It is well past midnight at Jantar Mantar, and the crowd shows no sign of thinning. Music drifts across the humid air, tabla beats mixing with snatches of Bollywood songs, as new arrivals keep streaming in on foot — students, labourers, parents — even at this hour.
Somewhere near the stage, a spokesperson is trying, and failing, to keep the swelling numbers from tipping into a stampede. On walls near the protest site, fresh graffiti is still wet. “Modiji, return us our bad days,” one pleads, a jab at the prime minister’s campaign slogan “Achhe Din”, the promised good days that many say never came.
In the crowd is Mohan Yadav, 43, a man who doesn’t fit the profile that the government’s supporters imagine when they picture these protests. He is not, he insists, an opposition plant, or a professional agitator. He voted for Narendra Modi’s BJP party. He voted for its ally Nitish Kumar in Bihar state. Yet, he’s standing at Jantar Mantar, trying to explain why the government he once trusted has, in his eyes, turned on people like him.
“I have a son and a daughter,” he says. “And I can understand that pain of a parent. Because I know how much sacrifice it takes to raise a child and then to lose them like this.”
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He is far from alone.
Protesters gather at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar seeking the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan (Namita Singh/ The Independent)
What started out as a joke by a group of students is now one of the most sustained waves of public dissent against Modi’s government.
On Saturday, India’s education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, handing a major victory to the youth protesters.
With millions of followers online and clear displays of support on the ground, the Cockroach Janta Party had said it would not stop protesting until Modi’s education minister – the powerful veteran politician Dharmendra Pradhan – resigned
The protesters said Pradhan must take responsibility for the shambolic handling of a key university entrance exam for would-be medical students, the cancellation of which affected 2.3 million young people. Activists said at least 21 students died by suicide during the debacle.
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Nitesh Aryan, 26, from the northern city of Lucknow, has been at the protest site daily since 19 July. He says he is driven by the fact “that exam papers are repeatedly leaked. And when we demand our rights, the government responds by baton-charging the students, cracking our skulls, breaking legs and back.”
A poster at Jantar Mantar (Namita Singh/ The Independent)
Akanksha, 31, who has lived in Delhi her whole life, frames her motivation as a slow, cumulative betrayal rather than a single scandal. “I’m a victim of the education system,” she says. “I know how rigged the system is, how messed up our schools are. Teachers are demotivated. Nobody is studying in a government institution.”
For Muskaan, 40, leaving the protest site with her two children close to midnight, the stakes are more immediate. She’s a labourer and her husband drives an autorickshaw. “There are poor people who with great difficulty manage to educate their children,” she says. “My children will also study with as much hard work. Right now they are young. My son is in 8th standard and daughter is in 11th standard. It is about their future as well.”
When papers leak, she argues, “the future of my children is being ruined. I’m here to protect their future and prevent it from being ruined.”
What turned a grievance into a full-blown anti-government movement was the events of 20 July, the day police moved against the protesters at Jantar Mantar as they prepared to march towards parliament, using batons and teargas against them and leaving scores injured.
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People gather in solidarity with Cockroach Janta Party protesters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi (Reuters)
Birku Yadav, 26, who joined the movement after learning about it on 18 July, describes what happened to her two days later. “I was charged with baton by a male police officer who did not even have his name tag on,” she says. “I feel like they were not wearing name tags because they were not police officers but supporters of the ruling regime.”
Ashutosh Ranka, 30, a spokesperson for the Cockroach Janta Party, says the scale of the crackdown caught even the organisers off guard. “The kind of brutality meted out against the students, young protesters and our own volunteers who were helping them manage the crowd crossed all levels of brutality,” he said. “Crossed all levels of shamelessness.”
It’s this moment – the baton-charge against unarmed students demanding accountability – that Mohan Yadav can’t reconcile with the government he voted for. “I still don’t know why we were assaulted by the police,” he says. “It was only about the resignation of one person. The government should have just conceded to the demands of the public, ‘my constituents and voters are asking for this, we should give them.’ We would have been so much happier.”
Supporters of India’s Cockroach Janta Party hold placards and chant slogans during a protest in Delhi (Reuters)
There is a striking gap between the government’s public posture and what protesters describe living through. Modi has floated a proposal for fast-track courts to try paper-leak cases, a move Saurav Das, another Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson, dismisses as cosmetic.
“It’s an eyewash,” he says, noting that a 2024 law against organised exam-paper mafias is already meant to solve this, with little visible effect. “That law wasn’t implemented properly, that’s why you have these kinds of instances again.”
That disconnect between official reassurance and street anger runs through nearly every conversation.
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Where the government speaks of isolated lapses and administrative fixes, the protesters describe something closer to institutional collapse, and a chain of accountability that never seems to reach anyone at the top. “Post-2014, the government takes great arrogance in not sacking its minister,” Das says. “It was automatic before 2014.”
For Mohan Yadav, the gap is personal, not political. He frames his disillusionment as stemming not from ideology but a broken bargain.
“If we brought Modiji to power and he is the head of the country, then he should have taken care of our well-being and happiness,” he says. “But instead he went against 65 per cent of the youth of the country. In front of my eyes, so many women and children were beaten up. I felt really sad.”
India’s Cockroach Janta Party spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka address the media in Delhi (AFP/Getty)
Nitesh Aryan’s demand is starker still: “My demand is that those responsible for it are duly punished. And all the people who were at their posts at the time this happened, resign.”
Ranka insists the movement will not fold under pressure even as he acknowledges the personal risk protesters are taking on. “We expect police action but we don’t fear it,” he says. “This is a fight much bigger than one person and we are ready to pay the price.” Asked how far organisers are prepared to go if the government refuses to budge, he allowed himself a rare smile. “The government has to concede. They don’t have a choice this time.”
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Mohan Yadav says he still does not fully understand how he ended up here, holding a grievance against a government he helped elect. He’s careful to say he isn’t asking for anything extraordinary. “I’m not asking for a plot of land in Delhi,” he says. “I am not asking Modi to transfer 1.5 million rupees to my account. I am asking for accountability.”
It is also, of course, the first match of Xabi Alonso’s tenure with the club, giving fans a first opportunity to get a glimpse of his new brand of football.
He will hope for an easy start to life in royal blue as he faces Western Sydney, who finished bottom of A-League last season with just 21 points taken from 26 matches.
It is the first outing of an extended pre-season campaign for Chelsea, which will also see them face Tottenham, Juventus, AC Milan and Johor Darul Ta’zim in Asia and Oceania before returning to London to play Real Sociedad.
Date, kick-off time and venue
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Western Sydney Wanderers vs Chelsea is scheduled for a 10.45am BST kick-off on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
The match will take place at Accor Stadium.
Where to watch Western Sydney Wanderers vs Chelsea
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on CFC+, Chelsea’s in-house video streaming service.
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All of the club’s pre-season fixtures will be broadcast via CFC+, which requires a membership. An annual subscription costs £15, while pay-per-view passes worth £9.99 are also available for each match.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Chelsea enjoyed an open training session at a packed Accor Stadium on Sunday
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Western Sydney Wanderers vs Chelsea team news
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Also absent are those players who competed into the late stages of the World Cup, including Pedro Neto, Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Enzo Fernandez.
Palestra is expected to make his debut here, as will a number of academy players who have made the trip down under.
Estevao, Romeo Lavia and Jamie Gittens are all back fit and expected to feature, as is Levi Colwill.
Debut day: Marco Palestra
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Western Sydney Wanderers vs Chelsea prediction
As ever in pre-season, the result is not what Xabi Alonso will be preoccupied with as he heads to the Accor Stadium.
He will, however, be confident of getting a result against what on paper is a vastly inferior side.
The best case for Alonso and his team will be to get minutes in the legs of as many players as possible, avoid injury and score a few goals in doing so. We expect them to do exactly that.
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Head to head (h2h) history and results
This will be the first meeting between these two teams.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Chelsea match odds
Western Sydney Wanderers to win: 11/2
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Verstappen was unhappy with his car for much of the race, with regular complaints on team radio, but Red Bull pulled a masterstroke when they fitted soft tyres to his car at his second pit stop.
The aim was to challenge Hamilton in the later laps after the seven-time champion made an early second stop with 40 laps still to go.
It was heading towards a tense climax when Piastri’s retirement brought out the VSC.
That prompted a late round of pit stops, Ferrari bringing in both their drivers and putting them behind Verstappen.
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Hamilton came out of the pits and passed Antonelli into the first corner, after the Italian stayed out under the VSC, but had to give the place back after the restart because the Mercedes driver had just passed the key line on the track in front.
Antonelli and Hamilton started chasing back towards Verstappen, but they were delayed while lapping Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto.
That looked as if it might be decisive, but in the end Verstappen was comfortably able to keep Antonelli at bay, crossing the line 3.6 seconds ahead.
Another key point in Verstappen’s race had been his re-passing of Hamilton after the Ferrari had got briefly ahead following the first pit stops.
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That gave him clear air and enabled the Dutchman to consolidate his race position in third place behind the McLarens, laying the foundations for Red Bull’s late strategy call.
Hamilton will leave Hungary ruing another penalty – the one for speeding in the pit lane was his second in two days after behind penalised for blocking Piastri in qualifying, and follows two others at the previous two races in Belgium and Britain.
Behind him, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar was sixth, ahead of Russell, who dropped to 21st place on the first lap after his anti-stall kicked in at the start, and fought back strongly.
At Aston Martin, Lance Stroll finished in 13th, ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso, their positions dictated to a degree by luck under the VSC and their divergent strategies.
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But the key point was that Alonso, in particular, was able to fight with other cars for the first time, and he ran a long first stint on the soft tyres, before switching to the mediums, which was a bold strategy.
The long-awaited upgrade to their car, which was new apart from the front suspension, engine and gearbox, has reduced their lap times by about two seconds.
A Honda engine upgrade is due for the Dutch Grand Prix, the next race in four weeks’ time after the summer break, which the team hope will elevate them further and potentially bring the possibility of the occasional points finish into the picture.
The village is also full of thatched cottages and timber-framed homes
Cambridgeshire is a county widely associated with science not only in the UK, but the world. It’s home to one of the most prestigious universities in the world, which has produced some of the smartest scientific brains such as Professor Stephen Hawking.
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While Cambridge is considered the science centre of the county, there is one small village that is also highly-regarded in the science world. This is Hinxton, a small village home to just over 300 people in south Cambridgeshire.
Hinxton is home to the world-famous Wellcome Genome Campus, a leading hub for genomics and biodata research. The centre is famous for its major contributions to the sequencing and analysis of the human genome – the complete set of DNA instructions required to build and maintain the human body.
As well as its scientific significance, Hinxton has more beauty to discover. The “picture-perfect” village features many aspects expected from a village.
This includes timber-framed and thatched cottages, historic brick and flint houses, quiet lanes lined with flourishing trees and also a village green. The famous River Cam also flows through the village, making it a scenic and pretty place to walk through.
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A prominent spot in the village is Hinxton Watermill on the River Cam. It’s so old that it’s mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1085 and is noted as being “worth eight shillings”. The current building was constructed in the 17th century, while the adjoining cottage was built in the 18th century.
People can visit the watermill on its open days, giving them an insight into the watermill. They can also experience the beautiful sites that surround it.
The village is home to one pub, known as The Red Lion Inn, which also comes with bed and breakfast accommodation. The award-winning pub has resided in the village since the 16th century.
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It provides the “perfect backdrop for enjoying fabulous food and drink, in the company of friends, family and colleagues”, according to the pub website. In the summer months, the pub’s walled gardens are also a pretty place to sit and enjoy a drink.
To enjoy a day out to experience beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside in a place that is well-renowned for science, then Hinxton is the place to visit.
On Friday morning, Louise Haigh arrived at Heron House in Manchester city centre, carrying a bright red folder that stood out against an otherwise understated navy outfit.
Just weeks after Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election, and subsequent coronation as Labour Party leader and new Prime Minister, Miss Haigh now has a big job running the Cabinet Office and the title of First Secretary of State.
She has found herself running one of the defining features of this new Government – shifting power out of Whitehall and into England’s various regions.
Heron House, off Albert Square, is the temporary headquarters of the No 10 North, but is apparently fully operational while work continues on a more permanent base.
Critics have dismissed this as a costly gimmick but Miss Haigh insisted it represented something much bigger – a rewriting of how Britain is governed.
“It’s phenomenal, it only took them four days to set it up and it’s fully kitted,” she told the Manchester Evening News. “They’ve done an absolutely brilliant job. It’s an extremely secure site.”
It’s a remarkable return. Miss Haigh was Labour’s youngest MP when she was elected in Sheffield Heeley 2015, and she is still the youngest woman ever to have been appointed to a Cabinet position, at 36.
Less than two years ago, however, Miss Haigh resigned as transport secretary just four months into the role, after it emerged she had pleaded guilty to a fraud offence during her 20s.
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Her allies believed she was treated unfairly, as then-Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, had long-known about her conviction.
Instead of retreating, Miss Haigh became one of the architects of Andy Burnham’s leadership campaign. She was seen by his side throughout Makerfield.
Earlier this month, Haigh admitted to the BBC’s Nick Robinson that Mr Burnham had been ‘planning for this moment’ with her and other colleagues ‘for at least the last year’.
Now, as one of his closest allies, the 38-year-old is back at the centre of Government and charged with making one of Burnham’s radical devolution ambitions a reality.
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Miss Haigh spoke to the the MEN exclusively and rejected the criticism that No 10 North risks becoming a gimmick, rather than a genuine transfer of power.
“We had a meeting today to discuss how we can rewrite the entire British state to serve the country better,” she said. “No 10 North will be at the heart of that, we’ll be pulling together civil servants across different departments.”
Friday’s gathering brought together senior ministers and cross-party regional mayors – including Steve Rotheram, Ben Houchen, Andrea Jenkins and Tracy Brabin – to put devolution at the heart of Mr Burnham’s government’s mission.
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Drawing on Mr Burnham’s experience as Greater Manchester mayor, Miss Haigh argued that Whitehall has spent years ‘hoarding’ power that should have been exercised locally.
“[Mr Burnham] has seen the benefit here. It’s the largest, fastest growing region, it’s seen the biggest drop in deprivation, that’s thanks to the fruits of Andy Burnham’s labour,” she said.
For Haigh, the principle is that ‘every part of the country deserves that now’. However, the challenge will be applying that theory into practice.
Miss Haigh said the new No 10 North would mirror many functions of 10 Downing Street itself, bringing together civil servants from multiple departments under one roof while coordinating devolution across Whitehall.
“There will be two ministers – one for devolution and another for fiscal devolution and growth,” she explained.
Success, she claimed, won’t be measured by the building itself but whether more decisions and investments flow away from London.
She said: “The whole point of devolution is taking decisions to the ground as close as possible. We believe it’s important because decisions will be better. Outcomes for people will be better. We want more investments going in places around the country.”
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For now, No 10 North is a work in progress. The permanent headquarters is still some way off – central retail park 2032 – leaving ministers operating from Heron House.
At least seven Greater Manchester Combined Authority employees, including Mr Burnham’s longstanding aide, Kevin Lee, and deputy chief of staff, Caroline Simpson, have moved into Heron House.
The office will be led by Sam Lister, a senior civil servant.
It’s an unassuming building from the outside, and a place where people can register births and weddings. It’s hard to imagine that happening at 10 Downing Street.
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But Miss Haigh is relaxed about the temporary arrangement.
“I don’t know yet how long we’ll be based at Heron House. But [it’s] fully operational and this is an excellent state of the art facility. A lot of civil servants will be flocking here.”
Perhaps the biggest test of Burnham’s devolution agenda will be its relationship with the Treasury, which may be reluctant to give away more power willingly. Haigh insists the old rivalries are being dismantled.
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“We’re joining up No10 and No 11 closer, we’re sharing expertise in a way that has not been done before,” she said.
She points to the unusual arrangement under which Daniel Tomlinson serves both the Cabinet Office and the Treasury as growth minister, arguing that it reflects the PM’s determination to implement his devolution agenda while using existing budgets.
The Prime Minister also chaired the first meeting of the National Economic Council – a body originally set up by Gordon Brown to deal with the fallout of the 2008 financial crash – where he told regional mayors the committee is ‘here for you, to empower you’.
“We generated a whole host of decisions which will reverberate around the civil service,” said Miss Haigh.
“We’ll be speeding up changes to infrastructure…. Changing how leaders will deal with Whitehall.
“It’s hard to understate the meeting today, and how much the Cabinet is desperate to action their projects.”
Less than two years after leaving Cabinet, Louise Haigh has returned to Government, tasked with helping reshape the British state itself. The First Secretary of State is now determined to prove that power can, at last, move out of Whitehall.
Emma Roberts and Cody John are officially husband and wife.
After a two-year-long engagement, the couple said ‘I do’ in a romantic ceremony in Idaho, according to photos obtained by DeuxMoi.
Roberts, 35, and John, 36, exchanged vows outdoors at the actor’s family estate in Sun Valley, per TMZ and Page Six.
The bride, who previously called off an engagement to Evan Peters, wore a custom white gown with asymmetrical sleeves by Monique Lhuillier, as reported by Vogue.
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Following the ceremony, she slipped into an archival after-party dress by the designer.
And for his part, John was dressed in a brown suit.
Daily Mail has reached out to Roberts’s representatives for comment.
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Emma Roberts and Cody John are officially husband and wife
A source told Page Six that the 45-minute nuptials took place outdoors in 95-degree weather.
The outlet reported that Roberts’s five-year-old son Rhodes, whom she shares with ex-boyfriend Garrett Hedlund, walked her down the aisle.
Roberts’s father is Eric Roberts, and her aunt is Academy Award-winning actress Julia Roberts.
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Julia and her husband Danny Moder were in attendance for the wedding, and seen in photos shared by DeuxMoi on Sunday.
The American Horror Story star announced her engagement in 2024 with an Instagram post.
She flashed her diamond ring in a smiling snapshot with John, quipping in the caption: ‘Putting this here before my mom tells everyone.’
The couple began dating in 2022, and John’s sparse Instagram profile is mostly made up of tributes to Roberts.
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This past February he shared pictures of his then-fiancée and wrote, ‘You make everything magic. Happy birthday, Emma,’ to which she replied in the comments, ‘I love you.’
It was reported that Roberts’s five-year-old son Rhodes, whom she shares with ex-boyfriend Garrett Hedlund, walked her down the aisle; the now-newlyweds pictured in 2023
The blonde beauty and her man confirmed their relationship in August 2022; seen in March 2024
The now-newlyweds previously confirmed their relationship in August 2022 after they were seen kissing in New York City.
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Days later, the duo made things Instagram official with a photo John posted of them sharing a kiss on a yacht.
The caption read: ‘sweet sweet.’
At the time, a source close to the pair told ET that New York native Roberts was ‘very content with Cody, and they’re enjoying their relationship and time together.
‘Their friends and family are happy for the both of them and think they make a great couple,’ the insider dished.
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Since then, the low-key couple has managed to keep their relationship private.
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Emma Roberts is married! Actress marries Cody John in romantic Idaho ceremony after two-year engagement
Detailed plans have been submitted for the construction of a detached house on Wenlock Road, Leigh.
The project, which lists MOJO Architects as the agent, includes additional parking spaces, enhanced landscaping, and an extension of the current driveway.
The proposal plans to demolish the existing home and garage to make way for the new development.
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The Property Demolition Report found the building has suffered severe subsidence, causing major structural movement and leaving it unsafe.
It warns the property poses a risk to residents, workers, neighbours and the public, with full demolition deemed necessary.
Plans to replace the property are considered justified by the agent, removing a dangerous structure while keeping the site in residential use.
The proposal would see a new family home built in an area already established for housing, without any loss of residential provision.
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The application suggests the new house will be adorned with brickwork that mirrors the existing local style and colour.
The roofing is proposed to be clad with grey-style roof tiles.
The new windows will be black double-glazed.
It was confirmed in the application that the home is currently used as residential space.
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After the projected development, there will be no change of use, as the new house will also be a residence.
Parking arrangements appear to be a significant component of the new plan.
The application notes that the current number of parking spaces will double from two to four as a result of the development.
Plans also show the inclusion of a waste storage area to the rear of the property.
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The new house will have five bedrooms compared to the previous three.
Each new bedroom on the first floor is measured at 14 sq. metres on the drawings for the planned layout.
There will be two en suite bathrooms and a family bathroom on the first floor, a gain from the one shared family bathroom currently.
The addition of a second floor will create a master bedroom of 17 sq. metres, with a walk-in wardrobe and a master en suite bathroom.
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The application was made valid on July 16, after being received on June 2, 2026.
The full plans, supporting documents and drawings can be found on Wigan Council’s planning portal via the reference number A/26/101007/FULL.
“Max is really slow,” bemoaned Hamilton, unable to find a way past Verstappen. Hamilton attempted the undercut by stopping one lap before Verstappen, and it worked. However, Verstappen caught Hamilton off-guard to snatch the place back at the first corner – a turn renamed after Verstappen’s father-in-law, Nelson Piquet. A major blow for Hamilton having initially made the strategy work.
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick is aiming to redefine a key area of the pitch this season
As introductions to a new club go, Andrey Santos’ arrival at Manchester United could not have gone much better. The Brazilian midfielder arrived from Chelsea with opinions firmly split. Many questioned spending an initial £48m on a 22-year-old who was third choice at Stamford Bridge last season.
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But two games in, Santos has shown he can add something different to United’s midfield. “I’ve watched him from afar, since he’s obviously broken into the first team at Chelsea,” Mason Mount said on Friday about his new teammate, following the 5-0 win over Rosenborg. “I think he’s a really good player. As you said, he reads the game very well.
“I know he’s young, but he’s very experienced in going out on loan and playing in the Premier League as well. He reads the game very well. He’s a little bit more defensive, so it allows me to push on a little bit more forward in these last two games and work off him.
“I think defensively as well, we’re both players that want to get around it, want to put tackles in and win the ball back and be aggressive.”
Despite adding bite to the midfield, Santos is not your quintessential defensive midfielder who can protect the back four. For that matter, neither is Youri Tielemans. United fans have not seen Belgium’s captain in action yet, but they are already familiar with what he will offer them next season. At the World Cup, Tielemans was a box-to-box midfielder and we know he will offer the Reds strength both in and out of possession.
United still want to add a third midfielder this summer but they are more relaxed about that prospect than they were in June. Santos and Tielemans’ arrivals have relieved some of the pressure.
What’s more, there is not a great rush to sign a like-for-like replacement for Casemiro either. Carrick is looking to change United’s midfield this summer. The goal is to cram the midfield with players with high-level technical ability. He wants his side to control the game and set the tempo. Playing proactively, rather than reactively.
This will be music to the ears of United fans. The glory years were defined by a team who asserted their style on matches. But going for this approach is undeniably risky.
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Against Rosenborg, the new system worked perfectly. United grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. Against those lesser opponents, this new strategy can flourish. But this season, Carrick’s side are not always going to be the aggressor.
When up against better quality opposition, United will be forced backwards at times and they will need to dig in. That’s where a Casemiro-esque midfielder is needed. It will be those matches against Premier League title challengers and European football’s elite, when United could need to alter their plan.
With just over a month to go before the transfer window closes, United could still add that more traditional defensive midfielder. A lot could depend on Real Madrid who are sniffing around Rodri. Were the Manchester City man to move to the Bernabeu, that could open the door to Aurelien Tchouameni for United. He is considered the Reds’ dream signing and would fit that defensive midfield role more traditionally.
But as things stand, Carrick is setting out a bold vision for United and it will only be during those major games this season that we shall see if this new strategy works.
If you’ve ever blurted out something during sex and immediately wished you could take it back, you’re not alone.
Whether it’s calling someone the wrong name, making a wildly untimely observation or asking a question that absolutely could have waited until later, people have said some pretty embarrassing things during sex more often than they’d like to admit.
According to Todd Baratz (@yourdiagnonsense), a sex therapist at LUBELIFE,these slip-ups are completely normal. “Sex isn’t like a scene out of a movie; it’s not a choreographed dance,” Baratz told HuffPost. “The reality is that sex is not only about the physical aspect of embodiment, but it is also about emotions, relational dynamics and a whole lot of psychology.
“When you combine all those elements, some awkward moments are inevitable.”
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eclipse_images via Getty Images
Awkward moments are almost inevitable in close, intimate relationships. But you’re certainly not alone when you have them.
Here are a few of the funniest, most absurd and most mortifying things people accidentally said during intimate moments.
*To allow the embarrassed to be a little more candid and protect their privacy, individuals are identified by only their first names.
‘How’s the air up there?’
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Erica still has no idea why one particular name got stuck in her head while she was having sex.
“I was sleeping with a guy, and for some reason I couldn’t get the name Frank out of my head, even though the guy I was having sex with wasn’t named Frank and I didn’t know anyone named Frank,” she said.
The more she tried not to think about it, the worse it became.
“All I could hear in my head was, ‘Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank,’” she said. Terrified she’d accidentally moan the wrong name, she desperately searched for literally anything else to say.
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The solution she said: “So instead I blurted out, ‘How’s the air up there?’ while he was hovering over me.”
The comment earned her a confused look, but she still considered it a better outcome than accidentally calling him Frank.
Later, however, curiosity got the better of her, so she asked whether he happened to know anyone named Frank.
“He told me that was the name of a family member who had just passed away,” she recalled. “So that was really weird.”
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‘God, you’re so smart.’
Stu recounted having sex with a woman in college while the two were locked in an affectionate gaze.
“She had her glasses on,” he said. “I don’t know what my brain was thinking because I just lovingly told her, ‘God, you are so smart!’”
He immediately saw the confusion on her face, and just carried on in bed. “It’s amazing the connections your brain makes,” he said.
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PictureNet Corporation via Getty Images
Some awkward moments can be really weird and off-putting — but some can also be secretly adorable.
‘You might want to get that mole looked at.’
Stu has another story that’s just as unforgettable.
“We were having sex doggy style, and I noticed a mole,” he said. “I pointed out that she might want to get it looked at.”
Looking back, he admits it wasn’t exactly the right time.
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“Maybe not the best place to say it. It just struck me as important at the time. Totally unfiltered moment,” he said. Thankfully, she laughed – and got her mole looked at.
Accidentally calling your partner by the wrong name.
For Samer, the nightmare scenario that most people dread actually happened. After dating his boyfriend for about three months, the couple finally decided they were ready to have sex.
“In the heat of the moment, I called him John,” Samer said. The problem? “His name is Manny.”
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Even worse, Samer has no idea who John is. “Don’t ask me who John is because I have no idea. The name just blurted out of my mouth,” Samer said.
Fortunately, Manny didn’t hear it. The next day, though, Samer confessed what had happened.
“He laughed and said he never heard me,” Samer recalled, “but in my own head I was yelling at myself, ‘How could you, you idiot?’”
Reddit users also had their fair share of awkward confessions.
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If the stories above sound painfully relatable, they’re hardly unique. In a Reddit discussion from last year about the most embarrassing things people have said during sex, hundreds of users shared the awkward comments that still make them cringe years later.
One user said that when their partner asked them to “talk dirty,” their brain completely froze and jumped to the literal: “She said talk dirty… I started telling her about my rock collection.”
Another recalled trying to respond after their partner complimented their size. “She said, ‘Oh my God, you’re so big,’ and I panicked and said, ‘No you are.’”
Some brains simply gave up on making sense altogether. “I meant to say ‘seriously’ since I was about to cum. It somehow came out ‘Stop celery.’” Their partner immediately stopped and asked, “Did you call me celery?” The two laughed for 15 minutes before continuing.
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Koldunov via Getty Images
Sometimes these OMG-worthy moments can even launch a hilarious inside joke that eventually becomes part of your relationship lore.
One couple accidentally turned foreplay into meal planning. “I asked her to say something sexy and she said, ‘What would you like for dinner tomorrow?’” According to the Reddit user, the phrase has since become the couple’s code for an early night together.
For another couple, a compliment unexpectedly turned into a karaoke moment. “I told my wife, ‘I like the way you work it.’ Without missing a beat she replied, ‘No diggity.’” They laughed so hard they had to stop having sex.
Perhaps the most shocking confession came from one user who suddenly had an unsettling realisation mid-sex. “While I was having intercourse I stopped moving, stared at my (much older) boyfriend and with a very a-ha! tone simply said, ‘I just realised you could actually be my dad.’” Needless to say, he didn’t take it well.
Why saying something weird during sex feels especially embarrassing.
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The embarrassment usually has less to do with what was actually said than the meaning we attach to it, according to Baratz.
“A feeling of embarrassment usually comes less from what actually happened and more from the meaning we assign to it,” he explained. “We worry our partner will think we’re unattractive, inexperienced or bad at sex, and if something happens, it can feel like confirmation of those fears.”
Many people also approach sex as though they’re being evaluated rather than participating in a shared experience, he said.
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In healthy sexual relationships, awkwardness is something you navigate together, not something you get judged for.
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– Todd Baratz, certified sex therapist
“In healthy sexual relationships, awkwardness is something you navigate together, not something you get judged for,” he said. If an awkward moment happens, Baratz recommends acknowledging it, laughing if it feels natural and moving on.
“The best response is often the simplest one,” he said. “You’re probably much more focused on the awkward moment than your partner is.”
In fact, those imperfect moments can become part of what makes intimacy meaningful.
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“When two people acknowledge something embarrassing, laugh together and continue to be present with each other, it’s a demonstration of trust and emotional safety,” Baratz said.
“The goal isn’t to eliminate awkwardness completely, but to become comfortable enough with yourself and your partner that it doesn’t ruin the experience.”
President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image of CNN’s Kaitlan Collins seemingly morphed with transgender actress and influencer Dylan Mulvaney — days after comparing the two with a bizarre joke during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
The 80-year-old president went after Collins, a frequent target of his wrath, during his speech at the Correspondents’ Dinner, which was rescheduled for Friday after a shooting disrupted the original April event.
Trump congratulated Collins for winning the 2026 WHCA award for broadcast for her coverage of Trump’s contentious meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February 2025, saying that she “shouldn’t get the award. It was a fake, but I didn’t mind.”
He then compared Collins with Mulvaney, who drew national headlines after her 2023 campaign with Bud Light prompted a conservative boycott of the beer brand.
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“She never smiles,” Trump said of Collins during his speech Friday. “I said, ‘Kaitlin, do you ever smile?’ Smile. You have a nice position. You’re at CNN fake news. You should be a happy person. So smile, Kaitlan. Just smile.”
President Donald Trump shared the bizarre, seemingly AI-edited image of Collins’ face plastered on top of Mulvaney’s body, on Truth Social Sunday (@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social)
Trump continued, saying that he thought Collins had “made it big with a major new sponsorship, but then I informed her that it wasn’t her on the Bud Light can, it was Dylan Mulvaney.”
The president appeared to compare Collins with Mulvaney again on Sunday, sharing a seemingly AI-generated image featuring Collins’ face on Mulvaney’s body. The original image was of Mulvaney during her partnership with Bud Light in 2023, and was widely circulated online at the time during the backlash.
This is a breaking news story, check back for updates…
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