Friend Breakup Stories From Our Readers

This week, the Cut published a series about friendship breakups, from why they’re so much more painful than a romantic split to why they’re so common when one friend is a bridesmaid, what happens when platonic life partners part ways, and more. We also shared our best tips about how to keep a group trip from tanking friendships as well as songs, books, films, and TV shows to get you through everything from epic blowups with your best friend to mysterious slow fades. Our readers had their own stories to share, and we’ve collected some of the ones you offered in the comments, below.

The wedding guests who cut off the bride.

In our story “Will Your Friendship Pass the Bridesmaid Test?,” former bridesmaids opened up about the emotional and financial toll of being a part of a friend’s wedding party, including one who was left with negative $30 in her bank account. These readers know the wedding blowouts all too well.

The friends who got dumped.

Friends see us at our absolute worst and love us unconditionally — at least until they don’t. “Exactly Why Are Friendship Breakups So Brutal?” examined why the friends who dump us, whether abruptly or after a prolonged ghosting period, impact us so deeply. These readers could relate.

The friends who did the dumping.

But sometimes, like the readers below, we’re the ones who have to do the dumping — and it’s no less painful.