroom as one of the coworkers exited a stall. She turned the faucet on, briefly got her fingers wet (not her actual hands) and walked out. I’ve worked with her for 16 years and just now learned she doesn’t wash her hands after using the restroom. It’s stuff like this that makes me not eat the office potluck. Gross.
Image credits: DareWright
#23
After my husband died in 2020 I found out he had been having an affair with a 30 year old, (he was 55), she apparently aborted his baby, everything he told me about his prior life was a lie (second marriage for both of us) and he had been having sex with men since he was in his early 20s. To sum it up, I didn't know this man at all. We had been together 10 years and married for 6.
Image credits: Charming-1Sweetie
#24
That my mom cheated on my dad for 20 years and still hasn’t told him to this day. I’m still trying to figure out what to do and how to go about the situation and exposing the truth about her to my Dad but I’m afraid he would die of a broken heart. Worst thing is, she cheated with my Godfather who used to come to the house and drink coffee with my mom and dad EVERY DAY.
Image credits: AdorableDoll7
#25
The kid that lived in the house next door to me grew up to be a child m****ter.
He was my age when he lived next door - around 6 or 7 - and used to come over and hang out in my backyard. At some point he became intensely interested in seeing my, um, p****r. He would ask repeatedly what mine looked like and ask to see it. He was all for “you show me yours and I’ll show you mine”. Even at 6, I thought this was weird and refused to compare peckers with him. He and his family moved away a few years later. I never saw him again.
Decades later, out of morbid curiosity, I Googled his name and found his arrest and conviction record in another state. He had been a respected member of his professional community … in a profession involving children. He and a buddy would pay young teenage boys to “perform” with them on video in hotel rooms. They were busted, and my childhood pal spent some time in prison. Yeesh.
#26
GF (now wife) had a roommate in college that was dating an older guy. I went over and saw him, something was off. Did some research: he was her band director when she was in HS, was fired for having relations with a student, and was living just across the county line. Unbelievable ick.
Image credits: Powerful-Drama556
#27
My ex told me he hurt and blackmailed a lot of girls after we broke up and that it was my fault he did it. Also he lied about his father dying so he could “relate” to me when I lost my dad at a young age but his dad lived a block over from him.
Image credits: Contaminated_Acid
#28
This local kid was kinda slow. My best friend, from 7th grade to adulthood, hung out with him when we were in elementary school. People used to tell him to do wild s**t and he would do it. He and his sister lived in a foster home, and one day, they disappeared around 6th grade.
My best friend later told me his sister wore a diaper until she was 11, and the brother almost died from huffing paint at 10. Some kids even got them to do sexual stuff to each other as a dare. My friend wasn't there, but that's when he stopped hanging around them.
Fast Forward 5-10 years, his sister is on MTV true life about runaway prostitutes. 10 years after that, my best friend runs into him, and he says they were removed from the home for being m***ted by his foster family. His sister has been missing for 7+ years, and he's living with the foster mother who m****ted him. Sad story.
#29
I (shortly) dated a guy who led a full double life, then a triple.
And I thought you could only see this on tv.
Image credits: pinkaline
#30
Not really a secret, but definitely a shocking discovery. There was a weird kid in my school that got expelled for touching himself in the library. He was always kind of odd, but he lived down the street and was always nice to me. I dated his sister briefly and would always say hi when I saw him because I honestly just kind of felt bad for him. Fast forward like ten years and me and my roommate were looking up people we went to school with on the docket finder as a joke. Remembered the weird kid and wouldn't you know it... Locked up for violently assaulting children. It wasn't funny after that point. Exited out and never spoke of it again.
Image credits: thisisridiculousdude
#31
I saw my grandfather only 2 times once when I was around 4 or 5 and then again when I was about 13 at my uncles funeral. I asked my mom what the deal was and she would just tell me he was not a good person. I just stopped asking until a few years ago and she gave me the whole story. He was a vile, sadistic, evil, person. Abusive to his family in just about every way imaginable.
Image credits: Mrofcourse
#32
I went to church for a long time and there was this guy who everyone loved. He was a kinda fat guy with silly humour but he seemed a little off because he had autism. One day I was on YouTube and a predator catching video popped up. He was in it and his shirt was about Jesus. I sent it to the pastor and he was removed from the church. Now I want to work in cybercrime to catch these people
Edit: this happened when I was 16 and he was always complementing me. Once asked if I was interested in modelling.
Image credits: coolguy2022437
#33
Had sexual fantasies about animals, and tried to convince me that it was normal.
#34
In high school I was friends with a guy who would talk about his twin sister a lot. One day he “confessed” to me that him and his twin sister lost their virginities with each other and would regularly have sex. I went to my older sister to ask what to do because I was freaked out, she told me to mind my business.
Well, fortunately he had loose lips and someone else did report him. Him and his sister were removed from one another.
I met his dad once when I was the driver for the group of us teens (only one who had a car), I was 17 at that point. His dad kept trying to give me beer and shots while I kept declining. His uncle was kissing a 16 year old girl we had with us, she was drunk. I forced her to leave with me and took her home along with the boys. They were being creeps too, so I put her in the front seat next to me where I could monitor her. I was so uncomfortable man. We both went into the military so we could go to college, different branches, he got kicked out and diagnosed with schizophrenia. His dad died of kidney failure from alcoholism. Yay for being born to low socioeconomic status.
#35
An odd late 30's, early 40's woman we worked with saved all of her used menstral products in paper bags . Literal years of pads and whatever else stacked to the ceiling in a shower stall in a bathroom in her house.
#36
My former best friend, who I looked up too, and was a big brother figure to me. He is in fed prison for 14 years for coercion and solicitation of a minor, and he wanted to do unspeakable things with babies. I just found this out 3 years ago.
#37
One of my cousins said he desired me sexually. He also has grey hair and I'm in my 30s. I was in my early 30s when he confessed it. The worst part is, I found out he did this to one another cousin, but he comes off as "safe" to others. Got scared to visit that side of the family for a while.
Image credits: AmeliaRoseMarie
#38
Had a really creepy manager at my first job. He would say the most inappropriate out of pocket sexual things all the time. He always talked about liking Asian girls because they looked young and innocent and even seemed disappointed when I said I wasn't Asian.
I eventually ended up reporting him and he got transferred to a different store.
I moved away for college shortly after and left that job and tried to forget him. One day I got a message from a coworker from that job with a link to s mugshot and arrest info for our old manager. He was locked up for abusing a LITERAL TODDLER. I felt so much guilt for so long thinking if I had pushed it more maybe he would've gotten in trouble sooner.
#39
One of my ex bfs died in Federal jail from covid awaiting trial for 4 charges of crimes against children.
He and his weird little wife had at the time 8 kids and one on the way.
After he died in jail her family tried to get her money to buy a house through go fund me.
What a s**t show. .
#40
Someone I went on 6 dates with and had incredible chemistry with suddenly said he got an aids diagnosis and couldn’t handle dating - I learned it was because he was dating me only to get information and eventually contact info for my ex who had had a crush on for years. They hooked up on and off for a year before I learned he had gone through my Facebook one night and got all the info and reached out to my ex.
Image credits: TheWorstTypo
#41
For years, my mother has lied about who my father was. She made up a fake name to throw me off. When I became an adult, I later found out My mother hid who my father was because he was sleeping with men. To add insult to injury, after coming to terms and confirming the actual identity of my father, I’d later find he was dating a male best friend of mine. What a small world we live in. .
#42
My dad’s dad r***d him when he was like 8 years old. He told my mom about a year before he died. Then she told me. We were both ??. He never gave any indication prior. I knew my grandfather suffered from PTSD from WW2 but wow. He didn’t say if it was once or ongoing. Apparently no one knew but us. I don’t know if his brother knew. They weren’t very close. All these people are dead now so I’ll never know all of the story. My dad died in 1998 at 57 of cirrhosis of the liver. Now that I just turned 56 I realize how young that is.
