This family gathered for a pre-Christmas get-together, complete with small talk and catching up in the yard.

When marriage plans came up, the uncle casually mentioned he was thinking about tying the knot again.

Given the uncle’s long and very public history of short-lived marriages, the comment caught some attention.
And one offhand joke changed the tone immediately.

AITA for saying 4th times the charm when my uncle talked about getting married again

On Sunday we were meeting at my uncle’s for a kind of pre-christmas meetup because one of my aunts had to leave today.

I was with my dad and uncles in the yard. My dad asked my uncle how his plans for getting married were going.

So I should give some context here. My uncles first marriage ended almost two decades ago. I have three cousins from that marriage whom I used to be close to but their mom got custody and we rarely see them.

Sounds a bit complicated.

Then around 8 years ago he got married to a woman overseas, brought her here, she already had a guy here, she called the cops on him for some made up thing, and when he came back from a night in jail she’d left.

This is what I’ve heard, I was in college and the marriage didn’t even last one term for me to have come back home and met her. It lasted a week I think.

Then 3 years ago he got married overseas again and this time her parents changed her mind so they got divorced while there. Naturally I never met her either.

Ah.

So when my dad said that, I looked at my uncle and asked him if he was really looking to get married again. He said yeah, that he thinks he needs a partner in life.

I just without thinking said “fourth times the charm.”

My uncle didnt take it well while my other uncle found it hilarious. Im pretty sure my dad did too but he was being diplomatic about it.

HAHA oh no.

Today my mom told me that my uncle had told my dad it was really rude and disrespectful of me to say what I said.

She said to just apologize to him when we see him on Christmas. I said sure whatever I’ll apologize, this uncle has always been a fun uncle who would hang out with us cousins so I thought he could take a joke but ill apologize sure.

But was I TA?

While the nephew is willing to apologize and didn’t intend to be cruel, he’s now wondering if honesty disguised as humor crossed a line.

So he’s asking Reddit whether the comment was harmless family banter…or an unnecessary jab at a sensitive topic.

Most people say this comment was uncalled for.

This person says he gets it, but it was also a jerk move.

And this person says it was just totally unnecessary and hurtful.

Some jokes are funny…right up until they land on someone who’s already lived the punchline.

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