I Love a Mama’s Boy: 5 Most Cringe-Worthy Moments That Had Fans Watching Through Their Fingers

Let’s settle this once and for all: nobody on TLC has made viewers hide behind their own hands quite like the moms and sons of I Love a Mama’s Boy. Four seasons of grown men choosing Mom over girlfriends became a museum of secondhand embarrassment. We ranked the five cringiest moments, from mild discomfort to full-body shudder.

#5 — Laila’s Breakfast Service: “Open!”

It’s sweet when a mother makes breakfast for her child. It’s something else entirely when she spoon-feeds forkfuls to a grown man — and tells him to “open,” like a toddler, per ScreenRant’s premiere recap. Laila once described her philosophy simply: “I love to feed Shekeb.” And she does. Regularly. While Emily, his girlfriend at the time, watched across the table. A grown man with a job and a car — yet breakfast requires a co-pilot. Cringe level: breakfast ruiner.

#4 — Matt’s Date Nights… With Kelly

Matt and Kelly — ‘date nights’ with Mom instead of his actual girlfriend. (Distractify)

While dating Kim, Matt preferred to stay in and cuddle on the couch with Kelly — sleepy-time tea, movies, the whole cozy routine, per ScreenRant. Kim later said their intimacy had quietly disappeared under that roof. And it wasn’t just evenings: Matt and Kelly lived together, worked together, hit Happy Hour together, got monthly pedicures together, and wouldn’t vacation apart. Some couples have date nights. Matt had a mom-date residency. Cringe level: therapist’s nightmare.

#3 — Shahid & Dia: “We Used to Be One”

Shahid, Dia and Nylah — matching outfits, shared bank accounts, one very uncomfortable girlfriend. (Bossip)

Season 4 introduced Shahid and Dia, and the season 4 trailer alone was a cringe goldmine, per PEOPLE’s exclusive. Shahid described their bond as dating back to his infancy: “We used to be one” — as in, inside one body. They coordinate outfits. They share their finances. And Dia openly suspected that his girlfriend Nylah had questionable intentions about his money. Shahid was “verbally engaged” to Nylah but hadn’t given her the ring yet — presumably because the ring needed approval from a woman who thinks nobody is good enough for him. Cringe level: matching-pajama photo.

#2 — The Honeymoon Third Wheel

Tracy and Bryan — their honeymoon came with an unwanted third guest. (TheList)

Newly married Tracy and Bryan escaped for their honeymoon — and Bryan’s mother Jayne invited herself along, per TheList. Then Jayne barged in on the couple’s steamy hot tub time… and got in with them. Tracy, furious, stormed out — leaving mother and son to soak alone together. Fans online were horrified, with one viewer calling the interruption “super creepy.” The cringe here isn’t just the hot tub. It’s that someone thought this was normal. Cringe level: cancel the whole trip.

#1 — The Mother-Son Massage to “Bond”

The undisputed champion. In TheList’s roundup of the show’s most awkward moments, one mother-son duo went for a couple’s massage — framed as “bonding.” A couple’s. Massage. Let that sit for a moment. The same roundup also flagged their “grinding” dances and, per Meaww’s reporting cited there, a mother-son lingerie shopping trip. Some families bond over board games. This one bonded over spa robes, and television never recovered. Cringe level: permanent.

Which Moment Broke YOU?

Five moments, one common denominator: a son who never said “Mom, maybe sit this one out.” But the fandom is split — some say it’s harmless family closeness blown out of proportion, others say it’s why TLC still hasn’t confirmed Season 5 (per The FutonCritic, the show remains on hiatus with its fate to be determined). Drop your vote in the comments: which moment made YOU cringe the hardest — and which son needs an intervention most? Team “It’s Harmless” or Team “Therapy, Stat” — pick a side.