Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Boy Who Was Bullied To Tears On School Bus Over His Tony Stark Costume Gets Some Major Love From The Internet

Boy Who Was Bullied To Tears On School Bus Over His Tony Stark Costume Gets Some Major Love From The Internet
Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

A mother pleaded for kids to understand that "WORDS hurt" in a Facebook post after her son was verbally assaulted for dressing up as Tony Stark for a Halloween party at his school.

The day started off well as Jill Stahl Struckman proudly posted pictures of her 10-year-old boy, Evan, in his costume as he was leaving for school and hoping to impress his classmates.


Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

"I hope his school is ready for this guy," wrote Struckman in the initial post.

"He only answers to 'Tony' or. 'Mr. Stark.' He wanted me to drive him to school but only in the Mercedes'. Since I couldn't drive him this very minute, Tony had to be a bus rider."

Not only did he look fantastic in Tony Stark's business magnate attire—complete with a grey vest, tinted specs, and a goatee—he owned the character with his self-assured expression.

Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

But his confidence all but shattered when he was subjected to cruel mockery from fellow students for his costume.

Struckman said she received a call from the school 20 minutes after he rode away on the school bus.

"Apparently some kids on the bus (who weren't even wearing costumes) told him he looked stupid," she said.

"Evan got to school and immediately went to the bathroom and washed his face. When he called he was crying and soooo hurt that he didn't even want to stay for his party."

Disheartened and angry, Struckman shared a photo of Evan—who had scrubbed off the facial hair makeup—to show how much he was emotionally suffering after the bullying.

"Here's what my little Tony Stark looks like now. We both have swollen eyes from crying and are on our way to try to find ice cream."

Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

"When I dropped him off that morning, he ran to the bus SO excited to show off his awesome costume," said Struckman.

"When I arrived to get him, he had washed his face paint off and looked defeated. I was heartbroken."
"He apologized for washing the goatee off and just wanted to leave."

After what she described as a "roller coaster" of a morning, Struckman posted a follow-up, saying she took Evan to Starbucks and talked through his feelings.

Despite what happened, he realized while talking to his mom he did not want to miss out on the school's Halloween party.

"So we went home redid his AWESOME makeup and marched right back into school!"
"He ended up getting that ride he wanted after all. He also learned some valuable lessons today."

The little Iron Man's takeaway from the day was "He never wants to make someone feel the way he did (so he knows he should choose his words wisely" and "Not to let other people's opinions weigh so heavily on him!!"

Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

Struckman told Buzzfeed News:

"Always have talks about bullying, especially this time of year when kids are dressing up and letting themselves be even more vulnerable."

Meanwhile, her posts have been inundated with many positive and encouraging comments from across the country and from around the world—some as far as Egypt, Mexico, England, Belgium and Peru.

Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook


Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

Translation:
"Greetings to the little boy, your character was very good. Do not pay attention to others. Always remain as you are as creative and that you are not affected by other people's trifles. Greetings from Mexico."

Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

Translation:
"Congratulations for that original costume and especially because it looks very very good. It deserves an award for being so original and innovative!!!! Greeting fro Colombia, enjoy life friend Evan, a big hug."

Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook


Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook


Jill stahl Struckman/Facebook

Struckman added:
"The messages of pure love and support from around the world have shown Evan (and us) that there are far more kind people in this world than there are bullies."

Since many people wanted to send Evan a card, Struckman provided the following address:

PO Box 362, Cottleville, MO 63338.

For more information on how to identify and prevent bullying, you can visit stopbullying.gov.

More from News

Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images; Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Just One-Upped Trump's 'Perfect' MRI Results With A Trolling Memo From His Own 'Doctor'

On Monday, the White House released a memo about the MRI scan 79-year-old MAGA Republican President Donald Trump undertook during a check-up at Walter Reed Military Medical Center in October.

The reveal came in response to a call by Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz to release the MRI results after Trump posted a White nationalist talking point-filled rant that used an ableist slur against Walz as the POTUS' Thanksgiving message.

Keep ReadingShow less

Alexander Skarsgård Jokingly Reveals NSFW Reason He Didn't Move In With 'Harry Potter' Star Miriam Margolyes

In a parallel universe, Alexander Skarsgård might have spent his early Hollywood days sharing a kitchen with Miriam Margolyes, casually passing her the salt. In contrast, she would have given him unsolicited life advice or flirted a little. Alas, that universe never came into existence, but according to last Friday’s episode of The Graham Norton Show, it was surprisingly close.

Skarsgård, 49, and Margolyes, 84, found themselves on Norton’s famous red couch last Friday alongside All’s Fair star Glenn Close and Bridgerton breakout Nicola Coughlan. The conversation quickly veered into real estate comedy, queer history, and one baffled Swedish actor trying to remind a beloved British legend that they had met before. It was chaos in its most refined form.

Keep ReadingShow less
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Video Of Dancers Being Forced To Perform In Horse Poop During Thanksgiving Day Parade Sparks Debate

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a spectacle to talk about every year, and with performances by Busta Rhymes and Wicked's Cynthia Erivo and floats from Stranger Things and Toy Story, this year was no different.

But this year, people had something else to talk about, and the reason is pretty disgusting.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Pete Hegseth
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Trolls Pete Hegseth Hard For Trying To Meme Drug Boat Bombing Scandal

After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made light of his deadly attacks on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean by turning the scandal into a meme featuring Franklin the Turtle, California Governor Gavin Newsom memed him right back to stress that the bombing of these boats constitutes a war crime.

Hegseth's original meme, which he inexplicably captioned "for your Christmas wish list," features a doctored book cover titled Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists and shows Franklin, the protagonist of the popular Canadian children's book series authored by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Brenda Clark, firing a bazooka from a helicopter at boats in the water below.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ariana Grande attends the "Wicked: For Good!" New York Premiere at David Geffen Hall on November 17, 2025, in New York City.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Ariana Grande Shares Old Interview Clip As 'Loving Reminder' About Body-Shaming

Ariana Grande is once again urging fans—and the wider public—to pause before commenting on someone’s appearance. Over the weekend, the Grammy-winning singer reshared a clip from a 2024 interview, offering what she called a “loving reminder” amid another surge of unsolicited commentary surrounding the release of Wicked: For Good.

In the Instagram Story posted on November 29, Grande wrote:

Keep ReadingShow less