August 25, 2026 at 6:35 am

Woman Asks Roommate to Stop Taking Every Call on Speaker, but Gets Called Controlling

by Benjamin Cottrell

closeup image of woman talking on the phone

Pexels/Reddit

Living with someone means navigating shared space, but it shouldn’t mean surrendering your own peace and quiet entirely.

One woman found herself constantly overhearing her roommate’s phone calls, every conversation in every room, speakerphone by default, with zero effort made to keep things private.

She raised the issue calmly, suggesting headphones or taking calls elsewhere, only to be told it wasn’t a big deal and that she could just deal with it herself.

So when she pushed back, explaining how distracting it actually was, her roommate flipped the solution back onto her, insisting she should be the one wearing headphones instead.

You’ll want to keep reading for this one.

AITA for asking my roommate to stop having phone calls on speaker in common areas?

My roommate takes every single phone call on speaker. In the living room. In the kitchen. Everywhere. I can hear both sides of every conversation.

It doesn’t matter who’s on the other line, the calls always go the same way.

Her mom, her friends, her work calls.

I asked her if she could use headphones or take calls in her room.

Her roommate always has a convenient excuse.

She said, “I like having my hands free. It’s not a big deal.”

I said, “It’s a big deal to me. I don’t want to hear every conversation. It’s distracting.”

She said, “You can just put headphones on.”

I said, “I shouldn’t have to wear headphones in my own living room.”

Her roommate then resorts to just brushing her off entirely.

Now she says I’m controlling. She still does it.

I feel guilty for not being able to find a spot that works, but also I can’t please everyone.

AITA?

You shouldn’t have to walk around with headphones just to enjoy some peace and quiet in your own apartment.

What did Reddit have to say?

If her roommate refuses to be considerate, she might just have to start playing dirty.

Screenshot 2026 08 24 at 2.24.20 PM Woman Asks Roommate to Stop Taking Every Call on Speaker, but Gets Called Controlling

Why not make it so her roommate has to change her ways?

Screenshot 2026 08 24 at 2.24.33 PM Woman Asks Roommate to Stop Taking Every Call on Speaker, but Gets Called Controlling

This commenter agrees it’s just plain selfishness.

Screenshot 2026 08 24 at 2.25.30 PM Woman Asks Roommate to Stop Taking Every Call on Speaker, but Gets Called Controlling

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about neighbors who have to set a firm boundary with neighbors who ask too many child-related favors.

If it were this commenter, they’d start getting petty.

Screenshot 2026 08 24 at 2.25.40 PM Woman Asks Roommate to Stop Taking Every Call on Speaker, but Gets Called Controlling

Asking someone to use headphones for personal calls is about as low-stakes as a roommate boundary can get.

It’s not like she demanded silence or banned phone calls altogether. Any reasonable roommate would have been more than willing to make some small adjustments.

This roommate’s reaction just proved how unreasonable she actually was.

Wanting peace in common spaces is just the bare minimum expectation of living with someone else.

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Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.