Top 20 Most Hated TV Characters Of All Time (2025 List)

Television has given us characters that we both love and hate. But some antagonists make it feel so real on screen, making our blood boil. From cruel villains to downright manipulative personalities, certain TV figures have earned widespread hatred from viewers.

Characters such as Joffrey Baratheon(Game of Thrones), Ramsay Bolton(Game of Thrones), and Livia Soprano (The Sopranos) top the list due to their betrayals, cruelty, and selfish behavior.

This article explores the most hated TV characters who’ve graced our screens and what makes them so universally disliked.

Top 10 Most Hated TV Characters

Television’s most hated characters have earned their notorious status through various means, from cruel actions to irritating personalities. Here’s a look at the characters viewers hate the most.

These characters have made viewers make discussions and debates across social media platforms and fan forums. Let’s examine what makes these characters so universally disliked.

1. Joffrey Baratheon

When I first watched Game of Thrones, a few characters like Joffrey made my skin crawl. The sadistic boy king, his cruelty, fearlessness, and sense of dictatorship caused psychological torture and public humiliation.

The character, played by actor Jack Gleeson, created a villain so despicable that his death became one of television’s most celebrated moments. Yet, his ability to evoke such strong emotion had made him essential to the show’s narrative.

2. Ramsay Bolton

Taking sadism to new extremes, Ramsay Bolton even made Game of Thrones viewers uncomfortable. His torture of Theon Greyjoy and numerous other victims demonstrated a level of creative cruelty that shocked audiences.

What makes Iwan Rheon as Ramsay particularly hateable is his enjoyment of suffering—unlike many villains with tragic backstories, he gives pain purely for pleasure. This overly antagonist character made viewers feel a desire to see him face justice, which made his eventual defeat all the more satisfying.

3. Skyler White

Breaking Bad’s Skyler White, played by Anna Gunn, is perhaps the most controversially hated character on this list, receiving unprecedented viewer animosity. Many viewers found her opposition to criminal activities frustrating, as she was perceived as an obstacle to the protagonist’s journey.

However, upon rewatching the series, I’ve come to appreciate how Skyler represents the moral center in a story about corruption. The hatred that her character got has sparked important discussions about how we judge female characters who don’t simply support male protagonists.

4. Cersei Lannister

The calculating queen of Game of Thrones earned the viewers’ hatred through her ruthless political maneuvers and lack of remorse. What makes Cersei’s character played by   Lena Headey fascinating is that while her actions are undeniably villainous, her motivations—protecting her children and maintaining power—are understandable.

Lena Headey’s nuanced acting turned an otherwise one-dimensional villain into a complex character whose vulnerability made her hatred all the more impactful.

5. Dolores Umbridge

Imelda Staunton made Harry Potter’s Umbridge so uniquely hateable in her combination of fake sweetness and institutional cruelty. Unlike other villains, she operates within the system, using rules and regulations to impose suffering.

With her pink-clad outfit, she struck a chord with viewers who believed they had seen such people in their own lives. Interestingly, many fans consider her more despicable than Voldemort himself, showing how everyday cruelty can feel more personal than grand villainity.

6. Chuck McGill

Michael McKean, who played the character Chuck McGill in the TV show “Better Call Saul,” betrayed his brother Jimmy in ways that felt deeply personal to viewers. His sense of superiority and unwillingness to acknowledge Jimmy’s growth made him particularly frustrating to watch.

What made Chuck merely annoying to genuinely hateable was his jealousy towards Jimmy rather than being supportive. Still, the show’s exploration of his mental illness added complexity to his character, making him more than just an obstacle.

7. Ross Geller

Despite “Friends” being my all-time favorite, the character Ross Geller, played by David Lawrence Schwimmer, has increasingly become a polarizing figure as viewers rewatch the series with contemporary perspectives.

His possessive behavior toward Rachel, frequent whining, and inability to accept responsibility for relationship problems (the famous “We were on a break!” defense) have aged poorly. Nevertheless, his character flaws created many of the show’s most memorable conflicts and comedic moments.

8. Ted Mosby

How I Met Your Mother’s protagonist, Ted Mosby, played by Josh Radnor, earned viewers’ ire through his pretentious personality and self-centered approach to relationships. As the series progressed, his romanticized views of love began to seem immature rather than endearing.

The show’s finale only intensified the hatred when it revealed that his entire story was leading to a conclusion many fans found unsatisfying. Yet, Ted’s flaws and growth throughout the series kept viewers wanting to know more about his journey despite their frustrations.

9. Livia Soprano

The Sopranos’ Livia Soprano, brilliantly portrayed by Nancy Marchand, stands as one of television’s most chilling maternal figures. Her emotional manipulation of her son Tony and the shocking revelation that she conspired to have him killed created a villain of psychological depth.

This makes Livia particularly disturbing in how her behavior shows the real toxic family dynamics, which many viewers could relate to. Her constant dissatisfaction and ability to use guilt as her weapon made her a villain more dangerous than any enemy Tony faced.

10. Piper Chapman

Orange Is the New Black’s protagonist quickly became one of its least likable characters due to her privilege-blindness and tendency to make everything about herself. The character played by Taylor Schilling highlighted the discomfort of having a wealthy white woman as the entry point into a story about incarceration that affected some communities.

Interestingly, the show seemed aware of viewers’ growing dislike, gradually shifting focus to the more compelling stories of other inmates.

Top 20 Most Hated TV Characters

Let’s continue our exploration of television’s most disliked personalities:

Top 10 Most Hated Fictional Characters

While TV characters dominate our discussion, hatred for fictional characters extends across media. Here are the most universally disliked:

Female Most Hated TV Characters

Female characters often receive even more hatred due to societal biases. Here are some of them.

Male Most Hated TV Characters

Here are some male characters who became popular due to the negative traits of the characters they played, which earned them significant viewer despise for various reasons.

Conclusion: Joffrey Baratheon Is The Most Hated TV Character

While Joffrey Baratheon often tops lists of most hated TV characters for his sadistic cruelty, Livia Soprano’s psychological manipulation represents a more negative villain that relates to real family dynamics.

Meanwhile, Skyler White’s hatred highlights how audiences judge characters who challenge protagonists. Despite our negative reactions, these widely despised characters ultimately enhance storytelling by building an emotional connection.

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