AITA for giving my conservative MIL a gag mug that she smashed and injured herself with?

I bought my mother-in-law a political gag mug as a joke, she smashed it in anger and cut herself, and now my wife says the medical bill is my fault.

A while back I saw a political meme mug on Twitter — a “fell for it again award” mug — and I bought it as a lighthearted, slightly teasing birthday gift for my conservative MIL. My wife rolled her eyes when she saw it before we left for dinner, said I was being immature, but she also laughed and admitted it was kind of funny. At the restaurant, everything was going well until gift time. When MIL opened the mug, her face soured while a couple family members chuckled. My sister-in-law teased her, and MIL stood up without saying much, grabbed the mug, and slammed it onto the floor. It shattered and a shard cut her ankle badly enough to need stitches.

I gave my MIL a meme mug as a joke — she smashed it, cut herself, and now my wife says the injury and drama are on me.

After the mug shattered and she cut herself, we rushed her to get stitches. My wife immediately blamed me, saying my “immature joke” started everything, and insisted we pay the deductible. I said her mother made the choice to smash the mug — that was her reaction, not mine. My wife got angry and said I embarrassed her mom. MIL won’t speak to me now and even called me a “communist,” which honestly would be funny if the situation weren’t so tense.

"Blaming me because she smashed a mug in anger makes no sense — her reaction was her choice."

We ended up paying the deductible anyway just to stop the argument, but the tension at home hasn’t gone away. My wife says I acted immaturely and should’ve known this joke wouldn’t land. I feel like giving someone a goofy gag mug doesn’t justify them smashing it on the floor and injuring themselves, then everyone claiming I caused it.

"It was a silly meme mug — not an attack. Her reaction was extreme."

Now MIL is cutting me off completely and my wife is still annoyed, convinced this whole thing is on me. I’m stuck wondering whether the joke was truly that inappropriate or whether the response around me has blown things wildly out of proportion.

🏠 The Aftermath

MIL needed stitches for the ankle cut and is now refusing to talk to me. My wife is upset and accused me of being thoughtless and childish. Paying the deductible didn’t calm the tension — it only ended the momentary argument.

In her family’s eyes: I created an unnecessary scene. In mine: MIL reacted dramatically to a lighthearted gag and injured herself in the process. The fallout feels disproportionate compared to the actual gift.

Consequences include strained in-law relationships, tension with my wife, and an over-the-top reaction that turned a silly meme mug into a miniature family crisis.

"A joke may not land — but smashing a mug on the floor isn’t a normal response."

I didn’t intend to embarrass anyone. The situation escalated far beyond what I expected, and the emotional fallout is much bigger than the joke itself.

💭 Emotional Reflection

This really comes down to intention versus reaction. You meant the gift as a harmless, slightly teasing joke. Your wife saw it beforehand and even laughed — so you reasonably assumed it was fine. MIL’s emotional sensitivity to political humor wasn’t something you were expecting to explode into broken ceramic and an ER visit.

Could you have chosen a safer gift? Probably. Could you have predicted she’d smash it in a public restaurant? Probably not. And shifting all responsibility for her physical in