Jimmy Fallon asked people to share 'weird' stories about their roommate, and the answers were wild
Living with strangers is never dull.

At least you won't be lonely?
Let’s be honest—roommates can be weird. I admit, I was the weird roommate on more than one occasion. When I was in my 20s I remember thinking it would be cool to keep a minifridge in my room, you know, so I’d never have to leave it. That idea was short-lived after my roommates angrily showed me the electric bill for the month. Whoops.
As whimsical as sitcoms make it seem, the truth is it can be hard to blend different personalities—one person’s quirk is often another person’s character defect. But still, living with someone else is usually a necessity at some point and if you live in an expensive city, the need could be lifelong. So, learning to embrace it all is probably a good idea. At the very least, some oddball roommates make for some pretty great stories.
In September 2022, The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon asked his X (formerly Twitter) audience to share “something funny, weird or embarrassing” about their roommate as part of his #Hashtags segment.
It's Hashtags time! Tweet out something funny, weird, or embarrassing about your roommate and tag it with #MyRoommateIsWeird. Could be on our show!
— Jimmy Fallon (@jimmyfallon) September 12, 2022
Indeed, the stories people shared were funny, weird, and embarrassing (and some were also quite gross), but each relatable in their own way, at least for anyone who has ever had to share their space with a stranger.
Here are a few fun anecdotes that’ll have you laughing (and maybe considering living solo forever):
Sometimes, having a weird roommate can be kind of cool. Their eccentricity can help bring out our own sense of humor…
What fun.
Giphy“If my roommate and I were going somewhere together and he beat me getting ready, he would play the @Jeopardy theme song at max volume until I walked outside.” – @claydoughrocks
“My roommate would always need to go on a drive to “clear her head” it was actually a couple laps on mario kart.” – @elise_millsssss
… others might instill feelings that are less comedic and more horrific.
Congratulate yourself for surviving.
“My roommate would cut her toe nails & put the pieces behind the couch. She’d have to gather up the clippings then physically move the couch away from the wall to do this. I had no idea until 6 mos in when I went to vacuum behind the couch & found 50+ clippings.” – @MeesterLizz
“My roommate at college used to wipe his fingerprints away after touching something just in case I was a serial murderer and he would be blamed for it. Needless to say, he wasn't my roommate for very long.” – @FallonHolic_
And even the most chill roommate can have the oddest food habits.
How weird can it be?
Giphy“Had a roomie who ate my pickles one by one, thinkin I wouldn't notice. Every day I'd check the fridge & count pickles. not eating them. just monitoring things. Then the roomie acts like I'm weird for counting pickles, but don't gaslight me bro. Stop eating my pickles.” – @gumgumerson
“My roommate would put black olives in a bowl, put milk on them and eat them like cereal.” – @srgraff
Some weird roommates provide a hilarious yet compelling case proving that our most instinctive, primal urges to mark territory are still deeply ingrained within us...they just came out in strange ways.
We haven't really evolved all that much.
Giphy
“My old roommate did not want anyone sitting in their special comfy chair after they went to bed. Every night they would remove all the cushions and bring them into their bedroom.” – @PugZLee9
The explanation isn't always uplifting.
Giphy“My roommate at college used to make sculptures from his empty beer cans. He made Stonehenge, the White House and the Colosseum. We only realized there was a problem when he started drinking more to make sure he had enough cans to ‘finish the sculpture.’” – Optimist_Eeyore
And sometimes there's simply is no explanation for why mad people do what they do.
... yeah ...
Giphy“My roommate used to eat acid with me and the last time I saw him he went to the bathroom and I sat underneath a life sized Mickey mouse stuffy and jumped up when he walked by saying ‘hi everybody!’ In a Mickey Mouse voice. He ran out of the apartment never to be seen again.” – @jakemartinjokes
Here's to roommates! Can't live with them, can't live without them. Literally.
This article originally appeared three years ago.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."