National Text Your Ex Day – October 30, 2024

U.S.

History
Timeline
FAQs
Importance
Celebrate
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Every year on October 30 is National Text Your Ex Day. Whether you usually do the breaking up or are the one who’s broken up with — National Text Your Ex Day doesn’t discriminate. So get out your phone, think of something you want to say, and participate in National Text Your Ex Day.

History of National Text Your Ex Day

To text or not to text, that is the question. Sometimes our curiosity just gets the best of us, and there’s no harm in checking on someone that used to mean the world to you. These interactions can sometimes be a bit awkward in person or over the phone, so luckily texting was invented!

Though the technology to implement it existed since 1988, SMS messaging was used for the first time on December 3, 1992. A 22 year old test engineer by the name of Neil Papworth used a personal computer to send the world’s first text message, “Merry Christmas”, to the phone of Richard Jarvis, who was at a party. However, it wasn’t until 2007 that text messaging became the most popular form of communication for mobile phones.

Even before text messaging became a widely used method of communication, we’ve had our best friends by our sides, telling us not to reach out to our exes and move on with our own lives. However, this bestie duty wasn’t always necessary as splitting up wasn’t common practice until the recent 1900s. In 1971, Ronald Regan (while still governor California), signed into state law that a couple could legally split due to “irreconcilable differences.” It wasn’t until 2010 that every state had their own version of the no-fault divorce law, the lagging state being New York who required exes to live in separate homes for a year before a judge could convert their separation into a divorce.

National Text Your Ex Day timeline

1536

Nastiest. Breakup. Ever.

Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, was beheaded after he accused her of treason. (However, the unfortunate truth is because she wasn’t able to give birth to a male heir. The dark truth is because his infamous wandering eye had already wandered to his next victim and he needed a reason to divorce her).

1837

A Presidential Mishap

Abraham Lincoln had jokingly agreed to an acquaintance's idea to marry her sister, Mary Owens, after she noticed how heart broken he was from the death of his late love interest. When Owens then arrived in town thinking she was engaged, Lincoln had to write a very awkward letter telling her she would not like living in the State Capital.

1996

A royally ugly divorce

Splitsville for Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

2014

A tattoo proved to be a bad omen

Nick Cannon, who was married to Mariah Carey, got her first name tattooed across his back. They would divorce two years later.

National Text Your Ex Day FAQs

What should I text my ex after the no contact period?

If you do want to send a message, start out with something small like, “Hi, how are you?“ If they respond, then you have permission to expand your greeting to a full conversation. If they don’t, then it’s probably best to leave them be.

What day is National Ex-Spouse Day?

National Ex-Spouse Day is celebrated annually on April 14. This day is made to reflect on the good times, but also acknowledge that what happened was for the best.

Should you text your ex?

If you text your ex to participate in National Text Your Ex Day, then it’s fair game. However, if you’re having a drunken late night out with some friends and come up with the idea to send a sloppy “what are you up to” text, we advise you put the phone down.

National Text Your Ex Day Activities

Gather a group of exes
What better way to spend the day than by getting a group of friends together (single or taken) to celebrate National Text Your Ex Day? Throw a dinner party, throw a few back at happy hour, or go do a fun activity your ex wouldn’t have been caught dead doing.
Shed guilt
Feeling guilty about breaking up with someone — or how you acted during the relationship — can wreck your present and future life. Use National Text Your Ex Day to your advantage by reaching out and apologizing to your exes for things you may regret having said or done during the relationship or breakup.
Make it a day for dating
There’s no better day to evaluate your current love life, so after you text your ex, set up a date (or two) with someone else and be proactive about finding someone special. Who knows, your dates could be the one — and if they’re not, you’ll have another ex to text for the next National Text Your Ex Day.

4 Brutal Breakups That’ll Make You Feel Fine About Texting Your Ex

Tiger's ugly tale
Elin Nordegren chased cheating ex-husband Tiger Woods with a golf club; he then crashed his car while trying to get away from her — so she proceeded to smash his car windows with said golf club.
A relationship ended on national television
During an interview with Oprah, Matt Damon reported he was single; this was news to his then-girlfriend Minnie Driver, who learned (along with the rest of the world) that they were no longer dating.
A bloody mess
Lady Caroline Lamb, an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, novelist, and married woman, had an affair with Lord Byron, a poet and leader of the Romantic movement. Shortly after he ended it, she attended a ball, where she smashed a wine glass and cut her wrists in front of all of the guests.
He won't be back
After 25 years of marriage, Arnold Schwarzenegger told his ex-wife Maria Shriver that he had been unfaithful and fathered an illegitimate child; they're now divorced.

Why We Love National Text Your Ex Day

It can help with closure
Whether or not you instigated the breakup, there may be some things that were left unsaid. Luckily, National Text Your Ex Day gives you the perfect excuse to reach out to your ex and get some closure.
Time heals all wounds — and so may a text
If your last relationship left you broken hearted or broke your partner's heart, sending a text is the perfect opportunity to repair. That being said, what you say in the text and how you react to their responses can make or break this healing opportunity, so choose your words wisely.
You may be reminded of why they're your ex
Sometimes a little reminder that you made the right decision — or if they broke up with you, that you’re better off without them—is a good thing. Once you send that text, you may get the confirmation you’ve been needing.