How do you effectively confront people who are spreading negative rumors about you?
172 Answers
Last Updated: 06/10/2022 at 3:23pm
Moderated by
Lisa Groesz, PhD
Psychologist
With evidenced based therapies, we find the root of the problem together to implement solutions. We all face crises, transitions, or disorders at some time.
Top Rated Answers
I always come to the person who I believe is responsible and say something along the lines of "Hello, I've heard that you were saying that I [whatever the rumor is]... That is false information and I would like to know why you were spreading it. I also ask you to stop doing so."
The key is to remain calm during the confrontation, be direct and clear, do not actually accuse someone but say that information has reached you/you heard/you saw/etc. that they were spreading the rumor. Then ask them why they were doing it and request them to stop. It's important to stay polite.
Anonymous
June 25th, 2017 9:33am
Tell them exactly how it hurts you and to their face. It's easier for people to be hurtful online so showing them that you are a person with emotions would be most effective. If you are confident, confront them in front of others to.
Be honest! Approach them in an environment you feel comfortable. Don't let anger overtake you. Be the bigger person. These rumors don't define who you are!
If it's someone who is not important to you you just ignore them, if it's someone who is important to you then you talk to them and ask them why they're doing it.
Anonymous
July 9th, 2017 3:14am
You can agree to meet this person or you could just message them asking them about the rumors and then just tell them to stop. Nothing has to get out of hand and escalate into an altercation. Just be mature about it.
In my experience, the best to way to confront them is to ask them to talk with you. Once you get that opportunity, the first thing to do is to calmly ask them why they are saying those things about you. That way, you may find out why they're doing it, and it may be something that you can work out with that person. After you ask them why, let them know how it makes you feel that they're spreading those rumors. Most people aren't really thinking about how what they're spreading is directly affecting the other person, and in my experience, just simply letting them know, helps them to understand that it's not okay. And then wrap it up, let them know that if they have a problem, that they're more than welcome to come talk about it with you, and that you would never do anything to intentionally upset them. The most important thing here is tone of voice and emotion, don't get mad, don't get upset; just stay calm and collected through the whole thing. That's how I'd handle it.
Basically I would ask them what I did that made them feel they needed to spread rumors and if it was something that made them unhappy. Then I would ask how we could talk about it and compromise or fix the situation
Sometimes you can't stop people from doing what they want to. If this is taking place at school then you have to go to the principal or even your teacher(s) because unless their underage you can only do so much.
Anonymous
August 12th, 2017 11:04am
Confront the person and tell the person about the Rumours that are not true and ask that person to stop spreading it
Anonymous
September 22nd, 2017 10:45am
I will talk to them kindly to try to find out more about why they are doing what they are doing. Sometimes that is all that it takes for them to stop.
I think about the reason why they’re spreading these rumors in the first place. When I was in high school a bunch of girls were spreading rumors about me. At first I was upset but then I realized they were because I was dating a guy that they both were into, so they thought that by spreading these lies it would get him to back off. So I talked to them saying that basically I’m sorry he doesn’t like you in that way but it’s not my fault. And you guys spreading these rumors won’t help in your case with him because you’re being seen as bad people. And that squashed everything.
Anonymous
October 13th, 2017 2:39pm
I talked to them personally and asked them why they are doing that to me, what pushes them to do that and how they got that wrong information. If they are aware that they could ruin my life by what they are doing.
Anonymous
October 25th, 2017 4:53am
I (personally) do not do that. I just block them off my mind. I focus and I tell myself I'm not who they think (or say) I am. Everyday I look into the mirror and give me a compliment. I don't think this is the right way to deal with the situation, but it surely works for me.
And if you're going through this; everything's going to be okay. Tell yourself that, and believe it, cause it is true.
People who spread rumors about you either don’t like you or naturally enjoy spreading rumors. It’s better to be more mature about it and not make a scene. You can just let them know that you know they spread rumors about you and you are not pleased. Don’t say anything else out of anger. They ld notice you are totally a different person and would be extremely embarrassed. Don’t give them the privilege of disrespecting you by arguing or overreacting
Anonymous
November 8th, 2017 7:31pm
I ignore them and show people who I am helping that I am a good listener and care about them and support them.
I confront people who are spreading negative rumors about me by talking to them personally and discussing to them how I feel with what he/she is doing and by telling them that what they are doing is so wrong but I am ready to forgive them for what they did.
I would approach them in private the first time and ask them if they were actually spreading rumours. Depending on the answer, I would either apologise and monitor the situation from the background or if they admitted they were spreading nasty rumours I would ask them to stop and explain that I will involve an adult/police or other authority person to deal with it.
Anonymous
December 12th, 2017 8:10pm
I would pretend it doesn't faze me and hope it goes away. If it however gets worse I would report it to someone I trust
I would be calm with them and not rise to their level. These people only want a rise out of you and want you to react in a negative way. This will encourage them to continue. Everyone has different ways to deal with this. The way I deal with this is to laugh it off and in some cases, I turn it into a joke because once you turn it into a joke and laugh at it yourself, it's no longer amusing to the other person. I'm not saying this is the right way but everyone has different ways to deal with the people who might say negative comments or rumours.
Let them know that their lies are just that - lies, and let them know that they're affecting you in a negative way. Often, people don't realize that the rumors they're spreading are entirely incorrect, and if they do and it's just for fun, they usually don't know how much harm they're causing. In my experience, people will stop if they realize they're really doing bad things to you and your mental health. Being genuine is always the best path!
Anonymous
January 28th, 2018 6:05am
Ask them straight why they feel the need to be so mean. I once had a similar experience and the person was my ex best friend. I called her up and asked her straight. She told me that she was bitter that a close friend of hers had a crush on me and she wanted him to stay away from me. I told her that there's no hard feelings from my side, and that people who know me, will know whether the rumours are true or not. Then I hung up and the same night, I said yes to the guy who had a crush on me. 2 years since, we're still together and that girl is happy in a new group of friends. Clear communication is the key.
Anonymous
February 14th, 2018 5:53pm
Tell them how it makes you feel. Talking to the people in person and telling them what they are doing makes you feel a certain way is helpful.
Anonymous
February 23rd, 2018 11:14pm
You don't even need to confront them, because by defending yourself you create suspicion. Let it pass by and people will eventually find out the truth. Rumours are after all just rumours.
Hey love! Just go ask them if they've spread a rumor against you and then ask them the reason. You can just let them know how you felt and give them slap with your words. please do all this face to face and not over text or call.
Try to explain him or her the impact which the negative rumors had on you. Explain that the purpose of your confrontation is not to make them feel guilty, but to make them understand that they would not enjoy or tolerate this if someone else spread rumors about themselves. Detail your feelings, the impact on your relationships and make sure they understand how it is to be in your situation - to walk in your shoes a bit.
Try to think, also, about his or her motivation, because you may find out that this person lacks something (self esteem, meaningful relationships) and is trying to cover this gap by gossipping. If you have the occasion, talk about this, too, and show this person a better path to create relationships.
The next step would be forgiveness. Show him or her that you can raise above this situation, forgive and be ready to move on, but not before you make sure that the respective person will not spread any future negative rumors.
It takes a lot of courage to confront someone. Make sure you tell this person what the effect of his/her actions are, how it makes you feel, and how you would appreciate it if that person would be more honest in the future.
Anonymous
March 30th, 2018 12:30pm
You should speak to a teacher or your parents first who can arrange to sit you and the group that you want to confront down.
Keeping my integrity and compassion in mind, I would approach them calmly to ask if they could speak to me in private for a moment. After I would in short explain to them it makes me feel little when they spread misinformation and to stop. Once is all it takes and I go about my way. I harbor no attachment after because I realize the issue is more within that person than it is about me.
Anonymous
April 12th, 2018 11:10pm
Remember not to stoop to their level. Always confront them in a mature way, and handle it with confidence.
Anonymous
April 22nd, 2018 6:46am
Go to them and ask them you wanna have a talk. Talk about it. Talk about the rumor that have been spreading about you. And then let them clear their side and you tell them about yourself so that they dont have any doubt about you.
Related Questions: How do you effectively confront people who are spreading negative rumors about you?
Why is everyone around me always being so mean? Everyone in school thinks I am bitter. How can I change their minds?My friend is always negative towards me. What do I do?How do I know if I'm a bully?How to get my parents to stand up for me against bullies instead of apologizing to avoid any confrontation?How to deal with people that are bad mouthing me?Why would someone who is already in pain wish to inflict it upon others?How do you get over the feeling that people are laughing at you?What's the difference between bullying and teasing?My husband makes fun of my child's weight. What am I supposed to do?