Unless you go to school, work, or co-parent with your ex, you probably (thankfully) don't have to see them very often. However, can you imagine if their name were all over social media, the radio, or your TV screen?
Recently, I asked the BuzzFeed Community about what's to like to watch your ex become famous.
There are also some responses from the comments on this post.
Here are 16 of their best responses:
Disclaimer: These stories have not been verified. The users are supposedly speaking from their own experiences.
1. "My mom went on one date with Matthew Perry. He was an asshole the entire time. He kept saying she was so lucky to be there with him because he was going to be very famous soon. He refused to pay the check because he was gifting her with his presence already. Needless to say, that was their only date."
2. "I actually dated Heath Ledger way before he became an actor. He used to work as a volunteer lifeguard at Bondi Beach in Sydney while he was struggling to get any acting roles. We did a few commercials together before he landed his first role in the soap Home and Away. We lived in the same apartment building and he was a surfer dude, but he was a really sweet, down-to-earth guy and extremely funny. We broke up because I couldn't handle so many girls always around him at the beach."
3. "I dated a musician in the early '00s right before he blew up. His reputation now is that he's trash and treats women like trash. He was always sweet and nerdy with me (think John Cusack in Say Anything), so I don't know if the rumors are exaggerated, if fame went to his head, or what, but it's sad to me either way."
4. "My older cousin dated Luke Bryan while in school at Georgia Southern University. When I asked for details, she just rolled her eyes and said that everybody dated Luke. He was quite the player."
5. "I'll keep the country music artist anonymous, as we haven't spoken in several years (no falling out, we just both moved/had busy lives), but I had a brief fling with said artist. He was playing at a local bar in my college town when I was in my early 20s. I kept gushing to my friends how cute the lead singer was, and joked that we were making eye contact the whole time. Little did I know, he had actually noticed me! I stayed late to hang out with the band, and we ended up having a few hookup sessions."
6. "I went out once with Teresa Ganzel. I was so in awe of her, I don't think I said 12 words to her all night. We went to a concert in the school auditorium. She was so beautiful in high school — with long, dark hair — and so smart. Since she's been in Hollywood, she dyed it blonde and acts like a complete ditz. Even at reunions, she acts that way."
7. "My fourth-grade teacher went to prom with Steve Martin. They double-dated with her friend a few times after that, and on one date, they went to a drive-in movie. My teacher and her friend stayed in the car while Steve and the other guy went to get snacks. Of course, the girls chatted about gossip and their dates while the guys were gone, and when they got back, Steve leaned under the front seat, pulled out a running tape recorder, and winked at her."
8. "In high school, I dated a guy who's now the guitarist for a pretty famous, Grammy-winning rock band. While we ended things on a bad note, lots of growing up has been done since, so when we see each other in my hometown (his parents still live here), things are polite and friendly. Seeing him start to become famous, though, was the most exciting thing ever."
9. "My mom dealt with Jay-Z in the '90s. She admittedly didn't think he was cute and wasn't very nice to him, but she spoke highly of him. The running joke in our family — especially the richer he got while we were low income — was that she should've been nicer to Jay-Z."
10. "My grandma would qualify for this article. She dated Tennessee Ernie Ford, who was a country singer from way back. The famous story in our family was that she lent him her guitar, and he broke it!"
11. "I worked with an actor on a very small indie film that no one has ever heard of, and he flirted with me the whole time. We hooked up after it ended, and then he just straight-up ghosted me."
12. "YouTuber/musician Marc Rebillet asked me out on a date in high school. We went to the same school. I said no, lmao."
13. "One of my high school English teachers dated Dan Brown (author of The Da Vinci Code) pre-fame, and allegedly, a character in his book Digital Fortress is named after her."
14. "My mom used to date Dave Chappelle. They broke up so he could move to New York, and then he blew up."
15. "I dated two guys from my big football college who have Super Bowl rings now. Every once in a while, I see them on TV! They were both nice guys, and one had a long NFL career."
16. And finally: "When I was young, I was a trainee at an entertainment company; I can't say which one. My ex and I were both trainees, and we dated very secretly, so as not to get in trouble. However, we were very close to being outed, and we just decided to break up rather than risk it all."
