Saudi man divorces wife for crying over TV show contestant's exit

A Saudi man divorced his wife of one month after he found her crying over the exit of a contestant in a reality show.

The husband upon returning home found his wife upset and tears rolling down her cheeks. He thought something terrible happened to her family and asked her about the reasons for her tears.

The wife candidly answered that she was upset by the exit of a contestant in the reality show “Boost Your Asset” shown on a private television station.

The husband, shocked by the answer, became angry and told his wife: “The contestant is out of the show and you are out of the house,” Saudi news site Al Marsad reported on Sunday.

The husband reportedly thought that his wife’s tears over another man meant she did not appreciate him.

The reality show, now in its fourth edition, is filmed in a special village north of the capital Riyadh.

Online users said that the husband had rushed into the decision and that he should have acted differently.

“I appreciate his anger, but I do not excuse his decision to divorce,” a user, Visitor, said. “He knows that women are much more sensitive than men and he should have settled the issue by simply cancelling the channel. An open and honest talk with his wife at the beginning of their life together is the best solution.”

For another user writing under the moniker of Reality, the husband should have “taken it easy with his wife.”

“People cannot always control their emotions, and some of them are terrible at hiding them. I believe the husband had rushed into the decision and he should have tempered his reaction a bit. It is the beginning of their married life and such mistakes should be forgiven for the sake of their future.”

Other users said the husband was right in taking the decision to divorce his wife.

“Men should always resort to frank talks and patience when dealing with their wives,” Shihana posted. “However, when a wife shows she has feelings for a stranger, a man who is not related to her, there is no room for understanding or conversations. They should go their separate ways. I do not expect the man to support his wife and cheer her up as she keeps crying for or about another man.”

Nadia, another user, said the wife should have been smarter to saver her marriage.

“It was really stupid of her to share her feelings with her husband,” she posted. “She should have changed the channel and told her husband that she was crying because she missed her family. It is terrible to lie, but as she eases herself into the marriage, she should go for a small lie rather than lose it all,” she said.