Mother-in-Law Confesses to Paying Wedding Planner Who Had an Affair with Her Husband, Family Demands Her Expulsion

I (F30s) recently hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner, and everything was going smoothly until my mother-in-law (MIL) joined the table. The family has a history with her being the “black sheep,” and things got tense quickly. It all started with a discussion about a past family drama, and before I knew it, my MIL was being berated by almost everyone at the table. Eventually, I asked her to leave, as the majority of my guests wanted her gone. I thought I was just trying to save the evening, but now I’m being called a “fake” and “coward” by her and my father-in-law. Was I in the wrong for kicking her out?

I had been looking forward to hosting my first Thanksgiving. I was excited to have everyone over, and I wanted it to be a great experience. But as soon as my mother-in-law (MIL) showed up, things started to spiral. For some context, my MIL has always been a bit of a black sheep in the family. She’s difficult to get along with, and her husband (my father-in-law) is obnoxious. Add to that the fact that her siblings are often mean to her, and it’s clear she has a lot of unresolved family drama. Honestly, though, I find MIL pretty unlikable myself, which doesn’t help things.

To add more fuel to the fire, my MIL’s dad left his wife of decades to marry her wedding planner. This caused a lot of anger and drama within the family. MIL was working nonstop during her wedding, so she hired a wedding planner, but that planner ended up sleeping with her father. It was a huge scandal, and now her dad is engaged to the woman (who, by the way, is the same age as MIL). This created a lot of tension in the family, and to say things are strained would be an understatement.

The Thanksgiving Drama Begins

So, back to Thanksgiving. The dinner was supposed to be a time to enjoy family, but that quickly changed when the topic of MIL’s dad came up. Apparently, there had been a rumor going around that MIL had stiffed the wedding planner (her dad’s new fiancée) by not paying her bill. MIL, clearly upset, revealed that she had, in fact, paid the bill and wasn’t trying to avoid her responsibility. This led to an even more heated argument.

MIL’s siblings were furious, and her grandma started crying, all of them berating MIL and her husband. I tried to step in and change the subject, hoping to get the focus back on the food and good vibes, but the damage was already done. MIL’s sister, who has always had a complicated relationship with her, declared that MIL should leave the table, saying she wasn’t “family” anymore. I was caught in the middle of the chaos and was feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

Asking Her to Leave

At this point, things were escalating. The atmosphere was tense, and the dinner was quickly turning into a disaster. The majority of my guests were visibly upset by the drama, and it felt like no one was enjoying themselves. Honestly, I didn’t want my first Thanksgiving to end in a full-blown meltdown, so I decided to ask MIL to leave.

I didn’t expect things to get so out of hand. I just wanted to bring peace to the situation and salvage the evening for everyone else. I asked MIL to leave, explaining that the majority of my guests felt uncomfortable, and it was ruining the night. She did not take this well at all. MIL immediately called me a “fake bitch,” which, honestly, stung more than I expected. Her husband also unloaded on me, making me feel like I was the one in the wrong for trying to manage the situation.

Then, MIL started fake crying and stormed off. It was dramatic, and the whole scene felt like something out of a bad reality show. She told her dad what happened, and that’s when the real fallout began.

The Fallout

After MIL left, things didn’t calm down. She immediately went to her dad (my MIL’s father), who then called me. He called me a coward and said I was a terrible host for kicking MIL out. He was furious, telling me that I had ruined the holiday for everyone. At this point, I was feeling overwhelmed and honestly just wanted to go to bed and forget the whole thing.

But it didn’t stop there. MIL’s siblings also called me, expressing their disappointment and saying that while they understood my decision, I should’ve handled it better. They all insisted that I could’ve been more “compassionate” and found another way to diffuse the situation. Now I’m questioning whether I made the right decision.

The Aftermath

In the days following Thanksgiving, I’ve been getting messages from both sides of the family. Some people understand why I asked MIL to leave and say that I was just trying to keep the peace, but others are furious with me. I still feel like I did what I had to do. It was my house, my dinner, and I felt that MIL’s presence was just creating too much tension. But now I’m wondering if I went too far.

Was I wrong for asking her to leave? Should I have let the situation play out and allowed the drama to continue? I know MIL is tough to deal with, and her family’s treatment of her isn’t always kind, but at the end of the day, it was my house, and I didn’t want to let one person ruin the evening for everyone else.

However, most commenters unanimously sided with her mother-in-law, dubbing both the author and her relatives toxic, and claiming they owe an apology to the poor lady

So, AITA for kicking my MIL out of Thanksgiving? I tried to stay neutral and save the evening, but now I’m questioning if I overreacted. It wasn’t my intention to make things worse, but I didn’t want to have a holiday ruined by drama. I’d love to hear what others think – did I handle this situation poorly, or was I justified in protecting the vibe of my dinner?