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His aunt died on Thanksgiving and his 'rap' about how the family handled it is hilarious

The 95-year-old's 'bold, creative decision' to die on Thanksgiving when the whole family was at her house led to this chaotic masterpiece.

death, aunt, tiktok, humor

@dairy.n/TikTok

A viral video tells a wild, oddly hilarious tale of a guy's aunt dying on Thanksgiving.

A loved one dying on a holiday isn't normally something to laugh about, but there are exceptions to every rule. This video is one of them.

TikTok user Darien (@dairy.n) shared a story about his family's Thanksgiving Day that is so gloriously bizarre and delightfully real, it's hard not to laugh, despite the fact that it's about his aunt dying. The fact that he tells the tale in the style of a "One thing about me" rap is extra hilarious, and judging by the comments of some of the 6.7 million people who've watched it, it's struck people's funny bones.

Dark humor? A little bit. But his aunt was 95 and she died of natural causes, which helps the hilarity feel not quite so inappropriate. She also apparently had a fabulous sense of humor that she used to cope with her own difficulties throughout her life, so the video is more like a fitting tribute than a what-the-heck storytelling.

There is plenty of what-the-heck here, though. I tell you, I was not prepared.

It's one of those videos you simply have to see—and process—for yourself. Off we go:

@dairy.n
This is a healthy way to process things right?

OK, but that rigor mortis dance? Epic.

One thing that's so relatable about this video is that so many things are happening at once, and you can picture exactly what it must have been like to be there. The grieving, of course, but also the logistics of "What do we do with her body?" and the "Well, we already have all of this food and we need to eat anyway," is just totally real. People don't talk about the practical parts of someone dying like this very often, but it's part of the death process. And when it's a very old person whose time has naturally come, it's not really a tragic death, so a little humor—especially if the person would have appreciated it—can be a totally appropriate way to handle it.

Darien posted a follow-up video to explain a little bit about who his aunt was, which makes the viral video all the better.

@dairy.n
You better apprecciate how earnest im being because from here on out it’s silly hours.

If you're not familiar, the Holodomor was a deliberate famine in which Stalin's regime starved nearly 4 million Ukrainians in 1932 and 1933. After being largely ignored for decades, in recent years it has been officially recognized as a genocide against the Ukrainian people.

Here's a YouTube video of her playing piano at age 92. Impressive.

Auntie Taissa clearly lived a good long life, and what better way for a performer to go out than with a viral video about you that brings people joy?

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How 7 things that have nothing to do with rape perfectly illustrate the concept of consent.

Well this is all a very brilliant way to show what it's all about.

mage from Everyday Feminism, used with permission by creator Alli Kirkham.

There are many different scenarios where consent is necessary.

In 2013, Zerlina Maxwell ignited a firestorm of controversy when she strongly recommended we stop telling women how to not get raped.

Here are her words, from the transcript of her appearance on Sean Hannity's show:

"I don't think that we should be telling women anything. I think we should be telling men not to rape women and start the conversation there with prevention."

So essentially—instead of teaching women how to avoid rape, let's raise boys specifically to not rape.

There was a lot of ire raised from that idea. Maxwell was on the receiving end of a deluge of online harassment and threats because of her ideas. The backlash was egregious, but sadly, it's nothing new. Such reactions are sadly common for outspoken women on the Internet.

People assumed it meant she was labeling all boys as potential rapists or that every man has a rape-monster he carries inside him unless we quell it from the beginning.

But the truth is most of the rapes women experience are perpetrated by people they know and trust. So, fully educating boys during their formative years about what constitutes consent and why it's important to practice explicitly asking for consent could potentially eradicate a large swath of acquaintance rape. It's not a condemnation on their character or gender, but an extra set of tools to help young men approach sex without damaging themselves or anyone else.

screenshot from Hannity show

Zerlina Maxwell is interviewed on "Hannity."

Image from “Hannity."

But what does teaching boys about consent really look like in action?

Well, there's the viral letter I wrote to my teen titled "Son, It's Okay If You Don't Get Laid Tonight" explaining his responsibility in the matter. I wanted to show by example that Maxwell's words weren't about shaming or blaming boys who'd done nothing wrong yet, but about giving them a road map to navigate their sexual encounters ahead.

There are also rape prevention campaigns on many college campuses, aiming to reach young men right at the heart of where acquaintance rape is so prevalent. The 2014 movement, "It's On Us," was backed by The White House and widely welcomed by many young men.

And then there are creative endeavors to find the right metaphors and combination of words to get people to shake off their acceptance of cultural norms and see rape culture clearly.

This is brilliant:

comics that illustrate consent

A comic about different types of consent.

Image from Everyday Feminism, used with permission by creator Alli Kirkham.

There you have it. Seven comparisons that anyone can use to show how simple and logical the idea of consent really is. Consent culture is on its way because more and more people are sharing these ideas and getting people to think critically. How can we not share an idea whose time has come?

This article originally appeared ten years ago.

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A comedian sparked a fierce debate when she exploded with rage at a male heckler

After the guy got kicked out, Natalie Cuomo read his texts to his friend live on stage.

Unsplash

I once had tickets to see the late, great Mitch Hedberg at a comedy club in Baltimore. I was unimaginably excited about seeing my hero live. A few days before the show, Mitch sadly passed away. The venue got another comic to fill in and my friends and I went anyway, not really knowing what else to do. The new comic was... a lot different from Mitch. We unwisely sat in the very front and that led to me getting brutally roasted for a good portion of the show.

I understood even then that that's how comedy works sometimes, but I admit, it did feel a little mean-spirited at times, and I can't say it was the greatest experience. Comedians, especially in smaller clubs, are known to dish out some good-natured abuse. Sometimes the abuse isn't so good natured. But one of the big questions when it comes to "crowd work" is — if they dish it out, they should be able to take it, right? A viral encounter between a comedian and a heckler is raising questions about proper etiquette at a comedy show — both from the performer and people in the crowd.

Comedian Natalie Cuomo was doing crowd work during her set at the DC Comedy Loft when she began interacting with a guy who wasn't willing to play along. Heckling is part of the life of a comedian, especially when they start ribbing the audience. After all, the spectators are real live people -- you never can be sure how they'll react or what they might say back!

But this guy seemed to get genuinely offended at a little jab, and Cuomo called him out on being a little overly sensitive.

"It's not my fault you don't have material," the man shot back. "I can roast you, too. You can't just roast all of us and get nothing." Shortly after, he offered, or maybe threatened, to take the mic from her.

And that's when, in the clip posted by Cuomo to her TikTok page, she went off:

"It's such a hard time in this world right now. There's so many people that came together to be supportive and fucking amazing, and you're putting..." She then knealt down to the guy's eye level. "Look me in the eyes!" she screamed at him. "you're putting negative freaking energy out here! ... You wanna say mean shit to me? OK, so don't fucking do that."

Not long after that interaction, the guy was removed by security, and Cuomo's set continued on.

@nataliecuomo
Right after I said how grateful I was for everyone being there and selling out the show, this little man in the front row decided to let his true colors shine ✨ Always stand up for yourself!! And if you’re going to be rude, at least have the decency to LOOK ME IN THE EYES 👀 ❤️

Generally, comedians are expected to keep their cool and win these battles with wit and not rage. But not always.

Female comics have to put up with an awful lot just to get on stage. There's the being expected to work for free or less pay than male peers, being harassed by other comics and audience members, and being cat-called by people in the crowd. They're judged by their looks in bizarre ways. They have to be pretty but not too pretty so as not to be funny. Guys like the heckler in question sometimes go out of their way to give women comics a rough time.

Maybe Natalie Cuomo had just had enough that night and didn't have the energy to hide her anger with whip-smart jokes — who knows?

"i worked in comedy clubs for two years and saw so many female comics in this position who felt like they had to be funny and not angry. endorse this," one commenter wrote. Others applauded Cuomo's "female rage" and the way she stood up for herself. The live audience was also on her side, chanting her name after the awkward encounter.

But some folks weren't so thrilled with Cuomo's response. "She literally chucked a tantrum on stage," one user wrote under the video.

"a [comedian's] one job is to be funny, so crashing out at your own show over a bad interaction really rubs me the wrong way," said another.

It begs the question: Was the guy's heckling fair game for a comedy show, or was he really out of line? There might be a clue in the conclusion to Cuomo's video: After the heckler was tossed out of the venue, Cuomo noticed that the man's friend was sending texts... so she grabbed his phone.

"Lol, what a fucking clown, I did warn you I would get kicked out," the heckler's had told his friend in a text — which Cuomo kindly shared with the live audience. "Man, she is sensitive, especially for a comedian." Then she texted him back a selfie of her holding up the middle finger.

Sounds like maybe he came prepared to raise a stink with whatever comic was on stage. Whether Cuomo handled the situation perfectly or not, I think we can all agree that's in pretty poor taste.

My Gen Z kids see periods in my texts as 'aggressive.' No. They're not. Full stop. The end.

This is one Gen X hill I am willing to die on.

Photo credit: Canva

If you want to freak out a Gen Zer, put a period at the end of a text message.

As a Gen X mom of three Gen Z kids in their teens and 20s, there's a lot that I'm willing to concede and even celebrate when it comes to the gap in our generations. I love Gen Z's global consciousness, their openness about mental health, their focus on inclusivity, and their insistence on wearing comfortable shoes with formal wear. But there's one Gen Z feature that I simply cannot abide, and that is the weaponization of basic punctuation.

"It freaks me out when you say 'yes period' in a text," my high schooler told me one day. "It feels so aggressive, like I feel like I'm in trouble or something." I stared at him incredulously as my 20-year-old laughed but then agreed with him. "It does! The period makes it feel like you're mad," she said.

Ah yes, the period, the punctuation mark famous for its aggressive connotation. Far from being a mere generational quirk, this misinterpreting of benign text messages as aggressive or angry could result in serious communication breakdowns. Talking by text is already hard enough, and now we're adding a layer of meaning that older folks don't have a clue about?

text screenshot A Gen X text convo with Gen ZPhoto credit: Annie Reneau

The kids are serious about this, though. According to Gen Zers, pretty much any time someone puts a period at the end of a text, it means they're mad or irritated. At the risk of sounding like a dinosaur, I'd like to point out that reading into periods in texts like this is just silly. It's silly when the young folks do it with each other, but it's extra silly when they do it with adults who didn't grow up with texting and have ingrained grammatical habits that aren't easy to shake. (And frankly, some of us don't want to shake—I'm a former English teacher, for crying out loud.)

In no reasonable world can "Yes." be automatically viewed as aggressive. It's just not. Neither is "Time to get off the computer." Neither is "Got it." Or "OK." or "Sure." I understand that texting conventions have evolved such that end punctuation isn't necessary, but when did we start assigning negative intentions to very basic punctuation? I mean, if I wanted to be aggressive, I'd text, "HEY—time to GET OFF the COMPUTER!" A period should not be read as anything more than a matter-of-fact, neutral-toned statement. We have other tools for conveying tone in writing—capital letters, italics, bold, exclamation points, and now a whole slew of emojis. A period is and has always been neutral. That's literally the entire point of a period.

I'm even willing to give Gen Z an inch on the thumbs-up emoji—they think that's aggressive, too—only because emojis are new and their meanings are up for interpretation. But a period? Not budging. That little dot has been signaling the end of people's thoughts for centuries. Periods can and do sometimes affect tone in subtle ways—"No, I didn't," hits slightly differently than "No. I didn't."—but their basic inclusion at the end of a thought in no way signals aggression or anger, by text or otherwise. Not on Gen X's watch, at least. This is one generational hill I am willing to die on.

Oh Yeah Mic Drop GIF by Taylor BisciottiGiphy

These unwritten rules of texting seem to have been concocted by Gen Z, but when? And how? Who decides these things? Is there a group of super powerful and influential young adults who put out a bat signal at some point saying that periods are symbols of aggression? If the young folks want to play the reading-into-basic-punctuation game amongst themselves, making communication much more complicated for themselves, have at it. But please don't ascribe intent to us old fogies who've had "declarative statements end in periods" ingrained in us since elementary school.

Texting wasn't always like this. When texting first became a thing, using periods in them was pretty normal. As more and more people started dropping them (and capitalization—another deep English teacher wound), I held firm to their usage, mostly out of habit and feeling like my texts were incomplete without them. As my kids got old enough to text and informed me that periods are viewed by their age group as aggressive, I reconsidered. Should I stop using them, giving in to the tyranny of Gen Z's overthinking? Should I keep using them, embracing the fact that I'm old and set in my ways?

Ultimately, I landed on sometimes using periods in texts and sometimes not—a compromise between my own rigid grammar rules and Gen Z's seemingly senseless texting rules. Except only using them sometimes just confuses my kids even more, which is hilarious. Is Mom mad? Is she not? My daughter said she just has to remind herself who is texting, knowing that I—and most of my generation—simply don't use periods aggressively.

Nope. Not happening. Not ever. Period.

The 'Wardrobe Test' can help determine if your partner is a right fit

Is your partner a "cozy hoodie" or a "raggedy t-shirt"? This could be a sign.

Photo credit: Canva

We all need tricks to get out of our heads and listen to our gut once in a while.

It might seem reckless to base major life decisions off of kitschy little thought experiments, but there is something to be said for finding simple ways to get out of mental analysis and really tune into what our gut is telling us.

This seems especially true when it comes to relationships. People swear by things like “the bird test” and the “two beers and a puppy test,” and even the less cutesy “TSA pre-check test” for determining whether or not a partnership is really meant to last. While all of these are different in their own way, the commonality is that they encourage the querent to get real about whether a potential significant other will share their common interests and values in the long run.

Perhaps it's just my love of fashion, but as far as relationship litmus tests go, I’m a particular fan of the “Wardrobe Test,” which was recently presented by relationship expert and author of How To Not Die Alone Logan Ury. And actually, it’s not so much that it involves clothes, but that it’s instantly enlightening.

As Ury explains, the Wardrobe Test has you ask yourself: “If my partner were a piece of clothing in my closet, what would they be?”

“Sometimes people tell me ‘My partner is an old sweater that I used to wear but now itches me,’” Ury says in the clip. “Or ‘My partner is a raggedy t-shirt that I wear to the gym but I don’t want to be seen in.’ Obviously those are not good signs for the relationship.”

On the flip side, Ury says that people have also responded with “my partner is my favorite pair of pants that I wouldn’t have bought for myself, but I wear to music festivals and I love them,” which is undoubtedly a much better sign.

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Ury assured that this method works because “Sometimes I think people get so in their head about should I be in the relationship, should I not be, and sometimes a question like that just gets them into their gut and when they say it they know what they need to do.”

Thinking about my own relationship, my answer was “a comfy hoodie that instantly makes me feel at home.” Turns out, several folks had similar answers in the comments.

“I immediately thought ‘a really cozy warm and thick sweater’ I think that’s a good sign lol”

“My partner would be the coziest, softest hoodie that’s two sizes too big for me but fits like a hug that I wear every day right after work.”

“Right away I thought ‘a warm pair of fuzzy winter socks’ — the ones you wear unashamedly even though they’re a little dorky bc they make you feel cozy and you couldn’t make it thru a season without them.”

"My partner is my favorite hoodie that I keep adding patches to with each new adventure. I love to show it off and wear it whenever I can, otherwise I still and admire it when I can’t wear it due to the weather."

"He's a cozy sweater that i never want to take off"

There were also plenty of equally lovely, not hoodie/sweater related ones as well.

“I’m currently six months pregnant and don’t have many things left that fit me but when she said this I thought straight to this one dress that fits perfectly. It’s comfortable I can wear it anywhere. It’s the kind of thing I would’ve worn before getting pregnant and I’m so happy that it still looks good while pregnant and there’s no negatives about it. I don’t ever seeing myself get ride of it, even when it starts to fall apart.”

“My favourite yellow sweater . Brightens my day, makes me feel confident and cozy all day all the time without fail💛"

Photo credit: Canva

“I said my belt that I swear everyday that I get a lot of compliments on. Like that was my first thought and I have no idea what that means but I love my belt.”

“My first thought was a light jacket. I never forget it, I’ll always bring it with me “just in case”, and it’s sincerely a staple that I always appreciate. I never wanna get it dirty either because I picked it due to signs of longevity. After thinking about, this also describes my partner in a way. Very reliable and I picked him because he had good signs that our relationship would last long. I also wanna protect our relationship more and more.”

"I thought of my favorite band shirt which I wear out of the house, to sleep, around the house, basically any time it's clean I wear it. If I can get away with tucking it into a skirt for a semi dressy dinner I will. And when it goes in the laundry I know it's time to do laundry."

“I said bra because he lifts me up and supports me.”

Photo credit: Canva

A clear common denominator is that these “clothing items,” i.e. patents, offer a sense of comfort no matter what occasion, upliftment, support, and something that only becomes more cherished over time, despite any wear and tear. Which honestly makes a lot of sense.

Alternatively, there were some…not so great responses.

“My Alo yoga sweatpants bc they weigh me down.”

“My therapist did this with me but instead we used furniture! If your partner was a piece of furniture in your house, what would they be? Mine was the acrylic chair I never sat in. It’s very uncomfortable and painful to sit in after a while”

While this fun little question won’t provide all the answers, it might be a good place to start if your current relationship feels murky.

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Egg prices are at record highs. Here are some egg substitutes that actually work.

Time to tap our vegan friends for some tips to save our grocery bills.

Photo credit: Canva

Eggs have become cost prohibitive.

It's been a rough year for egg lovers and bakers alike, as the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025 have not been kind to our pocketbooks. The price of eggs has always fluctuated, but rarely this much. Thanks in part to the highly infectious H5N1 bird flu wiping out entire flocks of hens, the average retail cost of a dozen eggs was $5.29 in mid-January 2025 compared to $3.50 in February of 2024, according to data from the NIQ consumer research group. Skyrocketing egg prices have even caused Waffle House, a breakfast staple across the American South, to raise their prices by 50 cents per egg.

With no end to rising egg prices in sight, people are looking for alternatives to the kitchen staple, and who better to tap than our vegan and plant-based friends who have mastered the art of egg-free cooking? While it's hard to replace an over-easy or poached egg experience if that's your thing, there are ways to swap out eggs in baking without sacrificing taste or texture, and there are even ways to recreate scrambled eggs with just a few key ingredients.

Upworthy asked nutritionist and plant-based food blogger Rae Aflatooni from Raepublic to share some cost-wise tips for substituting eggs in cooking in baking.

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Egg-free substitute for scrambled eggs

Let's start with the toughest thing to substitute—just straight-up cooked eggs. Rae explains how a tofu scramble recipe mimics the look and taste of eggs, as long as you have the right spices.

"Turmeric gives these plant-based scrambles their color," she says. "It's really for aesthetics, so you can 100% skip this ingredient to save money." And the key to getting a real egg-like flavor? Black salt (kala namik), as it contains sulfur compounds.

"If you are making the switch from chicken eggs to an alternative option for the long term, and you like the taste of traditional eggs, then investing in black salt makes sense," Rae says. "This will get you as close in taste as possible."

If you can't stand tofu or don't eat soy, Rae recommends a chickpea scramble as well.

But what about alternatives to eggs in baked goods? Here's what works best for cooking and baking.

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Alternatives to eggs in cooked and baked goods

Eggs act as a binder, adding moisture and structure to baked goods. Rae shared with us her favorite egg substitutes for cooking and baking, as well as a cost breakdown per "egg," based on current prices at Safeway. The average single egg costs $0.44 as of mid-January, and likely much more if you're buying cage-free or organic eggs, so compare accordingly.

Flax Egg

(Best in brownies, cookies, pancakes, pies, and muffins.)

One egg = 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (aka ground flaxseed) and 3 Tbsp water. Whisk together, then let sit for 3-5 minutes.

Cost: Around $0.14 cents

Chia Egg

(Best in muffins, brownies, and quick breads.)

One egg = 1 Tbsp chia seeds and 3 Tbsp water. Mix and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Cost: Around $0.28

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Other egg substitutes for muffins, quick breads, and pancakes

Substitute any of the following in muffins, quick breads and pancakes:

One egg = 1/4 cup of mashed banana, which is about 1/2 a banana (Cost: $0.12 cents)

One egg = 1/4 cup applesauce (Cost: $0.33 cents)

Egg substitute for cakes

This one works well in cakes, but can also be used in muffins, quick breads, and pancakes.

One egg = 3 Tbsp aquafaba (the liquid from a can of garbanzo beans, aka chickpeas)

(Cost varies on this one, but considering most people just drain and toss the aquafaba from a can of beans anyway, this could be seen as basically costing nothing.)

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For cheesecakes, pies and custards

One egg = 1/4 cup of silken tofu

Cost: Around $.75

(This is the only baking substitute that tends to be more expensive than eggs at current prices.)

Rae also shared some egg substitutes for pumpkin pie, which includes various starches and cashew cream in addition to the alternatives above.

What about ready-made egg substitutes?

For a quick and easy store-bought egg substitute, Rae recommends Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer. "When it comes to a premade, ready-to-use egg replacement, this is the most cost-effective option," she says. "When it comes to other premade options, they're going to be more expensive than just buying traditional eggs. This one 12 oz bag of egg replacer equates to roughly 24 eggs for $6.49, which is about $.27 per egg."

Hopefully egg prices will start to come down sometime this year, but unless or until they do, it might be financially wise to replace eggs at least in some baked goods if nothing else. Vegan recipes have come a long way over the years, and maybe now is a prime opportunity to experiment with some plant-based cooking and baking.

Find plant-based recipes and more at raepublic.com and follow Rae on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube.

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