There will be times in your life when things get a bit serious. Maybe even scary.
And when that happens, you’ll need a welcome distraction… a little time to focus on nothing too heavy, even for a little while.
For most of us, our brains are constantly going. I know mine is!
Concerns about my four young kids all in school for the first time.
Where the next chapter of my life will take me now that I’ve got more free time.
The aches and pains I’m feeling as I enter middle age (which I’m still in denial about, despite the stray grays popping up here and there).
Will I be around to see all of my children get married? Have kids of their own?
But thoughts like these aren’t just daunting at times; they can also interfere with your everyday life. Weight loss, stress relief, and sleep are all things our body needs to be its best self.
So, for today, I will give your cynical and worried brain a day off by offering 139 funny, controversial topics that will spark a lively and fun debate.
Choose your sparring partner wisely… spouse, parent, child, co-worker, friend.
Whoever it is, they should have a good sense of humor and wit about them to make things more interesting.
I’ve also broken them into categories in case you want to mix up your partners.
Finally, if you want a handy version of this article, we've included a downloadable and printable version of these questions at the end.
Tread Lightly
These questions may not be politically correct, and they might make people angry, but they will guarantee a lively debate.
- If you went back in time and were assigned to be a dictator for one week, would you pick and why?
- Do you think that blondes are dumber than brunettes and redheads?
- Would you ever refuse to date someone because you didn’t like their first name? How about their last name?
- Would you rather have more followers on YouTube or TikTok?
- Have you ever had fantastic sex with an ugly person?
- Do you prefer to receive oral sex or the real thing?
- Did you ever have a sex dream about a relative?
- Have you ever watched a film with bestiality? Did it turn you on at all?
- Which country would you say has the dumbest people?
- Have you ever used an item of food to pleasure yourself?
- Did you ever try a romantic kiss on a relative as a kid? Like your sibling or a cousin?
- Is it ok to try on bathing suits naked? Or should you keep your underwear on?
- How would you feel if you were a single parent and your teenage child’s attractive friend made a pass at you?
- How young is too young when it comes to dating? How about fantasizing?
- How long would you date someone before you farted in front of them?
- If you had to choose, would you rather date someone with chronic bad breath or body odor?
- How do you feel about women who carry dogs in their purses?
- Would you date someone who let their dog sleep underneath the covers with you?
- Let’s be honest… we know dogs always lick their private parts. Do you ever think about that when they are licking your face?
- If you were given your choice of taking home any baby from the hospital without knowing which one was yours… would you go for the best-looking one?
- If someone offered you $10 million to have sex with a sibling, would you consider it?
- Have you ever passed gas while having sex?
- Have you ever had explosive diarrhea after eating on a first date? Did you get a second date?
- What derogatory or curse word do you consider to be the most offensive?
- If you were starting to fall in love with someone and then found out they had a tattoo (which you hate), could you get past it?
- If your partner kept their cigarette smoking habit a secret from you after dating for a long time, what would you do when you caught them?
[See Thought Provoking Deep Questions to Spark Conversation!]
For The Ladies
As much as we’d like to believe otherwise, we are not all created equal… there are just some things only women will get.
- Are you a Brazilian waxer or a bush woman?
- Would you rather have a man with a big member or big brain?
- Who is the sexiest male celebrity over 65?
- Is touching yourself above your clothes still considered masturbation?
- Have you ever put a sock in your pants to see what you’d look like with a penis?
- Do you think you’d make a good-looking man?
- Have you ever found a priest sexy?
- If someone offered you $1,000 to streak naked while on your period, would you?
For The Gents
Men and women have very different views on many things, especially regarding what’s essential in a relationship. Most men will admit that they haven’t always thought with their brain when it comes to the fairer sex.
- Would you ever consider waxing your entire body if a woman asked you to?
- Do you prefer boobs or brains?
- Having sex with a woman on her period… “gross!” or “sex is sex!”?
- Who is the sexiest female celebrity over 65?
- Have you ever wondered if a nun had a hot body hiding under her habit?
- If someone offered you $1,000 to streak in front of a crowd while you had an erection, would you?
Hypothetical Questions
These questions are far-fetched, if not impossible, making them funny and controversial topics for banter!
- Which would you choose if you were a superhero or a supervillain for one week? What would your power be, and how would you use it?
- Which do you believe came first, the chicken or the egg?
- If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it, does it make a sound? (A classic)
- If you could change sexes for one month, would you? What is the first thing you’d do?
- If you could go back to your childhood, what is one thing you would change?
- Do you believe that all actions have consequences and that one decision can change your life forever?
- If you were offered to step into your dream job without training, would you accept it knowing that you may fail?
- If you were allowed to be reincarnated into any animal of your choosing, which would it be?
- Do you believe in ghosts? If so, would you be afraid if you saw one?
- If you woke up one morning able to play any instrument professionally, which would it be?
- Would you rather be good-looking or smart?
- Do you believe that robots will eventually replace humans? As in, will more people utilize robotic parts to fix things wrong with their bodies?
- If you won the lottery and knew you’d never run out of money, what are the top 5 things you’d spend it on, in ascending order? #1 being the first thing you’d spend it on.
- If you could commit one crime without ever being caught, would you? If so, which one and why?
- Could you kill a person if it were in self-defense?
- If you could switch bodies with anyone, who would you pick?
- If men could have babies, would you want to?
- Which would you choose if you could be the best mom in the world with perfect, well-adjusted kids or get your pre-baby body back?
Relationships
Without getting too serious… choosing “the one” you’d like to spend your life with often requires some getting-to-know-you-type questions beforehand.
Knowing where your future life mate stands on various issues is good, even if some questions are plain silly.
After all, surprises can be great… but some are best revealed ahead of time if you won’t like it.
- What is the first quality you are attracted to in another person when dating?
- What do you believe are the key ingredients in a lasting relationship?
- What would you consider a deal breaker when considering marriage with someone?
- Do you think men go through hormonal changes a few days every month, the same as women?
- If your wife offered to do anything you asked in exchange for you getting her menstrual period for one cycle, would you do it?
- Have you ever had a sex dream about one of your partner’s friends or a family member? If so, would you tell them who?
- Would you prefer your spouse to have the same interests? Or would you prefer hobbies and space that are just for you?
- Do you believe sex before marriage is necessary to determine if the relationship will work in that department? Or do you think sex can improve over time?
- Do you believe that when you get married, you marry your spouse’s entire family?
- What is the one sin your partner could commit that is unforgivable in your eyes?
- Would you consider remarriage if your spouse died?
- You’re done having children. Do you opt for a tubal ligation or vasectomy?
- Do you think a vast age difference can work in a marriage? What is your cutoff point?
- Would you consider doing an internet search or a criminal background check on someone before things got too serious?
- Is trust given or earned?
- If you just found out your spouse was convicted of a violent or sex-related crime when they were in college or shortly thereafter, would you rethink the relationship? Or are you capable of leaving the past in the past?
- Who’s the cartoon bad guy… Tom or Jerry?
- Are you closer to your parents or your significant other’s?
Sports
Regarding funny, controversial questions, sports-related ones are a narrow category. How many of us have made jokes about the “golf clap” or a tennis player’s grunt?
- What is the one sport you’d like to try but never did?
- Is professional wrestling an actual sport?
- When you hear “football,”… do you think of American Football or soccer?
- What is the most boring sport in the world?
- Which sport do you think is missing from the Olympics?
- Should women be able to play professional sports in the same leagues as men?
- Has the National Football League (NFL) gone too far with penalties over certain tackles or celebrations?
- Why do tennis players grunt when they hit the ball? And why does it sound sexual?
The Arts
Art is a part of life, subjective, and can be a wonderful creative outlet or escape. So it’s no surprise this category made the cut for my funny, controversial topics.
- Do you prefer to read the book or watch the movie first?
- Which legendary band do you feel is, or was, overrated?
- Do you think celebrities are capable of lasting, monogamous relationships?
- If you could be famous for being an actor, artist, or musician… which would you choose and why?
- Star Wars or Star Trek?
- Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?
- What movie mirrors the story of your life?
- Do you think movies set unrealistic expectations regarding dating and marriage?
- What famous movie have you never seen that almost everyone else has?
Kids
They say children are the future… and it is our job to help mold them, whether as parents, teachers, coaches, mentors, or friends. These questions are designed to get your take on the next generation.
- Do you believe that television and video games rot a child’s brain?
- Are computers helping or hindering a child’s development?
- At what age should a child be given a cell phone?
- Do you feel safe posting pictures of your younger children on social media?
- What would be worse? Is your child being abducted or killed?
- At what age do you think a child can stay home alone?
- How old should a child be to babysit younger kids?
- Do you believe children should have a job once they are old enough?
- What is the going rate for the Tooth Fairy?
- When do you think a child stops believing in Santa Claus?
- When would you allow your child to start dating? What would the ground rules be?
- At what age do you plan to have the sex talk with your child?
- If you found out your child was pregnant as a teenager, what would you do?
- Given that each child is different and is being exposed to things at much younger ages, do you feel movie ratings should be eliminated or re-evaluated?
- Would you ever admit to your children that you tried drugs?
- Would you rather be your child’s friend or disciplinarian?
- Do you believe that bullying is taught at home?
- At what point should you stop fighting your child’s battles for them?
For topics for children, check out this post on fund and interesting debate topics for kids.
The Universe
No list of funny controversial questions would be complete without some discussion of the universe. It is vast and unknown yet full of possibility.
We didn’t just land here. Or did we?
Ponder away.
- Do you believe in an afterlife?
- Do you believe in aliens? Do you think they’ve already been on Earth?
- If you knew there was no God or threat of eternal damnation, would you live your life any differently?
- Are good morals innate or a result of fear?
- Did God create the earth or was it the Big Bang Theory?
- Should Pluto still be considered a planet?
- Would you accept if you were offered the gift to see and know all in the universe?
- What would you say if your life was merely a dream, like a purgatory, and none of this was real?
- If you found out that humans are merely part of an experiment, being controlled by aliens like puppets, would you quit?
- Do you believe in luck?
- Will humans eventually inhabit Mars or another planet before Earth becomes uninhabitable?
- Should we send our trash in containers to the moon rather than destroy our planet?
Miscellaneous
These funny, controversial questions don’t fit a particular mold… but are worth some street cred.
- What is the best pizza topping?
- Would you eat in a restaurant again after finding a cockroach in your food?
- Is gluten-free a real thing? Or are doctors just acknowledging the fact that carbs make you feel bad by putting a label on them?
- How many drinks per day do you consider too many?
- Do you lie on medical forms about confident lifestyle choices or habits?
- Now that marijuana is legal almost everywhere, would you consider using it if you haven’t already done so?
- Have you ever lied about where you were going just to get away?
- What is the greatest secret you ever kept from someone?
- Is there any such thing as a white lie? Or is it just a lie?
- Have you ever silently wished harm on another person?
- Do you believe in karma?
- Cat person or dog person?
- Which do you hate more: vomiting or diarrhea?
- Is the United States ready for a female President?
- What is the one politically incorrect thought you’ve wanted to blurt out loud but never have?
- Do you believe that being a stay-at-home parent is a “full-time job” and contributes to the family as much as a working spouse does?
Final Thoughts on Funny Controversial Questions
As I mentioned at the start, life can sometimes get pretty intense.
While the last couple of years have seen some pretty crazy things in our world as a whole, the next generation will likely one day forget them.
And remain a mere blip on the radar for this one.
Like Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
So, make the most of the happy moments every day and let loose now and again. It’s a great way to chill and relax. These funny, controversial questions can be a welcomed distraction on the road back.
Finally, if you want a handy version of this article, we've included a downloadable and printable version of these questions below. Just click the button to get free instant access to these 139 funny, controversial topics.
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Nicole Krause has been writing both personally and professionally for over 20 years. She holds a dual B.A. in English and Film Studies. Her work has appeared in some of the country’s top publications, major news outlets, online publications, and blogs. As a happily married (and extremely busy) mother of four… her articles primarily focus on parenting, marriage, family, finance, organization, and product reviews.
