Childhood friend uses personal stories in comedy routine

DEAR HARRIETTE: I accidentally discovered through a viral TikTok video that my childhood friend has been using my personal stories and experiences as material for her stand-up comedy routine. We used to be neighbors, and naturally, we used to share everything growing up, from secrets to dreams, and I always trusted her to keep my personal life private. Now, seeing those intimate moments turned into jokes for a crowd to laugh at feels like a betrayal of that trust. While I’m happy for her success, I can’t help but feel uncomfortable with how public and personal my life experiences have become without my permission. It’s like my innermost thoughts and memories have been put on display for the world to see, and I never consented to that.