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Father’s Day 2024: The Worst Dads in TV, Film

‘Scandal,’ ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ ‘The Color Purple’ and ‘Power’ feature some of the worst fathers in TV and movies.

Screenshot: Scandal

Some people aren’t meant to be fathers. They’re too selfish or stubborn to put someone else’s well-being ahead of their own. In TV and movies, these men are usually portrayed in extremes, going from being bad parents to pure evil. To help everyone appreciate their own fathers more, we’re examining the worst dads in TV and film.

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Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?
Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?

Kanan - ‘Power’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmHojD-D9iA

All these fathers are terrible, but only one used his son as a pawn in a murder plot and then killed him when he couldn’t go through with it. Kanan is a horrible person and an awful father.

Lou - ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI4Mv8R0mE0

That moment when Will goes back to calling him Lou, because he knows this person isn’t his father, he’s just some guy, is so heartbreaking.

Rowan Pope - ‘Scandal’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgpq2Rqjg4c

Rowan Pope actually made some good points about the way the world works. Unfortunately, his solution to those problems is to run a secret, shady spy operation that tries to take over the government.

Frank Mitchell - ‘Moesha’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o8YN5eborQ

Frank was such a hypocrite. He wanted Moesha to be some perfect little girl forever and was extremely judgmental anytime she made a mistake. Meanwhile, he had his own big secret he’d been keeping from everyone for years. He didn’t deserve Moesha or Dee.

Lucious Lyon - ‘Empire’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECRmJROitKk

Lucious put his own child in the garbage when he was a little boy trying to figure out how to express himself. We don’t need to know anything else about him. He’s the one who’s trash.

James “Ghost” St. Patrick - ‘Power’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myxOp6m9EnY

Let’s be honest: Tariq just got Ghost before he could get him. He would’ve sacrificed Tariq in a minute if it served his purposes.

Joe Jackson - ‘The Jacksons: An American Dream’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNetv90piZs

Joe Jackson lived vicariously through his children’s fame and controlled their every move. He was so obsessed with perfection his nearly destroyed them.

Troy - ‘Fences’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9RwqOkQW6g

Troy couldn’t get past the disappointment of his life and took it out on his family, never worrying about the disappointments they might have been carrying around.

Bill Thomas - ‘What’s Happening!!’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESwq7ot-ED8

When he divorced Mabel, he seemed to think that meant he was also divorced from Raj and Dee. It always felt weird when he showed up, like he didn’t really fit with the family.

Ol’ Mister - ‘The Color Purple’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQhTEOKhfV0

If you ever wonder how Mister became so horrible, look no further than Ol’ Mister.

John Harris - ‘Waiting to Exhale’

Screenshot: Waiting to Exhale Screenshot: Waiting to Exhale

Not only did he cheat on Bernadine and leave her without warning. He tried to take custody of their kids, not because he wanted to be their father, but because he wanted to punish Bernadine.

Fred Sanford - ‘Sanford and Son’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=injOO9dxFMk

We’re sure Fred loves Lamont in his own way. But that doesn’t make up for constantly calling him “dummy” and making him do all the work in their business.

Lou - ‘Bel Air’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7npbH0xe7B8

Turns out the new Lou is just as trifling as the original. He showed up blaming everyone else for his mistakes, including bad mouthing Will’s mother, which was a bridge too far for his son.

Bennie Upshaw - ‘The Upshaws’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0YPpbMP6iI

All the hilarious one liners in the world will never make up for the time Bennie missed with his kids. Lucretia isn’t completely wrong about him.

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