Woman dumped because she tells broke BF he'll never be a 'content creator.' AITA?
Influencers in Denial.
One woman was exhausted after being the sole breadwinner in her relationship. It was not so much about her having to work, but more so about the 'work' her boyfriend was attempting. He wanted, more than anything, to be a in influential 'content creator.' While she didn't want step on his dreams, she did want him live in reality. He did not subscribe.
'AITA for telling my boyfriend that his dream of becoming a successful streamer/content creator isn't going to work out the way he thinks?'
I'm a tattoo artist and piercer. I co-own and run a tattoo/piercing business with a friend and I have many employees under me. We are open 6 days a week from 1PM to midnight. 4 days are a regular appointment schedule, while the final 2 days of the work week are walk-in days for people who want something faster than usual without having to set up a time.
On top of setting up and closing the shop every day, I drive 45 minutes to work and then 45 minutes home each day. I get home past 3AM almost every night, eat, and then sleep a few hours.
We are busy constantly throughout the week. I only have one day off and I usually end up spending it cleaning the house, cooking or doing anything else needed done.
My boyfriend, on the other hand, is trying to become a successful Twitch streamer and Youtuber. He started around 4 years ago. He has a few dozen followers on both platforms and usually has around 2 to 5 viewers for each stream or video. It's gotten pretty bad in the past 2 1/2 years or so though.
He streams while I'm at work and that'll usually be an 11 to 13 hour stream a day depending on what he does. His life revolves around content creation now. He wakes up to stream, then spends all day streaming a game and then uploads it to Youtube.
The other problem with it is that in the 4 years he's been trying to do this he hasn't worked a single job. He's unemployed. No single donation or any monetary expense has come from his endeavor. He literally does nothing but stream. He quit his floor manager job at Walmart to become this.
I've talked to him recently about maybe cutting down the hours on his streams so he has time to do stuff around the house, spend time with me, or better his health. He doesn't even eat unless I remind him when I get home late. It's literally hurting him.
I also explained that maybe he should think about getting a new job so I'm not the only one paying all the bills or groceries. I'd like help of any kind. I can't do all this alone anymore.
Each one of these talks has turned into a fight between us. He will get super defensive about it and tell me off. He tries to convince me that I don't understand his 'lifestyle' and that 'I don't know how hard it is to be a content creator'. It's gotten more and more heated. He'll have a tantrum and go back to streaming to his 'community that supports him'.
The other day, I straight up told him his dreams of being a successful streamer or content creator of any kind were never going to work out the way he thinks they are. He doesn't seem to understand that the hours he's putting in are doing more harm than good.
For us and him. He had another tantrum, and promptly told me he wanted a break from the relationship. We aren't talking and now he's doing nothing but the same usual routine. AITA?
Here were the top responses from readers of this content:
NTA. So during this break, is he still living with you? Because that’s not really a break. I definitely recommend dumping him and never looking back. He acts like he’s a child and you’re his parents and responsible for paying for his food and shelter. Please date an adult next time. Your life will improve dramatically.
NTA. 4 years and still not being able to gain any monetary value from it. Sounds like a hobby to me. Hobbies don't pay the bills.
4 years, OP???
Okay you've been pretty patient. He's had time to lay the groundwork for his streaming career and it hasn't taken off, so you've been more than understanding.
AT THE MINIMUM he needs to be taking care of himself and cleaning up the house if he's not going to be able to contribute to the household. Most streamers until they hit bigger numbers still have 'normal' jobs and 'normal' daytime routines.
In fact I just watched a video from CC Suarez where she explicitly says do not quit your day job until you can support the lifestyle. Gaming streamers have created a massively diluted market and unless they have some kind of hook or incredibly entertaining streaming style/personality, it's going to be very hard to break through and find monetary success.
NTA - he's not your boyfriend, he's your dependent. And of the 'moody teenager' variety from the sounds of it.
Right now you don't have a boyfriend, you have a child. Your bf isn't pulling his weight at work or at home and needed the reality check. You've been supportive in all ways for longer than enough. If you're not with him, who's going to house him and pay his bills?? His community of a dozen??? NTA