The 37 Most Toxic People Met in Real Life According to Reddit

We've all met someone who rubbed us the wrong way, but some people are on an entirely different level of toxic. A recent viral thread started by Reddit user Scary-Bill970 asked users to reveal the worst person they've ever encountered. The responses, ranging from heartbreaking to infuriating, offer a grim look at the darker side of human nature in 2026.

Top 5 Worst People Encountered in Real Life

The community curated a list of the most appalling behaviors. Here are the top 5 categories that sparked the most outrage:

• 1st: The Abusive Patriarch. One user described a stepfather who inflicted trauma for over 10 years without consequences, leaving a trail of broken lives.
• 2nd: The Financial Parasite. Stories of family members and partners racking up over $20,000 in credit card debt and disappearing were rampant.
• 3rd: The Corporate Tyrant. Managers who withheld final paychecks or micro-managed employees into mental breakdowns highlighted workplace toxicity.
• 4th: The Unempathetic Professional. A doctor telling a patient not to be 'dramatic' during a miscarriage was cited as a peak example of clinical cruelty.
• 5th: The 'Evil' Public Figure. A former Capitol Hill staffer claimed Nancy Pelosi was the most unnerving presence they ever encountered, describing it as 'evil.'

Cruelty Disguised as Normalcy

One of the most unsettling stories involved a man who badgered a widow into giving him a Christmas pudding she had saved in memory of her late husband. He then ate it in front of her while she cried, calling it the 'best he'd ever tasted.' These accounts remind us that true evil often wears a very plain face.