24 Of The Cringiest Scenes From Movies And TV Shows That Have Us In Emotional Pain
There are just some scenes that should not have existed at all.
Some movie and TV scenes are so awkward that they stick in your brain long after the credits roll. A bad pickup line, a forced kiss, or a wildly unnecessary dramatic moment can turn a big-budget production into secondhand embarrassment.
This list rounds up cringiest scenes from movies and shows that fans still cannot forget, from Game of Thrones and Glee to Harry Potter, Star Wars, and more. Even the biggest franchises are not safe from a scene that makes everyone watching want to disappear into the couch.
Scroll on for the moments that still make people wince.
That unnecessary hogging moment in Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian
20th Century Fox / Via youtube.comWatch the full scene here:
Izzie's moment in Grey's Anatomy when she goes on a dramatic monologue about wanting to cut Denny's LVAD wire so he could move up the transplant list
ABC / Via youtube.comWatch it all here:
When Beca starts rapping "No Diggity" at her first riff-off in Pitch Perfect
Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com
Here's the full scene:
This extremely strange and uncomfortable line from Season 5 of Game of Thrones
HBO / Via youtube.com
Here's the full scene:
When Elle publicly humiliates herself in front of the whole school by accidentally broadcasting how hot she thought Marco was through the PA system in The Kissing Booth 2
Netflix / Via youtube.com
Watch the full scene here:
That one lands especially hard.
When Anakin tries to deliver a pickup line to Padmé in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones by comparing her to sand
Lucasfilm / Via youtube.com
Watch how it all unfolded here:
That weird dance sequence of Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man 3
Marvel / Via youtube.com
Watch just how awkward it is here:
That certain sex scene in Watchmen where Patrick Wilson's character experiences some technical difficulties
Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com
When Finn and Rachel do a really long kiss onstage in front of almost all their schoolmates in Season 2 of Glee
FOX / Via youtube.com
Watch it all here:
Almost every scene between Harry and Ginny in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but most especially the one where she ties his shoes for him
Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com
And if you think this “emotional pain” moment felt brutal, Oscars 2026 jokes got treated like the internet’s real judge.
Here's the full scene for that:
That scene in Season 1 of The Secret Life of the American Teenager where Ben is completely clueless about what to say to comfort a crying Amy
ABC / Via youtube.com
When Lara Jean suddenly starts lip-syncing to Ashe's "Moral of the Story" in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You
Netflix / Via youtube.com
Watch her moment here:
When Harry, out of nowhere, pulls Hermione into a dance to cheer her up in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com
Here's the full scene:
In X-Men: Dark Phoenix when Jennifer Lawrence tries to deliver an empowering line, but it gets ruined by the end catchphrase
20th Century Fox / Marvel / Via youtube.com
Here's the full scene:
When Olivia Pope puts the president in his place after he continuously booty-called her in Season 2 of Scandal with a ridiculous line
ABC / Via youtube.com
Watch it here:
Riverdale is no stranger to cringy scenes, but one of the cringiest ones is when Archie plans a football game in prison
CW / Via youtube.com
Watch how it all unfolded here:
The moment Rey finally figures out who she wants to be in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Lucasfilm / Via youtube.com
Watch her moment here:
The scene in Pride and Prejudice where Lizzy talks to her father excitedly about Darcy's proposal
Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com
Watch it all here:
That moment in High School Musical 2 when Troy winks at Gabriella in the pool
Disney / Via youtube.com
Watch it here:
That part in Borat where the Jewish family who offers Borat food doesn't know that they're being filmed, but Borat has to pretend they want to kill him
20th Century Fox / Via youtube.com
Here's the scene:
The scene in Sherlock when he quickly makes a rude assumption about Molly's gift without realizing it's meant for him
Watch the whole moment here:
The all-woman tag team in the final battle in Avengers: Endgame seemed a little too on the nose
Marvel / Via youtube.com
When Harry decided to give that awkward hug to Voldemort before delivering one of the cringiest lines in the movie franchise in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com
Here's the entire scene for that:
When Jenny Humphrey crashes a gala with her guerrilla fashion show on Gossip Girl
CW / Via youtube.com
Watch it all here:
These scenes were just some of the worst in movie history, and we wonder why anyone would ever think of including them. Seriously, was it just meant to torment us all?
Hopefully, though, the filmmakers have gotten better at judging whether a scene is cringy or not, so they won't make it to our screens and scar us for the rest of our lives anymore.
Some scenes are so awkward, they become unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.
For more “why did they say that?” chaos, see Hollywood’s biggest stars who wanted the earth to swallow them whole.
