There’s a man named Mr. Brown. He has a wife, but other than that he’s a pretty insecure guy. He suspects his wife has been cheating on him while he’s out at work, though doesn’t really have any definitive evidence to prove it. But he’s certain that his suspicions are right. One day he comes home to his apartment to find his wife dressed up a little fancier than she normally would be for house work. She claims it’s for him, but she’s never done anything like that for him — this could be his chance to catch the culprit! So he runs over to the window, looks out, and sees a man walking away from the apartment entrance zipping up his pants. We’ll call this guy Mr. Red. Anyway, Mr. Brown boils over with rage, grabs the nearest heavy object (the fridge), and heaves it out the window, on top of Mr. Red. Now, you have to keep in mind that Mr. Brown has some heart issues, and all this anger and physical exertion really aren’t that healthy for him. He shortly expires. When he comes to, he’s at the pearly gates. In front of him stands Mr. Red, as well as St. Peter. St. Peter asks how Mr. Red died. “Well, I was going to help an old lady cross the street, noticed my fly was undone, and then bam! Got hit by a fridge.” St. Peter nods, then proceeds to Mr. Brown, who tells his story. Unfaithful wife, see the culprit, try to apprehend him, expire in the process, etc. At this point Mr. Red, Mr. Brown, and St. Peter realize they are joined by a third man, who we’ll call Mr. White. St. Peter asks Mr. White why he’s here, to which he replies “I was just hanging out in this fridge, until all of a sudden I got tossed out a window!”

My informant heard this at a comedy show in Ireland, hosted by a “traditional storyteller type of fella.” They interpreted it as heteronormative and the female character is not given much agency, but they think that their brain mostly sees the red flags of a “I hate my wife” joke even though it is not the case.

This narrative joke takes the listener in a loop, creating unexpected twists and a humorous ending that completes the circle. It starts with the expectation that Mr. Brown’s wife is cheating on him, goes on and shows that Mr. Brown was wrong about who he thought she was cheating on him with, but then ends with the conclusion that she really was cheating on him. This joke could have a tie to fate, or how a man is usually right, but is likely meant to be taken lightly and for its entertainment value only.