Dinner parties with friends are some of the best times with good company, food, and drinks. While hosting can be really enjoyable, there is always the slight pressure to make sure people are behaving themselves and enjoying their time. Unfortunately for these folks, some of their guests crossed the line and had to be kicked out of the party altogether! This content has been edited for clarity.
Man vs Dog
“I hosted a tasting via MeetUP years ago. MeetUP is a social media platform for hosting gatherings. Several ladies signed up, most of whom I had a long-term friendly relationship with, and one guy.
The ladies all arrived on time and with snacks appropriate for a tasting. We had a selection of cheeses, crackers, nuts, and cured meats. I had hired a sommelier so the start time was well known and to be there was important. I also have a dog who was well known and was known as a ‘party animal’ and loved everyone.
About 30 minutes into the tasting, the one fellow walked into the closed home with no knock or ring of the doorbell. Yeah, it was a MeetUP but you still let people know when you walk in — at least my crowd did! My dog was at the door in a heartbeat and the guy kicked him immediately. A friend was closer than I was so she got in his face about barging in without knocking and kicking the dog.
Pretty soon, all the ladies were fussing at the fellow for being rude with his entry and being late. He was ticked off and tried to say the dog attacked him. A bunch of the ladies swore he didn’t, with no teeth showing and no growl, he was just going to the door to see who it was.
He insisted the dog be locked up because after all, HE is a guest in the house. The friend that got in his face told him he might think he was a guest, but in reality, he just responded to a MeetUP invite. To keep the peace, I put the dog into his kennel and tried to smooth things out.
Next thing I know, the guy is sitting at my breakfast bar and putting dirty bootprints all over the wall underneath it. I asked him to please sit someplace else or keep his feet off the wall. The lady he was sitting next to whispered into my ear that he was creeping on her and would not take no for an answer. He asked her to leave the party with him and when she had said no, he kept stroking her arms and asking her again.
I tried to speak privately to him about not hitting on the women – turns out in the few minutes he had been in my house, he tried picking up several of them. My friend who had confronted him earlier let my dog out of the kennel and the pup ran into the room.
The guy slammed his foot on the wall and yelled, ‘I TOLD YOU TO PUT THAT DOG UP.’
I let him know that I had not let the dog out that a friend had, and no one told me what to do in my own house, and certainly not by yelling at me! I then said,
‘Ladies let’s show this child to the door; and by the way, you are banned from any event I host, any event these ladies attend and if I have it my way, you will be kicked out of the group.’
He left and tried to register a complaint about my event to the group, but thankfully the ladies had my back and he was banned from rejoining.”
Small Talk
“Two years ago, I lived in a shared student house with three men, or rather, two men and one man child. The three of us were really close, had an amazing time living together, and always tolerated the man-child. Because we were such good friends and always had a good vibe in the house, we often had people come over. It was like a sanctuary, if you will, for students who didn’t want to get trashed and go clubbing.
We often held movie nights, game nights, and dinner parties. On one of these evenings, the man-child brought one of his friends, and although they tend to behave, he had a history of bringing in people who disrespected the house. His friend showed up a few hours early and as the man-child had no concept of what an adult party looked like, he left his friend downstairs in the living room in an unfamiliar environment with complete strangers.
Trying to be nice, I decided to engage in some small talk to make him feel comfortable while everyone else was busy getting ready. The usual student questions came up, like what year are you in, where are you from, and of course, what are you studying? You can’t offend anyone with these, right? Wrong.
He said he studied law and proceeded to tell me that my major, biomedical science, was much easier than his. He said he couldn’t fathom how hard it would be for someone like me to study law, but for someone as smart as him, it was a breeze.
He then asked if I was studying to be a nurse. I said,
‘No, I’m studying biomedical science so hopefully, I’ll go into research.’
He replied, ‘Oh, so you’re going to be a research doctor’s assistant?’
Like, really? An assistant? Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a nurse or assistant, y’all work so hard and don’t get nearly enough credit, but I did not work my butt off to get into Biomedical Science for someone to assume I was going to be an assistant. Do you think he would ask me the same question if I were a man?
I told him to leave my sight, leave my house, and that he would not be welcome in the house as long as I was in it. If he wanted to meet with the man-child, they could meet in his house.”
Bathroom Mystery
“I was having a party at my house which I shared with my roommate Dwayne. He just so happened to be out of town and had asked that I let no one into his room, not even to use his bathroom. Well, into the night, I had a couple of guests come and complain to me that someone was using the hall bathroom and they had been in there for quite some time. My guests were about to go squat on my lawn!
So, I walked down the hallway with the two guests in tow and knocked on the door exclaiming,
‘Hey, did you fall in?!’
I heard a shuffle and some voices. My first thought was some hanky-panky of the adult type was going on. When I did not get an expected response, I banged on the door again and said,
‘Hey! These people need to use the bathroom!’
Still no response. I told whoever was in there that I was about to bust the door in. Within seconds, the door opened. Inside were two men, fully clothed, looking really guilty. They politely left the bathroom and my two bathroom usage advocates rushed in. I followed to have a look around to make sure everything was in order.
That’s when I saw my metal serving spoon from the kitchen. My mind was flooded with all kinds of things two men might do in a locked bathroom with a spoon. Some of these thoughts were pretty out there. But there was also residue and a tiny piece of cotton on the spoon. Yes, you guessed it.
Now those kinds of illegal substances are never, for any instance, allowed in my house, in my car, or around me. The straw that really broke the camel’s back was the fact they had gone into my kitchen drawers and pulled out my serving utensil to use.
I stormed back to the main party area, grabbed the first one I saw, and started pushing him to the front door. The had-to-go potty guest had already informed her boyfriend who was right behind me with the other offender. I called them out in front of the entire party. Once outside, they both apologized, got into their car, and left. I never saw either one of them again.”
Party Crasher
“My roommate and I had an arrangement – unless mutual friends were involved, when having company over, either I would go out or she would.
One evening, I had invited my boyfriend and another couple for dinner and she was going out with friends. She did not know the other couple. She arrived home as we were having our main course, went to the kitchen, and came back with a plate and cutlery. She then reached to help herself from the serving dishes on the table. My guests and I were surprised, to say the least. I asked for ‘a quick word in the kitchen, NOW.’
It turned out she’d gotten bored and hungry out with her friends but didn’t want to pay for a meal when she knew there would be nice (free) food and drinks at home. She couldn’t understand why I was upset. I reminded her of our agreement and that she wasn’t invited. She simply couldn’t grasp she had intruded and complained again that she was hungry.
I made up a plate for her, poured her a glass of Merlot, and said she was welcome to eat if she did so in her room. This must seem like a strict parent/naughty child scenario, but we were both in our late twenties and had full-time jobs. She was just a rather naive and socially awkward person. I very quickly arranged to move out after that and shared my new place with real grownups.”
Monstrous Guest
“I threw myself out of a dinner party once. It was about 1975 and my soon-to-be in-laws invited me to dinner one summer evening. My future mother-in-law was a very gracious hostess whom I admired and wished to make a good impression on. It was me, my fiancé, his parents, and one other couple the same age as my in-laws. They were all upper-middle-class white people.
Over drinks, it soon became evident to me that the male of this other couple was discriminatory against people of color. He was making himself look like quite a fool the entire evening, saying horrible things like it was a normal conversation. His wife was perfectly lovely, so I tried ignoring him and focused more on her for conversation. I was hoping that if we didn’t react he might stop. During dinner, however, his remarks escalated. At one point, he said something that was completely monstrous.
I looked at the other people at the table and everyone was silently looking down, seemingly focused on their food. My stomach began to turn. Resisting the urge to hurl my half-full plate of food at his face, I simply said,
‘Please excuse me, I’m not feeling well, I think I need some air,’ and got up and left the table.
As I walked toward the side porch, I overheard the wife say to her husband, ‘Well, here’s another place we’ll never be invited back to.’
I sat down on a chaise on the porch and cried softly in a state of shock. I was 20 years old and really didn’t know people like him existed. They left shortly after, without a word to me. My husband and I just happened to be talking about this incident a few nights ago. I said to him,
‘If that had happened at my house, if my parents had that happen at their dining table, they would have physically lifted him up and tossed his sorry butt down our concrete front steps hard enough to roll it into the street.’
High Maintenance
“It was a Thanksgiving dinner at our home for about a dozen people – maybe 15 years ago. My father, stepmother, a few friends, and a few cousins were in attendance. Likewise, my sister-in-law was there who has been high-maintenance for as long as I’ve known her.
I tend to be a bit controlling when I invite others over for dinner. I don’t want people whisking in and out of the kitchen’s cooking area because frankly, someone could be hurt when I’m removing something hot from the oven. With the original configuration of the kitchen, I had to walk a couple of feet to set something down on the countertop. Anyone walking from the dining room into the kitchen would be subject to being clobbered with a hot pan as I moved toward the countertop perpendicular to the stove. So, my spouse or I would be the ones to take food from the kitchen out to the dining room for our multi-course meal.
I would leave 10 minutes between courses so that everyone in attendance could chat and let what they’ve just eaten settle a bit, and sip more Moscato!
Even before everyone left the living room for the dining room, my sister-in-law wanted to know when she could start heating up the vegetable casserole dish she had brought along. I told her I would take care of it. She asked a second time while everyone was in the dining room and again I told her I would take care of it. She asked yet a third time and received the same reply.
As my guests and I were chatting in the dining room, the oven was turned off temporarily. I had placed an antique, porcelain bowl in the shutoff oven with brussels sprouts to keep them warm. The porcelain bowl was a keepsake with special meaning to me.!
Unbeknownst to me, my sister-in-law exited the powder room, grabbed her casserole dish, put it in the oven, and proceeded to push a lot of buttons. I heard the buttons being pushed and asked what she was doing.
She said she needed to heat up her casserole dish and I said something to the effect that we had already had a discussion that I would take care of it. I shut the oven off immediately, removed that special bowl, pointed to the dining room, and said,
‘Get out of my kitchen!’
All my guests heard me (dad and stepmother included). What this person obviously didn’t understand is that you do not disrespect me in my house. She proceeded to grab her coat and go out the front door, walking up and down the street in a huff.
She has never been invited into my house again.”
Tom And His Dog
“A few years ago, I was hosting a fairly large BBQ for about 20 people and had invited an elderly friend of mine. Let’s call him Tom. Tom had a lovely but large and untrained dog. On the day of the party, I was rushing around picking up last-minute items and cooking, so I didn’t have the time to check my phone for any messages.
I have a golden rule for all of my parties whether inside or out – no dogs. I love dogs and have two myself but they are always shut away in the bedroom during any parties and I don’t want other people’s dogs there either no matter how well-behaved as some of my other friends are allergic or afraid of dogs.
The party was in full swing with about 15 of my guests sitting, chatting, and eating food when Tom showed up with his dog in tow. I was dumbfounded. His dog started to jump up on everyone and grab food off the table while we all sat there with mouths open in shock. Tom was laughing heartily and not doing a thing to stop his dog.
In a tiny voice I said, ‘Tom, you brought your dog?’
He responded, ‘Didn’t you get my message this afternoon?’
I replied that I was simply too busy preparing for 20 people to chat on the phone and he already knew my rule. There was utter silence. Everyone was staring at him but no one said a word. He turned red and then left with mumbled apologies. I told him he was welcome to come back minus his dog as he just lived up the street.”
Party Ruiners
“I accompanied my cousin and his wife to a party. They had obviously already been drinking and were in the middle of an argument when I got in the car. My cousin drove and slammed Bud Lights while she kept refilling a cup with a box of Merlot that slopped onto her white pants in an unfortunate (for ladies) region.
They entered the party still angry at each other. The names she called him would make a sailor blush, while the names he called her were just as bad. Obnoxious people making fools of themselves in public is like a slow-motion train wreck. It was a party-ruining wreck and had to be dealt with.
The host asked me if I’d drive them home since it was obvious they were much too inebriated to drive themselves. I told him yes and apologized for their behavior. They told my cousin and his wife to leave. When they cursed at him, he told them both they had 15 seconds to see themselves out the door or the off-duty cop buddy he’d also invited to the party would see them out. The old ‘we can do this the easy way or the hard way, and the hard way is going to be really, really hard’ thing. They chose to leave.
I drove while they squabbled most of the way home. Literally, right in the middle of slurring yet another insult, she passed completely out and sat propped against her door, drooling down the side glass as she snored. I gladly left them at their place and then walked to mine.
I learned later from my cousin that he left his wife passed out in the car overnight and that she’d had a badly stiff and sore neck for a week from sleeping in that contorted position. She had to throw away those embarrassingly stained white pants, too.
Unfortunately, they are still married and both still drink to excess frequently.”
Burdensome Bruce
“My companion of over 20 years came by to visit one time. He is 20 years my senior (a widower) which means he has children who are in my age range. I have a son who’s in his 30s and has mental health issues like being very nervous and easily upset.
My son had not been able to make it home for Thanksgiving but came to visit later in the fall, and I then made a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings for the three of us. It was a nice table with great conversation, and we were enjoying each other when my companion’s son, Bruce, came by.
Earlier in the day, I had contacted Bruce by phone at his camp with a question about my water pump that had stopped working because he had a plumbing trade. I told him I didn’t need or want him to come out to fix it, I was just asking whether I should leave it, unplug it, or if I needed to pull a fuse.
When Bruce arrived, he was very inebriated, accusatory, and mouthing off with spit flying from his face. He stood there espousing his rants while we sat at the nice dinner I had made, none of us eating, in shock.
After a few minutes, and with no response from his father, I told Bruce to leave my house. He kept on with his yapping, getting louder and louder. A glance at my son showed me that he was trembling and was about ready to cry. Seeing that he and Bruce’s father were both very upset, I was royally ticked.
I ordered Bruce to my house again. Being ignorant and having an ego puffed up from drinking, he kept on with his senseless rant. I had to put a stop to it before his poor father keeled over. By then, I was so angry and yelled,
‘Shut up and leave my house NOW or I will have you charged with trespassing since you are here without an invitation, and you will not leave as asked.’
He was out the door in just a few seconds. His inebriated behavior was not acceptable in my house.
Almost a year later, Bruce was still holding a grudge against me because a WOMAN dared to stand up to his piggish behavior. I used to be invited to their place for family times, dinners, Christmas, and holidays but his wife told me she wasn’t allowed to invite me anymore.”
Party Gone Wrong
“Most summer Sundays, my boyfriend and I have guests over for swimming and a cookout. Children and pets are welcome, bringing food is welcomed but not required, and people bring their own drinks.
A couple of years ago during one such party, people were sitting in small groups talking and some were swimming. At our table, there were three or four others when one man (I’ll call him Johnny) made an off-color remark. It was mildly funny and got some chuckles from the table as no one else had overheard. This dolt mistook the chuckles for approval, and he immediately got very loud, repeating his dumb remark several times, trying for more approval. By now, everyone could hear him. I quietly said,
‘Okay, Johnny, there are kids here, so that’s enough.’
He jumped up and shouted, ‘So what? They’re not your kids!’
Then he yelled at my boyfriend, ‘I don’t know how you put up with her. I’d have dumped her a long time ago!’
I immediately rose with fire in my eyes and moved toward him with the intention of physically removing him from my porch. My boyfriend grabbed me and sat me back down. Then the other men at the table walked the idiot out to his car while I informed him he couldn’t talk to me like that at my house, couldn’t disrespect my other guests, and he could never come back.”
