Karma is nothing to fear if you know you’ve been making good choices. In fact, it might even be something you look forward to! As Taylor Swift smugly sang, “Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend, karma’s a relaxing thought.” But there are always going to be people out there who conveniently forget that their actions have consequences. And sometimes, they need to be humbled by the universe.
Redditors have been sharing the best examples of instant karma they’ve ever seen, so we’ve gathered their most amusing stories below. We can’t help but laugh at these tales and hope that these rude and entitled individuals learned their lessons. So enjoy scrolling through this list, and be sure to upvote the stories that remind you to be on your absolute best behavior!
#1
Some crazy guy cut me off on the expressway and a few miles later I saw him again; in a ditch.
Image source: RushTMT2010, freepik (not the actual photo)
#2
My roommate was eating my food so i left some really really old pizza in the fridge. He ate it and got food poisoning.
Image source: strongcoffee, Thomas Franke / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
#3
In college I came home drunk one night and ate my roommates frozen pizza. I got food poisoning so bad I thought it was the end of me. Served me right for stealing pizza.
Image source: hatecopsandcats, gpointstudio / freepik (not the actual photo)
#4
Woman comes to the counter at a fast food restaurant and berates me for under-cooking her beef patty. The patties are all cooked on a timer, and the meat looked normal. She complained and complained for at least twenty minutes. Finally, we remade her entire order and handed her the tray. She complained some more, turns around, and then immediately trips and falls, all of her food and drink spilling everywhere.
It was quite comical.
Image source: funnyguy1123, Kireyonok_Yuliya / freepik (not the actual photo)
#5
Was canned once for complaining about the chef’s food handling grossness to his face.
While I was walking out, the Department of Health was walking in.
Glorious.
Image source: IamChantus, freepik (not the actual photo)
#6
Ooh! I have a good one!
I was getting into my car in the post office parking lot, and I juuuuust touched the car to my right with my door. The two young men sitting inside glared at me. I took a look at their door, and no visible dent or scratch appeared.
The guys pull out, blocking me in, and threw an orange at my car. “An orange?” you think. Yes, an orange. I could not make that stuff up. He speeds off toward the road, giving me the finger along the way.
Shortly after, I heard a loud screeching brakes sound and a BOOM. I drove over to it, and sure enough the orange-thrower hit another car, leaving pretty decent damage on both vehicles.
I make my way to the road slowly, pointing and laughing as I pass the scene. I am given the middle finger one last time before going about my merry business.
Image source: MeredithofArabia, jcomp / freepik (not the actual photo)
#7
I was riding my bike in a protected bike lane, with the right of way through an intersection. A guy in a jeep blew through the red light waiving his middle finger at me and yelling to get off the road. I near hit him, and laid the bike down.
There was a sheriff at the top of the hill. He came screaming down, told me to follow him. The guy in the jeep was arrested for reckless endangerment. Some faith in cops restored.
Image source: miATC, Curated Lifestyle / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
#8
A bee was flying around my ex sister-in-law. I don’t like her and didn’t tell her so I could watch her get stung. It stung me.
Image source: IStillSkip, Allec Gomes / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
#9
Buying food at a football game. It was very crowed, and the cashier ringing up my stuff missed a couple items I was buying. I pointed out her mistake, and it cost me another $10. Making my way back to my seat, I notice a $20 bill on the ground. I pick it up with the universal – “anyone?”…”anyone?” – No takers, so I bagged a $10 profit for my honesty.
Image source: no_anesthesia_please, Simon Kadula / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
#10
I went to Hawaii with my mom and stepfather for vacation (I was 12), and we signed up for surfing lessons. The car ride there, my stepfather kept saying, “Now parolemodel, I just want to warn you of something. You might not be able to do this. You’re a girl, so your center of gravity is higher. I’m a boy, so my center of gravity is lower. Don’t be too upset when I’m standing on the board longer than you, it’s just science, okay? I’ll be better, but it’s okay because it’s not your fault.”
I managed to ride a few low waves all the way to shore while he couldn’t even get on his feet. I mean, I was nothing fancy on those small waves because I had never done it before, but it was way better than him going to stand, then instantly falling every single time.
He wouldn’t talk to me on the car ride back whenever I tried to bring up what he said earlier.
Image source: parolemodel, Polina Kuzovkova / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
#11
The guy who laid me off was laid off himself. His last day? My first day back, because they rehired me since they needed my skill.
Image source: Evadrepus, Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
#12
My friend’s ex walked out on her and their son because he ”didn’t want a family anymore”. The next girl he dates immediately gets pregnant…with twins. The happy ending is that both women are remarried, and the kids are doing fine.
Image source: another_sunnyday, Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
#13
I sure do, but first a little background. I live in Seoul. In Seoul, there are a lot of people that are still quite racist towards foreigners. A lot of these people are cab drivers. There’s also a law that cab drivers cannot refuse rides to people for being foreigners, but obviously this is nearly impossible to enforce.
So, one night myself and a few friends were out, hitting up the bars and some clubs. We get a call from some friends who are out in another part of the city and want us to join them. Out of the bar we go and as we exit we see the street has a few groups trying to hail cabs. Of course, Korea being what it is we are the only foreigners on this street. So we wait and one by one the other groups get picked up and we’re passed over.
Finally, we’re the only ones still waiting. Along comes a cab, excellent, we’re finally getting out of here. The cab begins to slow and pull over as it approaches us, when suddenly another group of Koreans exits the a bar about 100 meters up the street from us. As soon as the cab driver sees this he hits the gas and blows by us, pulling over for the new group up the street from us. Nothing new, you get used to it. However, to make matters worse the korean group started yelling some nasty stuff at us, mocking us and laughing for taking our cab. We go back to waiting.
Not 15 seconds later we hear the screeching of tires, followed by a loud crash and the shattering of glass. We turn back towards the direction the cab had left in and behold, the driver had attempted to run a red light and gotten t-boned. At that point another cab came along and stopped for us. As we passed the fresh accident scene all the passengers were exiting the totaled taxi and looking rather annoyed. We waved and smiled as we drove by.
Image source: canada432, Fotis Fotopoulos / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
#14
This happened between my little brother and my mom. I was an observer.
Little bro was around 4, and throwing a tantrum. He picked up a laundry basket and threw it at my mom, she held her hands up to protect her face. It bounced off her arms and right back into little Bros face. He was alright, just stunned. I found it hilarious.
Image source: j_platypus, Curated Lifestyle / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
#15
Just happened yesterday. My company has a cafeteria in the building and I’m in line at the grill. This guy just blatantly cuts in front of about 5 people and places his order, a turkey bacon Swiss melt. I was next in line and decide since I’m at work to say nothing and just let it go. Another cafeteria employee comes over to help the guy working the grill and takes my order which is also a turkey bacon Swiss melt.
So the initial grill cook sees the second guy start making the melt and takes the next persons order and the next until everyone in line has placed their order. The guy who cut is now waiting for his melt too which the initial grill cook never started making because he saw the second guy making one. So I and everyone behind me all get our food before the guy who cut who ends up waiting an additional 5-10 minutes.
Image source: GobiasBlunke
#16
When my middle nephew was about 6, he had a bad impulse control problem. Once when I was visiting, his older brother did something fairly minor that pissed him off, so he cocked back his arm and threw a punch at his brother, as hard as he could…
…and slammed his fist directly into the wooden doorframe instead.
Image source: lilblackcloudinadres
#17
The bully girl in preschool class would *run* at other kids, making the nastiest face you’ve ever seen, then hit them over the head. She was the meanest little kid I’ve ever met.
The shyest boy accidentally upset her. She started running at him from across the room as fast as she could. Terrified, shy boy instinctively braced himself against the table behind him and lifted his foot up to keep her back. She ran gut-first at *full speed* into the bottom of his shoe – the impact was like a karate kick to the stomach.
The shy boy had no idea that would happen, and hadn’t even intended to defend himself. Bully girl went *crashing* to the floor backwards with the wind knocked out of her, and it took about 5 seconds before she could even catch her breath enough to cry.
Me, the adult of duty, took a sudden interest in the wall paper and pretended not to have seen any of it. That girl needed to learn the hard way and the shy boy needed to learn to stand up for himself. Experience is the best teacher; I let karma rule the day.
Image source: CujoCrunch
#18
When I was a teenager, I was mowing the lawn and noticed a big ant hill. I thought to myself, “f those ants” and I positioned the mower on top of the hill and let it sit there while I gleefully destroyed the ants’ home. I started feeling stinging around my ankles and when I looked down, I discovered I was standing in an even bigger ant hill. The next day, my legs were covered in swollen ant bites. Lesson learned I guess, but still, f those ants.
Image source: InSuTruckyTrailer
#19
My four year old daughter was wearing a princess costume randomly and also was wearing socks. She climbed onto the coffee table all while I’m telling her not to, warning her that she might fall. I hear, “I’m not gonna fall da – BAM – WAAAAAAAAAAH!” One of the many times I’ve been able to console her with a nice heartfelt, “Told ya so”.
Image source: anon, volodymyr-t / freepik (not the actual photo)
#20
Battle Buddy in Iraq didn’t want to wake up for out roving guard shift on time.
He needs waking up like 3 times and then complains about him being late.
He lights a cigarette outside, and I tell him to put it out since its not a good idea to tell people where we’re at.
“Ellistann, shut the heck up. Its 3 in the morning, no ones gonna do nothing toni..”
He never got the last ‘t’ in tonight out because the mortars started hitting.
Its literally the quickest I’ve ever seen someone proved right.
Image source: Ellistann
#21
In high school, a buddy and I found an old shoe in my gym’s locker room. I looked around, made sure no one was looking and threw it a few aisles over. I heard a kid yell “wth?! someone threw a shoe at my head”. We laughed and walked towards the exit (about 50 feet away from where I originally threw the shoe). As we get to the door I get hit on the head by the same shoe. Instant karma, I wasn’t even mad lol.
Image source: mikenothing
#22
My friend picked up a rock to throw it at a goose. He actually picked up goose poop.
Image source: j_platypus
#23
I was in a Wal-Mart one time. There’s this chick, skinny as hell, pushing a cart with her toddler in it. I mean, like user skinny, not the good kind. She just had that look, you know?
The kid is upset about something. She’s yelling at him to shut up (though now that I think about it, maybe it was a girl? hard to tell with toddlers), and of course it’s not working. Because obviously, the one thing that calms a toddler down is to yell in their face.
I’m further down the aisle, doing that “looking but trying not to look like I’m looking thing,” you know? Because really, how can you ignore something like that?
So my brain is ping-ponging between “I should really say something” and “but it’s not my business,” when she hauls off to slap the kid.
I snap my head around, any pretense of not watching this scene utterly gone. But of course, I’m much too far away to actually do anything. All I can do is watch as her hand swings way, way back, building up for the mother of all slaps.
And then I watch as she swings so hard that her feet actually slip out from under her on the tile floor (linoleum? vinyl? whatever.) and she crashes backwards into the shelves behind her. (Edit: totally missing the kid. Sorry, I kind of left out that rather important detail.)
I remember her head bouncing, bam-bam-bam, three times as she thunked down each shelf.
The kid just kind of looked down at her, clearly having no idea what was happening. But hey. It did get the kid to quiet down…
Image source: p2p_editor
#24
I ran beside a pool, despite posted signs and common sense. I slipped, and fell into the pool. I sustained severe bruising, and ruined a full (but cap-less) bottle of tequila.
Image source: ApolloLEM
#25
A very long time ago, there was a big drunken group of us walking to the park, and one kid ended up falling over some minor bump on the ground. I pointed and laughed as we passed him, making fun of him for being unable to hold his liquor.
I took maybe three steps past him and fell down a hill.
Image source: Bkaps
#26
I was working as a carpenter building a house. I had a 4 by 8 sheet of plywood ready to nail into place. A guy came up to me with his arm wrapped with a handkerchief and bleeding. He was going to the ER.
I reached behind behind me to “knock on wood” and prevent me from getting hurt on the job. The sheet of plywood fell on me.
Never did that again.
Image source: Oncearound3
#27
I was driving down the road during my lunch with my friend, and I was just driving along, and this jerk in this lifted jeep speeds up to my right to be parallel to me, and keeps pointing and honking at me, leaning out the window, screaming and flipping me off. My friend and I have absolutely no idea what this guy is on, because I had done nothing but go down the road legally, and was extremely confused by this guys behavior.
He started pointing at my car and then speeding up whilst doing this, indicating that he wanted to race, and I just shook my head, really scared because I didn’t know what this guy was going to do.
He finally sped around me and cut me off and started to brake check me over and over, so I tried getting into the right lane, but he cut over into it, and I sped past him in the left as fast as I could. But since he had switched lanes so fast and not paid attention to what was going on in front of him in that lane, he literally *plowed* into the back of a Honda going probably 45-50 mph, and my friend and I just kept going. I didn’t know what to do, and I felt bad for the guy in the Honda, but I was glad that we were safe.
I still think about that whenever I drive, which is everyday, because I’m so scared because of what happened.
Image source: anon
#28
Just got off jury duty like 2 hours ago. Listen to this woman claiming she got hurt in a car accident, wanted money for lost wages, pain etc. to the amount of $127,000. From a 20 year old kid. Something was clearly off, which 11 out of 12 jurors decided. We awarded her $7350. As we left the court room, the tip staff guy pulled me aside. Turns out the woman could have settled with the kid and his father for $60,000 before the trial started but didn’t.
Greed never pays, kids.
Image source: cukatie2983
#29
I left my shoes in front of the door despite my moms constant warnings that someone was going to trip on them.
That someone was me, carrying in groceries which included two dozen eggs and two liters of milk. Both of which predictably exploded when all 200 pounds of me landed on them.
Image source: henderknee04
#30
A little snot nose brat dropping was running around, making messes for me to clean up while his mother just laughed.
On they way out, he went to run out the door and instead ran into the side that didn’t open.
I had to go in the back because I was crying trying to hold back the laughter.
Image source: aPlasticineSmile
#31
I was sitting on top of the sofa back, and my brother thought it would be funny to push me so that I’d fall backwards onto the sofa. I did, with my legs continuing straight upward, and basically kicking him in the balls.
It was one of my favourite moments, because it was completely guilt-free on my part, and instant karma for him.
Image source: apple_crumble1
#32
Was out at a bar with a buddy of mine I hadn’t seen in years. He sees two girls at the bar and goes to the bar tender and has him deliver a round on us. They get the drinks and the bar tender points to us. We smile and nod. Guess they didn’t like what they saw. One busts up laughing the other looks like she just smelled a fart. So they pick up their drinks and start to head for the door. Before they leave, the bouncer, who isn’t going to let them leave with the glasses, steps in front of the door. They are looking at us so they don’t see him. Bang, they are wearing the drinks instead of drinking them. My friend and I start laughing our asses off, as do several other people who saw what happened. Best ten bucks we spent all night.
Image source: Spodson
#33
Open spar at my gym, guy comes in to unleash his fury taught by sensei youtube. Goes with a dude at 100%. Dude backs off and tells guy to calm down and keep it at 20%. He agrees and goes 100% again. Dude backs off and gets called a chicken by guy.
An instructor offers to take his place. Guy doesn’t know it’s an instructor. They agree to go light. Guy comes at him 100%. Instructor warns him to practice control. They go again, guy goes 100%. Instructor grabs him and knees him in the ribs. Guy slumps over and sits for the next hour. Guy shows up 3 months later to just watch.
TLDR: Mess with the bull, you get broken ribs.
Image source: brungo
#34
English is not my first language.
I was on guard duty in the army during an event in my country. Some guy in my squad had to be awake for 24 hours (aww) because of an unfortunate shift change. He asked me take over his shift but I didn’t want to change shifts because I had fun squadmates on my shift. Instead, I proposed to take up his shift 4 hours earlier. So, he went to sleep at 0200 instead of 0600 and was scheduled to replace me at 1400. I started getting very tired at around 1000 so I just told my squadleader to wake the other guy a little bit earlier and tell him to take over the two hours from 1200-1400 for me so I could go to sleep earlier. I had passive duty from 1000-1200 so I just went to sleep. Well, I get woken up at 1230 because the other guy didn’t want to take over those two hours of my shift. He legit refused. So I had to get up, get dressed and go back to the outpost. All this while having murderous thoughts. On my way to the outpost, I notice the place is practically empty. Not a single soldier to be seen. Turns out the officers planned a ‘disciplinary secret’ march, and because I was on guard duty, I couldn’t participate in the march. 80km.
The company marched past the outpost. He was there too, with an angry face. I just smiled back to him and, because there was a window between him and me, mouthed the word ‘karma’.
Image source: tactical_plant
#35
In college, some girl pushed my roommate or of her way on the stairs almost knocking him down them. At the next landing, she tripped and rolled down the whole flight of stairs. My roommate and I both carefully stepped over her, and continued walking as we heard her yelling at us for not even helping her up.
Image source: Immaculate_Erection
#36
Was leaving the grocery store about 10 years ago.
It was really rainy and very windy. I got into my car and saw a lady get into her car after leaving her grocery cart just pushed away from her car a little bit.
The cart corral was just a couple space over but she didn’t want to bother. This always drives me crazy because of its laziness and selfishness.
Well she pulls out and has to stop in a minute at the end of the lane because cars are coming.
A long heavy gust of wind grabs her cart and it rolls close to 60 feet, gaining momentum, before slamming right into the side of her car. I could see the dent it made from halfway across the lot.
It was as if God grabbed the cart and rolled it into her to teach to put it up next time.
Image source: chodan9
#37
I was at the mall doing some last minute Xmas shopping and heard a commotion by one of the escalators. Some punk was berating and yelling in a girl’s face, calling her all kind of names and then screamed at the top of his lungs “I’m glad I cheated on you with your sister AND gave you herpes.”
He turned around to walk down the escalator, tripped and bounced down them. Everyone started laughing at him, even the poor girl who was in tears. He stood up and looked at everyone laughing, started to say something but an older gentleman stepped out of the crowd and sucker punched him…turns out she was with her father when the kid decided to break up…father heard the whole thing.
Image source: GRZMNKY
#38
Was driving through a school zone when I see an Audi swerve through the traffic at well over the speed limit. Usually there are never any cops on patrol but this day a motorcycle cop was sitting at the curb just waiting. It was ao gratifying to watch the cops lights come on and him slide up behind that speeder.
Image source: acatwithnohat
Follow Us
