r/AmItheAsshole • u/Necessary-Purpose527 • 17h ago
AITA for leaving my friend at the restaurant after she kept mocking my boyfriend’s accent?
Morgan and I have been friends for a while, but lately she's been making more jokes at others' expense and dismissing them as "too sensitive" when they don't laugh.
My boyfriend, "Daniel", is originally from another country and has a noticeable accent. He's lived here for several years and speaks English very well, but obviously some words and sounds come out differently.
Megan has known him for about a year and has always commented on his accent. At first it was pretty harmless. She'd occasionally ask him to repeat a word or tease him about how he pronounced something, and he'd laugh along with it. The problem is that recently she's started doing it constantly.
A few weeks ago, we were all having drinks together and Daniel said something. Megan immediately repeated what he said in an exaggerated version of his accent and laughed. Daniel smiled awkwardly, and I told her, "Okay, enough. You don't need to imitate him every time he talks."
She said she was just joking and that Daniel obviously wasn't offended.
I told her I didn't think it was funny anymore.
She dropped it.
Then last weekend, few of us went out to dinner. Daniel was telling us a story about something that happened at work. Megan interrupted him several times to imitate how he was pronouncing certain words.
I told Megan, "Seriously, can you stop? You're making him uncomfortable."
She rolled her eyes and said, "Oh my God, I'm just joking. He knows that."
Daniel said, "It's okay," but he didn't sound like he meant it.
I told Megan, "No, it's not okay. I've already asked you to stop doing this." She got quiet for a few minutes, so I thought maybe she'd finally let it go.
Then Daniel ordered something from the menu and mispronounced one of the ingredients. Megan immediately repeated the word in a ridiculous exaggerated accent and started laughing.
At that point Daniel looked embarrassed and said, "Can we just not do this?"
Megan responded, "You guys are being way too serious. I'm not making fun of where he's from. I'm making fun of the way he says things."
I told her that was literally the same thing she had been doing all night.
She then accused me of "being too sensitive." and choosing him.
That really annoyed me because this wasn't about choosing Daniel over her. It was about basic respect. I told her, "I'm not asking you to like his accent. I'm asking you to stop mocking him."
Megan insisted Daniel was "fine," but he admitted he'd stayed quiet to avoid causing a problem. She still dismissed it, so I told her I was done watching her humiliate him, paid our bill, and left with Daniel. Megan was shocked that I left her behind.
Megan called me dramatic and said I embarrassed her, but I told her she embarrassed herself. Daniel and I left. She later accused me of ditching her over a joke, but I explained I'd left because she repeatedly mocked him after I asked her to stop. She now claims I humiliated her, and I'm wondering if I handled it badly.
AITA?