Canceling a date last minute can be seen as a red flag to some, but when it comes to dating in Los Angeles — sometimes sh*t just happens. Whether the excuse is true or not, we’ve decided to equip you with perfectly good reasons to cancel a date that is widely accepted by Angelenos. We asked our audience on Instagram to tell us their top reasons to flake on a date that you’ll only hear in L.A. — and we’ve selected our favorite answers below.
If you find yourself on the receiving end, however, at least you’ll know you’re not alone. Without further ado, here are some of the top excuses you can expect to receive or use when dating in Los Angeles:
1. “It’s raining.”
2. “I have an audition.”
3. “I got the best parking spot and I don’t want to lose it. Also, it’s street cleaning day tomorrow.”
4. “They’re filming on my street.”
5. “My psychic said that you and I had conflict in our past lives, which doesn’t bode well for romantic potential. When Venus is in retrograde, maybe we can re-evaluate?”
6. “There was a high-speed chase that ended on my block and streets were blocked off. It was televised.”
7. “I’m getting bad vibes and I need to honor that, sorry. Let’s manifest a better day where we both are on the same frequency?”
8. “Traffic is really bad right now and Uber prices are surging.”
9. “Sigalert.”
10. “Wait, you live west of the 405?”
11. “My car was stolen.”
12. “I couldn’t find parking around your building and I’d need to take a bus from the closest parking spot so I left.”
13. “I had a bad reaction to my fillers and Botox. Sorry.”
14. “A friend needs me to pick them up from LAX.”
15. “My car isn’t charged.”
16. “The restaurant isn’t dog-friendly.”
17. “The restaurant closed down because a celebrity rented it out.”
18. “Sorry, I’ve met someone more famous.”
19. “I went hiking and I’m trapped on the trail.”
20. “My canyon’s on fire.”
21. “The dog-sitter canceled at the last minute.”
22. “I got rear-ended by someone who was texting.”
23. “I have another date and it’s closer.”
24. “They’re blocking my driveway.”
25. “Traffic on the 405.”
26. “My implants are still healing.”
27. “I’m doing a juice cleansing and I can’t leave my bathroom right now.”
28. “My dog has an emergency session with his therapist.”
29. “North of the hills? Pass.”
30. “I figured we both made the arrangement with the intention of canceling?”
31. “Stuck in Erehown cashier line.”
32. “My La Scala reservation from a year ago just came through.”
33. “Kershaw is pitching tonight.”
34. “Air quality is bad, so I’m staying home.”
35. “There’s a 40% chance of rain.”
36. “My stylist canceled.”
36. “My colonic ran late.”
37. “The freeway is closed because of a slow-speed chase involving a football Hall of Famer.”
38. “I got invited to a full moon ritual.”
39. “I’m thinking of moving to Texas.”
40. “I’m working both jobs tonight.”
41. “I got a ticket to a Lakers game.”
42. “I got a callback, so no need.”
43. “I’m stuck on set all night.”
44. “There was an earthquake.”
45. “I am out of Kombucha, so no dates for me today.”
46. “You’re in the OC?”
47. “My catalytic converter was stolen.”
48. “Mercury is in retrograde.”
49. “Went to the wrong AMC in Burbank.”
50. “My dog’s being weird and I don’t want to leave her alone right now.”
51. “I’m 818, you’re 562. It’ll never work.”
53. “I just saw lightning and I don’t want to get struck.”
54. “I got invited to the Magic Castle.”
55. “My car was stolen.”
Responses were compiled from comments from two Instagram posts from 2022 and 2024.