Some characters are notorious cheaters. AMC/HBO/Universal Pictures Movies and television often use cheating as a source of conflict between characters, which should come…
Some characters are notorious cheaters.
AMC/HBO/Universal Pictures
Movies and television often use cheating as a source of conflict between characters, which should come as no surprise given how often it occurs in real life. According to Psychology Today, about 20-25% of people who identify as men and 10-15% of people who identify as women admit to having cheated on their significant others for a slew of surprising reasons. It makes sense that people on the other side of that betrayal may find a lot of catharsis in seeing affairs, revenge, and retribution on-screen.
It can make the viewer feel conflicted as well. Sometimes you totally understand the affair and feel like the person they’re cheating with is clearly a better choice, as in the case of Jack Dawson versus an abusive Cal Hockley in ” Titanic.” Other times, you want to scream at the screen that they’re making a huge mistake, like when Emma Thompson’s character in “Love Actually” falls apart at the news that her husband has feelings for a random co-worker.
Now that you’ve gotten attached to these characters, and now you have to reconcile the affection you feel for them with the fact that they’ve been established as a cheater. But just like in real life, this goes to prove that there are many facets to each person’s personality.
These are 19 of the most notorious cheaters in TV shows and movies.
When Connie Sumner finds herself bored in her marriage to Edward, she looks outside their relationship for excitement. She finds that in Paul Martel and begins a passionate affair for the duration of the movie that includes many uninhibited sexual encounters.
One of the most notorious affairs in television history is that of Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big. Their on-again, off-again romance was full of issues, and one of them was that Carrie and Big weren’t always single when the affair was back on.
One of the hardest moments for viewers was in season three when they begin having sex while Big is married and Carrie is in a committed relationship with Aidan.
Most millennials grew up loving Rory Gilmore even when her actions are inexcusable. In season two of the show, she had an emotional affair with Jess while she was dating Dean. But it was the show’s revival “A Year in the Life” that showed Rory having a full-on affair with an engaged Logan while dating Paul, a guy whose name and face people could barely remember.
Rose and Jack are such an iconic couple that it’s easy to forget that their relationship was one big act of adultery. Despite being engaged to be married to Caledon Hockley, Rose and Jack begin a relationship that will likely go down as one of the greatest romances in cinematic history.
“Love Actually” is a Christmas staple for many people. That means, at least once a year, we have to relive the heartbreaking moment in the 2003 film when Karen, played by the incredible Emma Thompson, finds a Christmas gift that her husband Harry has bought a beautiful necklace for another woman. The affair is only emotional, as far as the audience knows, but the pain is no less real.
President Fitzgerald Grant is involved in a steamy affair with staffer Olivia Pope, and we see the relationship ebb and flow through the seven seasons of “Scandal.” One of the many problems in their messy relationship is that Fitz is married when it begins, although he becomes increasingly estranged from his wife and eventually divorces her.
Don Draper is an advertising director in the ’60s and also one of the most prolific cheaters in TV because of just how often he cheated and with how many women. Through two marriages — to Betty and Megan — Don had a series of extramarital affairs and one night stands that all serve to prove what a flawed character he is.
In “The Graduate,” 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock finds himself seduced by the much-older wife of his father’s co-worker. She doesn’t seem to be in love with her husband and is obviously seeking out a sexual partner. The two begin an affair that is more awkward than romantic given Benjamin’s complete lack of experience.
Whether Ross and Rachel were together or on a break is an argument “Friends” fans will likely have until the end of time. The incident at the heart of this debate involves a fight between the couple, where they decided to take a break. Later that night, a drunk Ross has sex with a woman he met at the bar. Rachel believes that Ross did cheat, and they break up for real this time.
When we meet Gabrielle Solis in the first season of “Desperate Housewives,” we learn that she has been carrying on an affair with her gardener. The two of them frequently have sex while her husband, who she has grown distant from, is out of the house.
Piper Chapman is serving time in Litchfield Penitentiary when she reunites with her ex-girlfriend Alex Vause, who is also an inmate at Litchfield and coincidentally the reason that Piper was arrested in the first place. They begin having sex, but Piper’s fiance Larry finds out and breaks off their engagement.
“Fatal Attraction” is the ultimate cautionary tale for cheaters. In it, Dan Gallagher has sex with a woman while his wife and daughter are out of town. Unfortunately for him, that woman doesn’t intend for it to be a one-night stand and begins persistently stalking he and his family, even kidnapping his daughter at one point.
Wendy and Marty Byrde are in a seemingly loveless marriage in “Ozark,” so it comes as no surprise that Wendy has been carrying on an affair with another man. The cheating is ultimately just a drop in a bucket of horrible things that would happen to them throughout the season.
During “One Tree Hill,” everyone was in love with Chad Michael Murray and his OTH character Lucas Scott, despite the fact that he was actually an egregious cheater. He cheated on Brooke with Peyton and otherwise never fully committed to a single girlfriend. Emotionally, he was always cheating with someone else.
In “Indecent Proposal,” Diana Murphy gets offered a million dollars to have sex with a very wealthy man. Because she and her husband are strapped for cash, they both agree to the arrangement. Even if that first night couldn’t technically be called cheating, since all parties agreed, the subsequent secret visits she makes definitely are.
