There’s no greater pleasure than cheering for a beloved character—until that one face surfaces on screen and you instantly find yourself wanting to fast-forward. Certain characters are created to be detested, but others just seem to hit all the wrong notes with viewers. Whether due to their annoying personalities, poor choices, or the way they were created, these characters have earned a place in pop culture’s hall of shame. Let’s take a look back at 19 of the most hated characters in TV and movie history.
1. Joffrey Baratheon – Game of Thrones
Few characters have generated as much collective disdain as Joffrey Baratheon. From issuing the order for Ned Stark’s death to bullying anyone in his circle, Joffrey was the epitome of a sadistic dictator. His eventual death during the infamous Purple Wedding was celebrated by fans—a rare instant of delight in a show famous for surprising plots.
2. Skylar White – Breaking Bad
Skylar White is still one of television’s most divisive characters—simply not because she was the bad guy, but because so many viewers saw her as a roadblock to Walter White’s slide into crime. Even though she’s one of the few characters who attempted to act ethically, she received some incredibly harsh criticism from fans, some of which actress Anna Gunn later identified as rooted in underlying misogyny. Nevertheless, for some viewers, Skylar became the character they could love to despise.
3. Piper Chapman – Orange Is the New Black
In a series full of brassy, complex characters, Piper was always the weak spot. Her self-righteousness and privilege grated on viewers, and her main plotline couldn’t hold a candle to the more interesting stories around her. As the series went on, many fans hoped the spotlight would leave her altogether.
4. Ross Geller – Friends
Ross is the most “love him or hate him” of the sitcom characters. Some empathize with his neurotic charm and romantic mishaps, others cite his controlling nature, jealousy, and constant self-pity as huge warning signs. His now-famous “we were on a break” alibi has been under fire for decades, and for a lot of viewers, he is the least likable of the main six.
5. Jenny Humphrey – Gossip Girl
Jenny began as a sympathetic outsider but soon became a character that fans enjoyed hating. Her stripper-babysitter’s upward mobility and repeated betrayals grew tiresome, and though she had moments of vulnerability, many viewers welcomed her eventual departure from the Upper East Side once and for all.
6. Jar Jar Binks – Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Few characters have been as universally derided as Jar Jar Binks. Intended to serve as a source of comic relief, his over-the-top mannerisms and cringeworthy dialogue alienated fans immediately. So intense was the criticism that actor Ahmed Best himself later publicly discussed how it affected his well-being. Though his role was minimized in subsequent films, Jar Jar is a cautionary example in franchise filmmaking.
7. Scrappy-Doo – Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
Scrappy-Doo was meant to bring new life to the Scooby-Doo formula, but ended up as one of the most hated characters in cartoon history. His arrogant personality and obnoxious catchphrases wore on loyal fans, and his later role as a villain in the 2002 live-action movie only sealed his place in infamy.
8. Nate Jacobs – Euphoria
Nate is high school toxicity personified. Emotional abuse, manipulation, and violence are the hallmarks of his behavior, making him one of TV’s most ethically objectionable characters today. Although Euphoria sometimes delves into the trauma that drives him, it’s hardly ever enough to excuse him in the audience’s eyes.
9. Rachel Berry – Glee
Rachel is hugely gifted, but being that doesn’t make her easy to get along with. Her overbearing desire to be in the spotlight, perpetual drama, and lack of humility alienated fans. Although she did have her moments of development, her ego tended to take precedence over the group at large, making her one of the most polarizing characters on the show.
10. Will Schuester – Glee
Mr. Schue might have begun as an overzealous teacher with the best of motives, but he soon turned into one of Glee’s most confounding characters. With his tone-deaf song selections, dubious professional boundaries with his students, and cringeworthy attempts to be hip, it’s little surprise that viewers grew weary of his shenanigans. He occasionally seemed more like a midlife crisis in progress than a mentor.