23 TV Relationships People Loved Until They Realized How Toxic They Were

Alexa, play "Toxic" by Britney.

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which TV couples they used to love when they were younger but now realize are toxic as heck. Here are some of the best responses:

🚨 Spoilers ahead!!! 🚨

Note: Some of the following contain mentions of sexual assault or abuse.

1. Jade and Beck from Victorious:

TeenNick

"They were not good together. Jade was too possessive and Beck shouldn’t have kept giving her more chances. I think we were supposed to be happy when they got back together, but it was a bad lesson to teach kids."

—vanessag42fc48418

2. Chuck and Blair from Gossip Girl:

The CW

"Chuck literally assaulted someone in the first episode and never redeemed himself. He treated Blair like she was his property and always put himself first."

—taramisu

3. Aria and Ezra from Pretty Little Liars:

Freeform / Everett Collection

"Looking back, maybe I was interested in the relationship when I was younger because it was forbidden, but it seriously never should have happened."

—megana459810788

4. Buffy and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

The WB

"This is pretty self-explanatory."

—campbellstack

5. Rory and Dean from Gilmore Girls:

The WB

"What started out as a sweet first romance quickly became toxic. Dean was jealous and possessive. When I was younger, I thought he was just romantic, but no one should get upset over someone not saying 'I love you' back!"

—brittanys4e461f149

6. Bellamy and Clarke from The 100:

The CW / Everett Collection

"Everyone got way too invested in this ship, but they were incredibly toxic! She threatened to kill him so many times and he had no personality around her."

—zezpinkhat

7. Carrie and Big from Sex and the City:

HBO

"Do not let a man treat you like crap and think that if you just love him hard enough, he'll eventually change."

—tabathaf4053a5655

8. Damon and Elena from The Vampire Diaries:

The CW

"I thought that their fights showed how much they loved each other, but they were really just proof of how toxic they were. Every time Elena upsets Damon, he turns into the bad guy again. They are the definition of toxic...they're still cute, though."

—nellieeng_

9. Craig and Manny from Degrassi: The Next Generation:

CTV

"Their connection was toxic from the very start. Their first date was a disaster and he basically called her a child. I used to romanticize their relationship — Craig was hot and Manny was relatable, so I rooted for them, but their relationship was so toxic."

—pkrush

10. Kurt and Blaine from Glee:

Fox / Everett Collection

"I think when I first watched them together I was craving any kind of LGBT representation, but looking back, they were the worst for each other. High school love doesn’t last for a reason."

—georgea4cf7567f5

11. Lucas and Peyton from One Tree Hill:

The WB

"They went behind Brooke’s back when Peyton was supposedly her best friend, and they treated Lindsey terribly too. They brought out the worst in each other and Brooke deserved better than both of them."

—lukasikolivia

12. Tony and Michelle from Skins:

E4

"I still kind of like their relationship for its toxic excellence, but it definitely wasn't healthy. Tony did redeem himself after his accident, but he was still horrible to Michelle in Series 1. I think I just liked the idea of them having an epic love story when I was younger, but it was toxic."

—kellymartinez

13. Miles and Tristan from Degrassi: Next Class:

Netflix

"I don't know if I ever loved them, but I definitely shipped them together initially. They could have been good together, but Tristan was honestly just an awful character and Miles wasn't in a good enough place for a relationship. I think a lot of people just wanted them together for representation, but it was a horrible relationship and reinforced a lot of negative stereotypes about bisexuality. They never should have been romanticized."

—kellymartinez

14. Ross and Rachel from Friends:

NBC

"I’m a massive Friends fan, but in my most recent rewatch of the show, I realized how controlling he is of her, not only when they’re together but when they’re broken up too. They may love each other, but it definitely isn’t a healthy relationship."

—alext4e3fc38a7

15. Haley and Dylan from Modern Family:

ABC

"He never made her want to be a better version of herself like Andy did. He was an idiot who cheated on her constantly and then would play the 'lost puppy dog' role to get her back. Haley and Andy should have always been endgame."

—caseymckissick24

16. Sam and Freddie from iCarly:

Nickelodeon

"Sam was a literal bully, especially to Freddie. Freddie and Carly were the superior couple."

—rachelmay

17. Owen and Cristina from Grey's Anatomy:

ABC

"Their relationships started very nicely and built its way up. We all loved them, but then they hit rock bottom. It was always him getting mad at Cristina for not wanting what he wanted, aka children and marriage. Then making her feel bad about it. Don’t forget him being in love with Teddy the entire time he was juggling his relationship with Cristina and Amelia."

—xdaniellax

18. Fitz and Olivia from Scandal:

ABC

"I was a big fan because of the undeniable chemistry the two leads have. But only now am I realizing how toxic both were to each other. Even if we put aside the cheating factor, they still had a lot of issues. Fitz was obsessed with her to the point he started a war for her. And Olivia was also obsessed with him as she took part in election fraud and also could just never stay away from him. Not to forget that Olivia at the end of the show was toxic to everyone, and Fitz just forgave Olivia for every bad thing she did."

—s4bb472acb

19. Archie and Veronica from Riverdale:

The CW

"In my opinion, they don’t have any chemistry AT ALL. They are so toxic and bring out the worst in the other. Archie’s character had so much potential, but once he got really involved with Veronica, it’s like he became a shell. Veronica did show more feelings for Archie than he did her, and it didn’t help their relationship when literally every scene they had sex. I definitely feel at some point in the show, they outgrew each other but couldn’t admit it."

—msjsa

20. Mindy and Danny from The Mindy Project:

Fox/ Hulu

"Danny wanted her to be someone she was not and then shamed her. Danny basically split up from Mindy when she wanted to work AND have a baby. He wanted her to stay home and raise a bunch of baby Castellanos. Also, he constantly commented on her weight and the fact that her intelligence wasn't on his level."

—ataraenglish

21. Finn and Rachel from Glee:

Fox

"They didn’t trust each other, and Rachel was constantly diminishing Finn's feelings; she was completely selfish."

—saskiawillaert

22. April and Jackson from Grey's Anatomy:

ABC

"It started off so sweet, both their fling and their marriage. But it soon became apparent how little respect they truly had for each other."

—reginaphalange78

23. Finally, Phoebe and Cole from Charmed:

The WB

"I know that they tried to make this huge character arc for Cole, but the stuff he did couldn’t overcome how he pulled Phoebe down and almost ruined her abilities. And let’s be real, he’s the reason Pru died, and Phoebe just forgave him."

—sarahp48f2454d9

Reminder that we do not necessarily endorse all of these submissions!

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.