Our Place
The nice, unhealthy, and are-you-serious of splitting hire with different folks.
Photograph-Illustration: The Lower; Images: HBO, Getty Photographs
In late Might, a 30-year-old TikToker named EK went viral for her 30-part collection in regards to the drama brewing at her sublet in Bushwick. The movies — which EK usually filmed on the house hearth escape, talking into tiny microphones — detailed a twisty saga between herself, a full-time artist, and a lady she known as her “horrible roommate.” In EK’s telling, the roommate had gone backwards and forwards as as to if or to not re-sign the lease collectively earlier than she finally determined to maneuver out on the final minute. That left EK, who wished to remain, looking for a approach to maintain the house.
EK instructed her followers she’d already moved a number of occasions that 12 months, and now the hire had elevated. The owner had instructed her she wanted to rapidly discover a new roommate or a private guarantor if she wished to remain — and he or she wished to. Apart from her roommate, the place was “completely great,” she stated, with its huge (by New York requirements) bed room with its personal rest room and the view of the yard the place the birds chirped. It had all change into so irritating, she instructed followers, that she couldn’t plan her store drops for the polymer clay fear stones she made.
EK’s “fuck-ass roommate state of affairs” collection rapidly went viral, and he or she arrange a GoFundMe with a $5,000 aim for hire. “I do know the life that I signed up for being a full-time artist in New York Metropolis,” EK says in a tearful fire-escape video. “Mamdani gave a speech after the Knicks gained. I don’t have all of the phrases memorized, however he was like, ‘What’s New York if not your again up towards the wall?’”
In an emailed assertion to The Lower, EK says the video saga got here at a “very intense, complicated time period” in her life. “The uncertainty led me to oversharing on social media, once I ought to have simply saved it non-public. I acknowledge I made a nasty state of affairs worse by doing so, which is why I’m targeted on transferring ahead and channeling my vitality into my small artwork enterprise and filmmaking.”
One other one who discovered the state of affairs irritating? EK’s now ex-roommate Marlyn Rodriguez, a 20-something hospitality employee, aspiring actress, and TikToker herself who unwittingly grew to become the topic of on-line rage after EK’s saga blew up. She tells The Lower about what occurred from her perspective.
It began when my roommate earlier than EK — let’s name her Annie — and I fell out. I lived in that house in Bushwick for 3 years together with her. We met on an app and have become associates. However towards the tip of 2025, I discovered Annie lied to me in regards to the ConEd invoice, which was in her title. I’d ended up paying greater than I used to be presupposed to cowl, on her finish in addition to mine. I confronted her, and — I remorse this, I don’t assume it’s morally appropriate — I ended up posting a “story time” about it on TikTok. We had an argument and determined to cease dwelling collectively.
Shortly earlier than the lease renewed, Annie instructed me she discovered an house and was going to maneuver out, however she’d nonetheless pay her half of the hire till our lease was up. I didn’t assume that was truthful to her and steered she discover somebody to sublet. She posted on a kind of Fb subletter teams. That’s the place she discovered EK.
The primary time EK and I met up within the house front room, Annie was current. EK was variety and bubbly; I used to be variety and bubbly again. Annie instructed me EK was a full-time artist — she confirmed us the clay trinkets she made — however I had no concept she was a TikTok creator and even had social media. I do know Annie had instructed her about my accounts (along with social media, I work in hospitality and audition for dance and performing roles). I instructed her the plan was for her to sublet for 2 and a half months till the lease renewed, and we’d go from there.
The morning after EK moved in, I went out into the kitchen and noticed all this stuff she added to the lounge, like fairy lights and stuffed animals. She made and offered these little clay cat trinkets known as fear stones. There have been additionally little vehicles for the clay cats and TVs for them to observe. She additionally put her rugs out, certainly one of which was very soiled. I didn’t thoughts it. She was paying half the hire; it was her house too. We have been mutually respectful of one another.
We frolicked loads, normally in certainly one of our rooms or on the sofa, the place we’d watch music movies. She’d ask me about trend and vlogging and say she actually wished to get into that. I used to be like, “You positively can, woman!” She instructed me she’d moved round loads and had but to discover a place that made her really feel secure, that her final roommate was a nasty and evil man who made her really feel small, and he or she’d needed to keep in her room the entire time. All through these early interactions, any dialog we had ended together with her emphasizing that she wanted to remain within the house and re-sign with me. “That is my first time ever feeling comfy in an house,” she’d say. “This looks like I want to remain right here. I simply need one thing secure.” I understood she’d been transferring round, however the truth that she saved repeating it and slipped into therapy-speak raised a crimson flag on my finish.
At this level, I didn’t know what my plan was. I used to be going via a breakup and was contemplating both subletting out a brand new place — I posted movies about my house hunt on TikTok — or re-signing this lease. These conversations made me really feel like I had a accountability to re-sign together with her. I felt a lot strain. I ought to have made it clear I used to be undecided, however I noticed how excited she was about it, and I didn’t know the right way to drop the bomb. That’s once I began telling her sure, after which no, after which sure, after which no.
The primary actual incident we had was over a dish rack. I’d had the identical Amazon dish rack for 3 years with no dishes breaking. One morning, she texted me that she broke my wineglass and stated we must always get a brand new rack. The dish she broke was one my pal had gotten me on a visit. I used to be upset and instructed her I’d had the rack for 3 years with out something breaking and requested her to please be extra thoughtful and aware. Over textual content, she instructed me she was sorry. She supplied to pay me again, however I didn’t need the cash.
One other time, I used to be deep-cleaning the kitchen once I heard her transferring issues round within the fridge. She instructed me she’d favor if our meals didn’t contact, and he or she didn’t wish to share any condiments, together with salt, pepper, or ketchup. I used to be wonderful with that and confirmed her the 2 sections within the fridge and pantry that might be mine and the 2 sections in every that might be hers. That very same week, she began placing her issues — double ketchup, double mayonnaise, we had triple of the whole lot — on my shelf. I began transferring her issues again and texted her: “You actually wished our stuff separated. Please maintain it as such.” She responded saying that she didn’t know this may be an issue.
Then there have been the lights. Our constructing upcharged us for electrical energy, so my factor was at all times leaving the lights off. I didn’t wish to pay additional. However she left them on continually. Over textual content, I instructed her we couldn’t maintain doing that, and he or she began responding saying she felt unsafe and uncomfortable with how I used to be speaking to her. I used to be like, “Hey, woman, you by no means instructed me any of this in particular person.”
I acknowledge I might be one foot in and one foot out in regards to the lease, nevertheless it was genuinely me pondering out loud once I’d textual content her about it. I 1,000 % by no means would have stated sure to re-signing if we’d had the disagreements first. By way of all of it, I wished to have an in-person dialog together with her in the lounge and say, “I don’t wish to go away you out of the blue, however I don’t know what my subsequent steps are.” However issues had damaged right down to the purpose the place she didn’t wish to communicate with me in particular person. If I used to be in the lounge and he or she got here house, she instantly went to her room. If she was cooking and I got here into the kitchen, she’d take a look at me with a lot hate. She solely wished to textual content. I don’t know if that was intentional or not, that she wished the messages for her movies.
One night time at first of June, I used to be coming house at 1 a.m. after my work shift. I showered and was doomscrolling TikTok on my burner account when she popped up. I didn’t know she had TikTok or that she was even on social media. I checked on my common account and noticed she’d blocked me, and I found she’d blocked me on Instagram too. When I discovered the movies, I feel she’d posted 28 totally different elements. I watched all of them like a present. She known as me a mooch, evil, and a bitch. She talked about how I used to be the shittiest roommate, how she was a struggling artist, and infrequently tied it up with a neat little bow about her artwork. She’d say, “By the best way, I’ve a drop coming quickly,” or, “By the best way, I’m going to be promoting so-and-so in September.” Her advertising expertise have been ten out of ten, actually, however Black Mirror vibes. I used to be like, Oh my God, is that not my roommate? Is that not the hearth escape that we now have? What the fuck? I assumed we’d been buddy-buddy at first when she wanted one thing from me. Now I’m a mooch and a bitch? I texted my finest pal, “She’s making movies about me.”
It was humorous, however I used to be disillusioned and pissed. After I discovered them, I’d see her just about day-after-day in the lounge, the place I appreciated to sit back after work, however earlier than I might say something to her, she would huff, ignore me, stroll to her room, and lock the door till I left. So we by no means mentioned them. I want we had. She was confrontational on social media and dodged me in actual life, which was okay with me as a result of I might have dragged her and stated, “You performed in my face, and on social media.” Our partitions have been skinny, however I’d by no means heard her recording the movies, even those filmed in her room. Possibly she made them once I was out.
Finally, we received to a degree the place I didn’t wish to be house and would get up, prepare, and go away the house even when I didn’t have plans. I used to be like, Fuck this. She thought she was getting away with it, and the one-sided, silent beef on her finish grew to become a factor in actual life. Over textual content, I sensed her passive aggression and determined to be imply again to her. I used to be being fucking evil, telling her, “I’m not going to re-sign, oh … sure I’m.” My pal inspired me to handle it on TikTok, however I didn’t wish to drag EK. Commenters already have been writing issues on her movies like, “Okay, woman, why don’t you simply go away? Why don’t you speak to your roommate?” My pal identified she was the one who’d introduced it to social media, however I nonetheless felt prefer it was pointless.
Towards the tip of the month, a couple of week and a half earlier than the lease was up, I instructed her I’d discovered a brand new house and that she might maintain this one, which was petty on my finish. I felt unhealthy about leaving her with out a plan, and I want we might have simply communicated like grown girls, however I used to be so over it. She requested for photographs of my room, which I didn’t wish to give out. “Hey, can we please speak in particular person?” I requested her, over textual content, once more. And she or he simply saved saying, “No, I don’t wish to speak in particular person.” And I stated, “I really feel like there’s a lot I have to say and be weak as a result of texting just isn’t serving to me.” She stated, “There’s actually nothing to speak about. I simply want a couple of photographs.”
Then I noticed she’d made a GoFundMe to afford the house. That’s once I received pissed off and determined to submit my very own video addressing the state of affairs, per week earlier than I moved out. She was subletting, and that doesn’t give her the ability to only keep or re-sign. I gave her loads of time to make preparations to seek out one other particular person; in a single video, she even stated she did discover somebody, however that they backed out. She’d talked so ailing of me in each video and was mad I selected what was finest for me, however she would have completed the identical. There’s individuals who want GoFundMes for real-life points and emergency conditions, individuals who work full-time jobs. She at all times instructed folks she couldn’t get a full-time job as a result of she’s an artist, however all artists nonetheless have full-time jobs, even me. My following went from 45,000 to 80,000. I didn’t anticipate it to explode — it wasn’t like her movies weren’t blowing up — I simply wished to state details.
All of it blew out of proportion on social media when it might have simply been resolved in particular person. I received optimistic responses in addition to numerous hate. I’m Mexican, and a few of her supporters DM’d me to inform me they’d name ICE on my household. Somebody DM’d me saying this was why EK was thriving in New York and why “my variety” would at all times wrestle. “I hope you get run over,” another person stated. An older lady, judging from her profile photograph, instructed me to return to my nation. “Because of this President Trump is right here, to take away folks such as you,” she wrote. I received demise threats, folks telling me I used to be fucking horrible and to kill myself. I cried loads. I had by no means obtained a lot hate in a single sitting. I’m nonetheless a human being, and so is EK. The backlash she was receiving popped up on my “For You” web page. It sucked to see folks dragging her. The useless horse was already useless.
We didn’t have any in-person interactions earlier than I moved out, aside from me sending her a textual content with the date I might be gone. She didn’t reply. However my movers didn’t come till the subsequent day. I texted her once more: “Hey woman, I’m transferring out on so-and-so.” She stayed in her room the whole time.
Lastly, I despatched yet one more textual content: “Please don’t make this one other collection about me.”