Sane People Share The Moment They Realized Someone Was Crazy

December 21, 2018 | Scott Mazza

Sane People Share The Moment They Realized Someone Was Crazy


At some point, most of us have encountered a person or two who just didn’t seem to be all there. For whatever reason, crazy people just don’t seem to be too great at hiding their craziness from the rest of us.

Often, there’s a particular moment or instance that makes us begin to realize that the person we may have thought was normal actually isn’t. Whether funny or serious, one thing about all of these moments is undeniable—there’s no going back for anyone involved.

Here are 42 stories about the moments which made people realize that someone they knew was crazy.


42. Wardrobe Malfunction

There'd been a few instances where my grandma had done a few bizarre things that made me think she might be somewhat crazy.

The one that confirmed it for me was when I was at my sister’s wedding as a groomsman and she snuck up behind me and pulled my pants down in front of everyone.

Yep, they're crazy FactsPixabay

41. Reputation Down the Drain

I thought that my plumber was a pretty nice and cool guy—that is, until one day he started explaining to my wife that Hurricane Sandy didn't really happen, and that the storms are due to the government "shooting electrons" into the sky.

Yep, they're crazy FactsPxHere

40. D-I-V-O-R-C-E

When my son’s mom sent a text message to me threatening to kill my son while he was with her. I now have full custody…

Yep, they're crazy FactsThe Blue Diamond Gallery

39. Social Chameleon

I realized the man sitting next to me on a bus ride was crazy when he told me that the place I was headed to was full of reptile people. I clung tight to my man until the end of the 14-hour Greyhound trip, listening to this guy’s lunatic ramblings the whole time.

Yep, they're crazy FactsPexels

38. Best Foot Forward

I was friends with this girl in high school who was a grade above me and I thought she was so cool. She had these amazing stories of things that happened in her life. After a few years, I started to wonder if she was lying. There were little things I'd catch her in. I started to think she might be a compulsive liar, and then one day I knew it for sure when we had a conversation in the mall parking lot. We parked, got out, and began walking to the building. Here's the conversation that followed.

Me: “I like your outfit! Where'd you get those shoes?”

Her: “They're my roommate’s. We had a party at our house and someone stole all of my shoes.”

Me: “Oh, that's terrible, I'm sorry!”

Her: “Haha yeah. Where'd you get your outfit?”

Me: [Name of store.]

Her: “I love that store! I got my shirt there and these shoes are my roommate’s. We took all of my shoes to a bar when we were out drinking and gave them away.”

Me: “Oh...okay...”

Then we keep walking and as we get to the door.

Her: “Let's go into Wet Seal first. That's where I bought these boots.”

This whole conversation happened as we walked TO the mall. Her story changed three times. And she definitely was not just messing with me.

Yep, they're crazy FactsPixabay

37. It’s Aliiiiivvee!!!!!

I was arguing with someone on Facebook. Seemingly out of nowhere, he wrote that the Obama administration had authorized the use of billions of dollars for an attempt to create life outside of the womb.

When the project was deemed unsuccessful, his supporters realized that Obama was not more powerful than God and became disappointed in him. Whatever you say, man…

Yep, they're crazy FactsPixabay

36. Killing the Friendship

My ex-friend sent me a link to some kind of inappropriate website. I was 12 years old at the time. I don't know if it was real or fake, but it depicted a person being killed. He thought this was a normal thing to watch and tried to discuss it with me. My 12-year-old mind wasn't ready for it.

Yep, they're crazy FactsPixabay

35. Proportionate Response

I started to feel that one of my coworkers was crazy when another person who worked with us got engaged, and he responded by looking at her ring and saying "The bigger the diamond, the colder the heart."

Yep, they're crazy FactsPxHere

34. Chicken or the Egg?

We had a float nurse who would occasionally appear on our unit. Great nurse, patients loved him. Also completely insane. He would often start talking about insane conspiracy theories that he documents on Twitter. I decided he was definitely crazy when I received a very long lecture about how there were secret ties between Big Hero 6, a Brad Pitt war movie, and the number three. Because the meaning of everything is love. I'm pretty sure his wife leaving him triggered some kind of psychotic breakdown. Or maybe she left because he was crazy. Who knows?

shutterstock_1125750473.jpgshutterstock

33. What Have You Been Smoking?

I determined that my mother might legitimately be crazy when she—a 40-year smoker who has watched her sister and ex-husband die of cancer and has two brothers currently with cancer, all of whom were lifelong smokers—told me, "I don't believe cigarettes really cause cancer, it's all a conspiracy." You crazy, mom.

Yep, they're crazy FactsPexels

32. Poetry in Motion

I worked at a gas station when I was in high school. Every day around the same time for a couple of months, this really cute guy would come in to use the restroom.

Eventually, I started being friendlier and he’d stop to chat whenever he saw me. One day, he asked if I’d like to hear a poem. I said yes, gushed about how great it was, and then he went on his way.

This guy was gorgeous so that he clouded my judgment. His poems made no sense and got weirder as time went on. My coworker urged me to stop being so friendly, as the guy gave her the creeps. I, being 15 and boy crazy, ignored this.

This went on for months until one day, he ran in with his hair in pigtails and with cat-style whiskers drawn on his face. He locked himself in the bathroom for over an hour. I knocked on the door several times and heard him talking as if on the phone.

Finally, he busts out, clutching a half-dissolved urinal cake up to his ear and says, “Someone left me a clue. I finally found it! Farewell!” He ran away down the street and we never saw him again.

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

31. Picking Up on What’s Going on Here

I knew my ex-girlfriend was crazy when she started dressing like a schoolgirl to pick up taxi drivers who were three times her age. This from someone who would also constantly go on about being a good Christian to everyone who knew her.

Yep, they're crazy FactsPxHere

30. Calendar Girl

My brother started dating this girl and I thought she was a little clingy and insecure, but I chalked it up to being a little nervous around her new boyfriend's family.

However, she had been with my brother for less than six months when I got engaged. In a conversation about wedding dates, I said I wanted to get married in October. She immediately got upset and started crying to my brother. She didn't want me to steal her "dream wedding date" and she told me that the entire month of October was off limits. She expected my brother to propose to her and wanted to get married that year. Yep. She cray.

Luckily my brother eventually realized she was a little unhinged and dumped her. And I had my wedding in October. Take that!

Yep, they're crazy FactsPixabay

29. Love Thy Neighbor

My very sweet, elderly next-door neighbor decided one day to explain to me about how God had promised her my house.

She casually told me, "Oh, you should have seen how beautiful it was the day we moved in. I touched your door, and I knew then and there that God wanted me to own your house. You may live in it now, but it’s only temporary."

It gave me the creeps, but I didn't say anything because her husband mows my lawn for free.

Yep, they're crazy FactsMount Pleasant Granary

28. Guns A-Blazin’

I was at a Halloween party several years ago with a secondary/tertiary friend group. You know the kind. I was kinda friends with some of them, only barely knew others. But it was a costume party and I didn’t have anywhere else to be, so I went.

There was a guy who was near to the center of said group that was always a little odd. Everyone called him Prison Guy because he had been to prison. I had run into him a few years before when I was maybe 14 and he had offered me $20 to take off my shirt. He was at least 20 years old at that time. Real class act.

Well, during the party, he pulls out a LOADED GUN. He starts waving it around in the air and saying that he could end it all right there if he wanted to or something to that effect. Two guys eventually manage to get it from him. Now he’s pissed and running around the house yelling. A third guy steps in and decides to break down the gun. So one guy has all the bullets and one guy gets the actual gun. Someone else took the magazine.

NO ONE ELSE reacted. They were just like “Welp, typical Prison Guy behavior”.

So that’s the day I decided that this entire circle of friends was completely crazy.

Yep, they're crazy FactsPexels

27. Not Cool, Man!

I knew a boy from my old school who was the stereotypical loner and weird kid. He often talked about hunting animals on his parent's farm and showed people pictures of his sword collection. He also wore heavy belt buckles and joked about using them as a weapon. When there was a school shooting recently and someone told him the news, his response was "Oh cool!"

Didn't talk to him again after that…

Yep, they're crazy FactsFlickr Daniel Drexler

26. What’s in a Name?

My ex-girlfriend, to whom I was not married, surprised me by legally changing her surname to mine after the one-year anniversary of our relationship.

Yep, they're crazy FactsFlickr Jack Dorsey

25. Baby, Baby, Baby Noooo

When my neighbor insisted that my husband and I flew to the US to have a baby. Every day, when my husband would come home from work, she would stop him and tell him that she heard me in the apartment with the baby all day, and would ask how our daughter was.

We have no children, and I have never even been pregnant before. He would always correct her, but she was adamant that we had a baby girl, and that she heard me with her all the time. I already tried to stay away from this neighbor as much as possible, but now it was an "avoid at all costs" thing.

Sane People ExperienceShutterstock

24. Salty Attitude

My ex called the cops on me because she thought I was trying to “poison” her. This was all because I accidentally bought salted butter instead of unsalted. That was the moment!

Yep, they're crazy Factswikipedia

23. Alternative Facts

One of my coworkers seemed okay at first. She would tell me stories about her life where literally everyone in her life had done her wrong. I finally realized just how delusional she was when she was telling me about an interaction with a third coworker that I was present for. She skewed the details of that interaction so bad that I'm standing there listening and questioning everything this woman has ever told me.

Yep, they're crazy FactsWikimedia Commons Mike Kalasnik

22. Home Sweet Home

My flatmate’s ex was drunk and got mad at him for reasons unknown. She vomited into a bucket, then stared him in the eye and tipped it all over our lounge floor. Then she tried to throw pizza at him which she had chewed up and spat into her hand. She missed him and hit someone else.

Then, she put her hand through our window, as in she literally broke the window by shoving her arm through it, and smeared the blood all over the walls and floor—all the while saying pathetic things about him and being a general buffoon.

This was all in the space of about an hour, at 11 in the morning. The relationship didn’t last long after that, but she continued to try and blackmail him for some time after they broke up. Definitely had some issues I think.

Yep, they're crazy Factspxhere

21. No More Mother’s Day Gifts

My friend’s stepmom attempted to suffocate him with a pillow in his sleep. He was 17 years old at the time and a linebacker on the football team. He literally woke up and threw her out of his second story window. She is still in prison for attempted murder, and in a wheelchair for life.

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

20. His Dream Job

I was on a date with this guy who acted rudely towards the waiter all night and was only interested in sex. The thing that made me say that he was crazy was when he brought up the fact that he enjoyed staring at dead bodies because it aroused him. What's even worse is that he worked at a morgue...

Yep, they're crazy FactsFlickr worak

19. Executive Order

I work at a Cadillac dealer. There was this homeless guy who would always wander around the area, and I didn’t ever think anything of him. That is, until one day he rides up on his bike and marches straight up to our manager. "Can I help you?" the manager asks.

The homeless guy was twitchy. "Yeah, so, I was just talking to President Trump and he said wants me to have a nice car."

The manager nods, looking all serious. "Did the president give you money for a new car? Do you have a way to purchase one?"

Homeless guy is undeterred. "No, no, he says I should just tell you that he’ll take care of it later. He wants me to have nice things."

The manager is again nodding seriously. "And I understand that, sir, but I'm just the manager. I don’t own the cars and can't just give them out for free, unfortunately."

Homeless guy was still determined. "Okay, okay, but let me put it this way: are you a father?"

Now, I don't know what argument he was going to make about free Cadillacs and fatherhood, but suddenly he sees some macho-looking guys walking towards him and he promptly leaves. My hunch is that they were coming because he stole his bike from the Walmart down the road...

Yep, they're crazy FactsPexels

18. The Barter System

I was eating at my local sandwich shop when a woman comes in and heads over to the counter. She pulls a dead bird from her coat pocket and asks what type of sub she can get for the bird. Everybody turns and watches as the teenager behind the counter tries to process what’s going on. He starts yelling that she needs to leave because a dead bird is an obvious health concern. She gets mad that he's not even willing to hear her out, and storms off mumbling and swearing under her breath.

Yep, they're crazy FactsFlickr

17. Vow of Silence

I met my friend's super Christian girlfriend for the first time. Out of the blue, she starts asking me questions like if I'm a virgin, who I dated before I started dating my SO, why I didn't have a crush on her boyfriend (he liked me in high school), who her boyfriend liked in high school, who her boyfriend liked in middle school.

It got even weirder after that. My friend and I used to game all the time. After meeting his girlfriend, she told me we can no longer game together. We can't Skype together (we were in different states at the time). We can no longer speak on the phone together. We can't be alone together. We can't even text.

She claims that he's a good, Christian guy, and he needs good, Christian guy friends. Since I'm a girl, she told me that Christian guys shouldn't have friends of the opposite gender.

I knew something was seriously wrong with her when she demanded that he choose between herself or his female friends.

Unfortunately, my friend became blinded by his girlfriend, and he chose her over all of us. We don't talk anymore.

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

16. Center of Attention

My brother's ex-wife once went on a tirade in front of everyone, screaming and yelling, threatening to set her hair on fire, and promising to cut herself because her baby was getting more attention than her from the family. I could never view her the same way again after that…

Yep, they're crazy FactsFlickr Jared Goralnick

15. What Goes Around Comes Around?

I determined there was something seriously wrong with my friend when one day, a conversation about a friend of mine with testicular cancer came up. Turns out she tried to hook up with him once a few years back but he rejected her.

She told me that she sincerely hopes that he succumbs to cancer. That was the last straw for me.

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

14. Prime Suspect

One of my co-workers, Karen, was definitely not my favorite person to talk to and/or work with, as our personalities and our worldviews always seemed to be complete opposites of each other.

Karen makes these completely irrelevant, irrational and extreme statements out of the blue all the time, often seemingly just to disagree with me or one of the many other people that she can't get along with in the office.

Another co-worker's cat died some time ago, and after the autopsy, it appeared that the cat had eaten a poisoned sponge. You'll often hear about cat or dog haters that poison snacks and scatter them around here in the Netherlands.

That person had obviously had a hard time coping with the death of his cat and while we were talking about it with a group of co-workers, Karen barges in and says that she can completely understand why people poison cats or dogs, because she can't stand the fact that cats come in her backyard and poop there whenever they feel like it. She even stated that she'd do it too. Yup, ever since then I know she's crazy.

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

13. Cats Out of the Bag

A colleague of mine was married to a man 20 years her senior, and they lived in a trailer straight out of Deliverance. She kept coming in every 6-7 months trying to give away the kittens her cats kept producing. After a couple rounds of this, we asked her why she didn't get her cats fixed. According to her, “We did that, but his genitals grew back.”

Sadly, any kittens she couldn't find homes for, her husband ended up drowning. He was one of those “It's just a dumb animal” types. God, they made me mad.

Yep, they're crazy FactsPixabay

12. Get Your Story Straight

I was talking to a girl I didn't know that well. It went like this:

Her: “Oh, I'm an only child.”

Me: “Really? I could never imagine being an only child, what's that like?”

Her: “It gets lonely sometimes but you get used to it, y'know?”

*Fast forward a few minutes*

Me: “I really like your bracelet!”

Her: “Thanks, my sister gave it to me!”

Alright then…

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

11. A Game of Clue

I determined that my colleague was a nut when he told me that the entire world was filled with secret hidden "signs" that he had to personally decipher, and gave me an explanation that made no sense whatsoever.

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

10. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Several months after going on a single date with a woman, she calls me out of the blue on Christmas Eve while I'm at work to introduce me to her family over the phone as her boyfriend. The one date we had gone on was dinner at a restaurant. She didn't order anything, just kept eating my fries, and then went and watched TV back at her place. Nothing physical happened whatsoever, and the date ended with a handshake. When I responded that we were not a couple, she started freaking out and crying about how horrible I was for breaking up with her on Christmas Eve.

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

9. Jumpin’ Jupiter!

I was on my first cruise—a three-day trip to the Bahamas and back. I was talking to a dude at the bar who seemed cool and asked where he's from. "Jupiter!" was his response. Luckily, my buddy came around and I just walked away thinking that the guy must have been nuts.

Then I found out many years later that Jupiter, Florida is a real place and remembered this guy from the cruise. Maybe he wasn’t crazy after all...

Yep, they're crazy FactsFlickr Florida Memory

8. Getting to Know You

I knew my acquaintance was crazy when he told me, in full seriousness, that he's a werewolf.

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

7. Where There’s a Pill, There’s a Way

I knew my wife was crazy when she was arguing and trying to convince me to get my doctor to perform an unnecessary and potentially dangerous surgery on me just so she could try and swipe some pills.

I divorced her.

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

6. Take Me to Your Leader

A man came into the bar I work at. He's a semi-regular and is generally quite energetic, but harmless. Everything was as normal. He drank his small Sauvignon Blanc and left.

This is where it gets weird. He came back in a couple of hours later and I asked him if he'd like the same wine he had last time. He stared at me, dead-eyed and completely silent for maybe 30 seconds, before laughing. He went on to tell me that I must be confusing him for his twin brother and that in fact his brother was from Earth but he is from another planet, and there couldn't possibly be anything suitable for him to drink in our bar because his digestive system is completely different from ours.

This explanation went on for a while. He eventually left and came back in an hour or so later, had a glass of wine, and left again.

He's perfectly nice and respectful so it isn't a problem and there's a whole community of people looking out for him, but he's definitely crazy.

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

5. Plot Twist

My first job was at Target. I was in the Food Avenue section, which is where you would buy things like popcorn, nachos, or soft pretzels.

This lady would come in quite often. She had a little cart with two wheels that she pulled behind her, full of stuff. She would wear baggy dresses and had what can only be described as a Benjamin Franklin hairdo. She would wander around for a while and then come to Food Avenue and buy a sandwich.

Whenever we exchanged money, she would ask me if she swallowed or was choking on any change. I would calmly look at her and say “Nope, you’re just fine,” sometimes repeating myself four or five times. At that point, I figured something was not right with her.

Turns out she had witnessed her grandmother choking to death at a young age and was traumatized for life.

Unsolved Mysteries Factsshutterstock

4. Using His Head

When my college roommate tried to annoy the girls living in the dorm room next to us by banging his head on the wall constantly to anger them with the noise. I still don’t even know why he hated them so much, he just did.

Yep, they're crazy FactsFlickr Brett L.

3. I Dreamed a Dream

The following conversation led me to believe that I was dating a crazy person.

Her: (looking very upset) “I dreamed of my deceased father last night.”

Me: “Oh, so how did it go?”

Her: “DON'T YOU KNOW THAT WHEN A GIRL DREAMS OF HER DECEASED FATHER THAT MEANS THAT MY PARTNER IS CHEATING ON ME?? WHY DID YOU DO IT?? I TRUSTED YOU!!” (sobbing starts)

That was a fun day…

Yep, they're crazy FactsFlickr Alberto Abouganem Stephens

2. High Steaks

A coworker of mine was in his basement apartment one night and, after coming out of the bathroom, one of his ex-girlfriends was just standing in the hallway staring at him. He immediately told her to get the heck out, as any person would. She responded to that by pulling out a steak knife from her back pocket and swinging it around, making some pretty crazy statements. He managed to get the knife away from her. AND THEN SHE PULLED OUT ANOTHER ONE. THIS GIRL HAD A FULL PACK OF STEAK KNIVES IN HER POCKET!

She then proceeded to stab herself in the neck. I think that was the moment when he realized she was pretty off.

She survived.

They’re dating now.

That’s when I realized my coworker was crazy.

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

1. Suspecting the Worst

I had an extremely clingy friend that texted and tried to call me 50 million times a day. Well, I was having a really bad day and wasn't in the mood to converse with her at all, so I just ignored her. She called the police and told them she thought I had committed suicide. That was fun.

Yep, they're crazy Factsshutterstock

Sources: Reddit,


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