Top 10 Worst Couples in Animated Shows

It’s hard to think of a more miserable marriage than the one between Beatrice and Butterscotch Horseman. He’s a bitter wannabe novelist who not only blames his wife for his failed career, but also cheated on her several times. Meanwhile, she feels nothing but disdain for him and is convinced that he ruined her life. They only ever speak to put each other down or get into vicious arguments within earshot of their son. The two may have shared a short-lived honeymoon period during Beatrice’s pregnancy, but those happy days are long gone. At least Mr. and Mrs. Horseman share two hobbies: turning to alcohol as an escape, and emotionally abusing Bojack.

These two may be great at solving mysteries together, but as a couple, they were just cringeworthy. From the beginning, Velma seemed determined to change Shaggy as a person, instead of accepting him for who he was: she made him change his diet, forced him to trade his baggy clothes for a new pair of fancy but uncomfortable pants, and lectured him about his speaking habits. Meanwhile, Shaggy was more interested in wolfing down junk food with Scooby than in spending time with Velma. It didn’t help matters when Velma pushed Shaggy to choose between Scooby and her. The pressure proved to be too much for Mystery Inc.’s lovable doofus, and he eventually put an end to the relationship.

Despite being a comedy, “Family Guy” has never shied away from dark topics, and that includes domestic abuse. In the episode “Screams of Silence,” we’re introduced to Quagmire’s sister, a sweet, soft-spoken girl trapped in an abusive relationship. Her boyfriend Jeffrey not only yells at her and constantly belittles her, he also physically beats her up to the point of giving her a visible black eye. On top of all this, the poor girl is forced to work a hundred hours a week in order to support him financially. While murder may not be the best answer, we couldn’t help but feel happy and relieved when Quagmire decided to take matters into his own hands.

Although the show frequently made fun of Dale Gribble and his cheating wife, they weren’t as painful to watch as Cotton and Didi Hill. The World War II veteran married his second wife when she was in her early 30s, while he was well into his 70s. Over the course of their marriage, Cotton treated Didi as a beast of burden, making her do his chores while showering her with constant verbal abuse. To make matters worse, he initially abandoned her when he found out he’d gotten her pregnant, and offered zero support as she struggled with postpartum depression. Thankfully, Didi found a better life for herself after his death: we hope she’s happy now with her son and her wealthy new husband.

At first glance, Duncan and Gwen may look like a match made in heaven: they’re both rebellious loners with a secret softer side and a passion for horror movies. They even share the same bad boy/girl aesthetic! Sadly, their relationship was hardly perfect. The two shared their first kiss while Duncan was still dating their fellow contestant, Courtney. Even after they became an official couple, Duncan seemed to struggle with leftover feelings for his ex-girlfriend. Over time, this annoyed Gwen to the point of losing all interest in the relationship. At one point, she even stated that his kisses felt like she was being “kissed by a shoe.” Yikes!

South Park isn’t known for having the most functional couples: in this wacky town, even fourth graders manage to get into toxic relationships (looking at you, Cartman and Heidi). Among the adults, the award for worst couple definitely goes to Stephen and Linda Stotch. In “Butters’ Very Own Episode,” it was revealed that Stephen secretly goes to gay bathhouses to sleep with men. When Linda finds out, she has a mental breakdown… and attempts to murder their child. The two then conspire to hide her crime and pretend that Butters was kidnapped. Stephen’s irritable temper, combined with Linda’s timid nature, makes for one of the most toxically codependent relationships in cartoon history; and unfortunately, Butters is often the one who suffers the consequences.

Helga Pataki does not have a great family life, and that’s at least partly caused by the dysfunctional relationship between her parents. It’s easy to see that these two are not happily married. Big Bob seems too obsessed with his pager business to pay much attention to his wife: when he does speak to her, he’s often insensitive, irritable, and downright abusive. On the other hand, Miriam clearly suffers from depression and alcoholism: she passes out constantly, looks disoriented half of the time, and let’s face it - we all know what’s really in her blender. These two only seem to get along when their eldest daughter comes home, and spend the rest of their time neglecting Helga.

At best, this couple seems awfully mismatched: she’s a smart horse veterinarian with a superiority complex and major daddy issues, and he’s a tragically insecure man who struggles to have any authority over his family. The show basically stated that the only reason they stayed together was because of Beth’s pregnancy: but as a result, the two had to give up on their aspirations and became trapped in a toxic marriage. Rick’s presence in the house certainly didn’t help, and eventually led to the Smiths’ divorce… before they decided to patch things up in season three. Despite their reconciliation, it’s hard to have faith in this couple. After all, it’s not exactly a good sign when your relationship destroys an alien couples’ counselling clinic.

There’s no denying that the Joker and Harley Quinn are two of the most badass villains in the DC universe; but they don’t exactly make the healthiest couple. The two first met at Arkham Asylum, where the Joker was being kept as a criminally insane patient, and the psychiatrist Dr. Quinzel developed a dangerous obsession with him. After being psychologically tortured and manipulated, she became the villain we know and love -- as well as the Joker’s loyal henchman. It’s clear that Harley is utterly devoted to the Joker, while he gives her little more than constant physical, emotional, and mental abuse. Perhaps he’s simply too obsessed with beating Batman to repay her affections - or, you know, treat her with even a shred of respect.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Stan & Francine Smith, “American Dad!” (2005-)
Because Stan Literally Messed with Francine’s Brain to Make Her Forget All His Stupid Mistakes

Andre & Audrey Bourgeois, “Miraculous: Tales Of Ladybug & Cat Noir” (2015-)
Because Even the Mayor of Paris Is Afraid of His Wife.

Plankton & Karen, “SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999-)
Because Nothing Says “Dysfunctional” Like Programming a Computer to Be Your Wife.

Tom & Sarah, “The Boondocks” (2005-14)
Because she Wishes He Was a Man’s Man & He Bends Over Backwards to Please Her

In the early seasons of “Family Guy,” Peter and Lois seemed like the classic pairing of the loveable oaf who means well, and his patient, caring wife. But over the years, we got to see just how antagonistic their relationship is. Peter’s drunken antics repeatedly put his wife and family in danger, which he rarely ever seems to take seriously. Even when he’s sober, he has no qualms about disrespecting Lois and emotionally abusing her. On her end, she frequently cheats on him and has physically assaulted him several times. There seems to be a lot of hostility and very little love left between this couple, which begs the question: why are they still together?