Do as I say, not as I’ve done: Suffering for a misdeed reduces the hypocrisy of advising others against it

•People who advise against a misdeed that they committed seem hypocritical.•But suffering for the misdeed can grant people the legitimacy to advise against it.•Advice from a wrongdoer elicited less anger when he had suffered for his misdeed.•Paying a price for misdeeds disinhibited people to advise against them.•Concerns about legitimacy and hypocrisy can hinder the dissemination of good advice.