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We probably all have a few secrets we’d prefer to keep to ourselves. Maybe we did something that’s just too embarrassing to fess up to, or perhaps it’s a secret that simply cannot get out. Some people will happily take these tales to the grave, never breathing a word to friends, family, or even their partners. But give others an anonymous corner of the internet like Fesshole, a popular X account that shares confessions sent in by strangers, and they’re thrilled to spill.

From cringeworthy mishaps to quietly unhinged deeds, these confessions are equal parts entertaining and uncomfortable—and too good not to share. Keep scrolling to see what people have been getting off their chests lately.

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Many of us feel a lot more brazen when we’re behind our screens and keyboards. Think about it: people leave scathing restaurant reviews they’d never say to the chef’s face, get into heated debates with total strangers in the comments, and slide into DMs with a confidence they’d never have IRL. Online, the stakes just feel lower.

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Psychologists even have a name for it: the online disinhibition effect. John Suler, the psychology professor who coined the term, explains that people tend to say and do things online that they wouldn’t in person. And a big part of that comes down to anonymity. As a 2026 study points out, research has long linked the two: the more anonymous we feel, the more we’re willing to share.

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When nobody knows who you are, there’s simply a lot less to lose. And when it comes to secrets, that embarrassing story you’d never tell at a dinner party suddenly doesn’t seem like such a big deal. There’s just one small problem. Most of the internet isn’t very anonymous anymore. Our profiles come with our real names attached, and our coworkers, families, and exes (yikes) are often just a click away.

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Fesshole creator Rob Manuel remembers when the internet felt different. “Using the internet 15 years ago, there was a real freedom about it,” he told Varsity in 2023. “There was only a few people using the internet at the time … your boss wasn’t reading it, your wife wasn’t reading it, your girlfriend wasn’t reading it. It had anonymity even though it wasn’t anonymous.”

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These days, he says we’re more likely to self-censor for fear of what a careless post could do to our relationships, reputations, or careers. Fesshole gives people a way around that: an anonymous place to say out loud what they’d otherwise probably be very unlikely to ever admit.

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Of course, people have been unburdening themselves for centuries, whether in a confession booth or a diary. And honestly? Not all of that unloading is a bad thing. In fact, psychologist James W. Pennebaker has explained that it can be good for us.

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“Any type of open and truthful disclosure reduces stress and helps individuals come to terms with their behavior,” he writes for Scientific American, adding that “It is not coincidental that some of the most powerful people or institutions in many cultures encourage people to confess their transgressions.”

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According to Pennebaker, there’s “very strong evidence that writing about upsetting experiences or dark secrets can benefit your mental and physical well-being.” His research focuses on expressive writing, which, much like religious confession, encourages people to explore their deepest thoughts and feelings about something upsetting. The catch is that it only works if you’re completely honest with yourself.

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So why does it help? Pennebaker explains that writing about difficult experiences can change how we see them, making them feel less overwhelming. Once we’ve written about something, we also tend to dwell on it less, which frees up headspace for everything else. He says dozens of studies have even linked expressive writing to less stress, better sleep, and improved cardiovascular function.

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Granted, most Fesshole confessions are more chaotic than traumatic, and Pennebaker is clear that this kind of release isn’t a cure-all. Still, as he puts it, “you do not have to be religious to benefit from confession. The underlying mechanisms are available to anyone for the price of a pencil and paper.” Or, in this case, an anonymous corner of the internet.