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NYC roommate ‘horror story’ divides city-dwellers online — is it ‘horribly traumatizing’ or an ‘entitled’ rant?

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NYC roommate ‘horror story’ divides city-dwellers online — is it ‘horribly traumatizing’ or an ‘entitled’ rant?

By Asia Grace Published July 1, 2026, 3:43 p.m. ET

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There’s a roommate rumble in the concrete jungle. 

Hostilities between housemates Emily Dukes and Marlyn Rodriguez are seeping out from the door sill of their New York City dwelling and onto the savage streets of social media, where virtual spectators are eagerly taking sides in this chaotic subleasing divide. 

Warfare between the two erupted after just one month of living together, when Rodriguez, the leaseholder of the apartment, informed Dukes, a subletter, that she would not be renewing the lease in July, leaving Dukes homeless. 

Emily Dukes on TikTok. 5
Emily Dukes (pictured) virally called out her roommate, Marlyn Rodriguez, in a TikTok rant that’s now divided social media. @cozygrocery/TikTok

Dukes, a 30-year-old NYC newcomer and full-time artist, rushed to the internet, claiming to be in a “horribly traumatizing situation” after getting “blindsided” by Rodriguez, who allegedly told her that she was “being kicked out at the end of June with absolutely no prior notice.” 

The creative detailed the discord in a viral, 30-part video series — most of which she recorded from her fire escape — garnering millions of views and nearly $5,000 from supporters who’ve since donated to her GoFundMe account. 

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The contributions, according to Dukes’ fundraiser, would either help her “pay the entirety of rent for the month of July (if the [landlord] will even let me) on top of a security deposit” or be allocated towards her relocation fees. 

Dukes even tearfully quoted the speech Mayor Zohran Mamdani gave after the New York Knicks won the 2026 NBA Championship this month, saying, “What is New York if not your back is up against the wall, your dream just out of reach, unsure how you’ll make your next rent payment.”

Marlyn Rodriguez on TikTok. 5
Rodriguez (pictured) clapped back at Dukes, saying she doesn’t owe her “s–t,” and chiding her for attempting to mislead folks online. @marlynlikethefish/TikTok

“Looking at those 99.6% odds that are against you and smiling because in that .4% New Yorkers find a way,” the transplant — who’s admittedly lived in five subleases over the past year — sobbed to a digital audience of over 4.6 million. 

Rodriguez, a 20-something 9-to-5er, responded to Dukes’ multipart rant, insisting, “I don’t owe you s- -t,” and claiming she gave Dukes “plenty of time and notice to make arrangements,” after deciding to move out rather than renew their lease. 

“The real issue is that the rent increased and now you need to qualify for the lease yourself, and that is not my problem,” said Rodriguez, “that’s just how New York renting goes.”

Neither Dukes nor Rodriguez immediately responded to The Post’s request for comment. 

Emily Dukes 5
The internet is taken sides in the roommate debate, with many finding Dukes at fault. @cozygrocery/TikTok
Marlyn Rodriguez. 5
Virtual commentators congratulated Rodriguez on “dodging a bullet” and severing roommate ties with Dukes. Instagram/marlynlikethefish

The beef being cooked up by the feuding pair, however, has served as a feast for the eyes of nosey social media commenters, who are eating up the digital drama and calling out which roommate they believe is in the wrong. 

“Get a job,” critics repeatedly wrote beneath Dukes’ posts, scolding her for crowdsourcing funds and sympathy, without earning a steady income. 

“NYers also hustle like multiple jobs. Idk if that’s still an option here,” spat a local.

“As an artist in NYC who’s been through homelessness, I say this with empathy: you’re gonna have to put pride aside and work,” another advised, in part. “I have walked dogs, cleaned toilets, ran errands for a vindictive architect, babysat for difficult kids, cleaned filthy apartments and worse.”

Equally unsympathetic onlookers rebuked Dukes for attempting to leverage Mamdani’s message to the Knicks. 

“Babe, I don’t think Zohran was talking abt you in the Knicks speech; he might be speaking against you bc you’re evil,” tweeted an X user. 

@cozygrocery

happy summer solstice, here’s to hoping in miracles when everything feels utterly impossible and the 99.6% odds are stacked against us 🌙 #newyorkcity #fulltimeartist #roommates #nyclife #newyork

♬ original sound – EK

“Transplants are a f- -king plague on society. She thinks she’s entitled to live in New York just because she wants to,” a separate faultfinder wrote. “She’s a ‘full-time artist,’ meaning she’s jobless. She needs to get the f- -k out of New York and move back to Ohio. New York is NOT HER CITY.” 

Rodriguez, conversely, received an outpouring of support from folks agreeing that she is “100% in the right” and that she handled the situation like “a true New Yorker.” 

“You dodged a bullet by not signing that lease,” praised a commenter. 

“Glad you are able to leave this drama. Congrats on your new apartment!!” raved another after Rodriguez revealed her new place and new roommate online.  

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