As a girl who spends most of her free time doom-scrolling and watching edits, I can professionally identify a character that will rage-bait me. For those who may not know, rage-baiters are individuals who intentionally try to make someone angry or evoke a negative reaction. Rom-coms specifically use rage-baiter characters to make viewers (I am guilty of one) so mad at a character that they want to continue watching. Here’s my list of the top 5 TV characters that are D1 in rage-baiting!
Spoilers ahead!
#5: Ted Mosby (How I Met Your Mother)
First of all, for those who have not watched How I Met Your Mother, I beg you to go watch the all nine seasons, then find me at Playa Bowls, and shake my hand and tell me how much you agree with me. This man took the entire nine seasons to finally tell us who his wife was, EVEN THOUGH SHE DIES IN THE END. Ted is obviously in love with Robin the entire show, just for the writers to kick the actual wife off the island. During his first date with Robin, he told her how in love he is with her. While they did reconnect at the finale, Ted’s romantic delusions fire signals in my brain to hate him.
#4: Ross Geller (Friends)
How do I even begin? His portrait already highlights how highly insufferable he leaves me feeling after watching an episode of Friends (Friends is also my favorite show ever). The whole “we were on a break” ordeal began his villain era. They were not on a break — it was 24 hours after they fought, and he CHEATED on his so-called “love of his life,” Rachel. He also filed for divorce three times and cannot keep a relationship for more than a week. I also strongly disliked how he would play grammar police on all the other characters as if he were a REAL professor (he literally taught about dinosaurs). Ross is a tall glass of insecurity, entitlement, and embarrassment.
#3: Isabel Conklin (The Summer I Turned Pretty)
If there were an organization for “team anti-belly”, I would be the dictator. Miss “pick-me” lives up to her name as she chooses an APPLE AIRTAG rather than these two gorgeous brothers fighting for her love and attention. The fact that she went to Paris just goes to show how she runs away from her problems rather than trying to find a solution. She does not know who she is and honestly needs to explore her personal ambitions rather than ruining my poor baby Conrad’s life. All in all, she needs to pick a brother and stop loving the other one (such first-world issues).
#2: Lucy Albright (Tell Me Lies)
Lucy Albright is a perfect dictionary definition of a rage-baiter. Knowing how toxic Stephen is, she continues to go after him and thinks it’s best to ruin the relationships of her so-called “best friends.” Lucy also knows Stephen has his other toxic relationship with Diana, yet she believes it’s justified to continue to mess around with their feelings. Honestly, Lucy is just as bad as Stephen, but because she is the group leader, she steers her close circle into a tornado of chaos and manipulative emotional abuse.
THE REVEAL: #1: Rory Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)
I don’t even need to explain, but for those who want an explanation, just imagine someone who could infuriate the greek god Hades when she speaks. Rory Gilmore would NEVER take Lorelai’s amazing advice and would do the complete opposite of normal behavior. First off, Rory dropped out of YALE (who in their right mind would drop out of Yale?) and had sexual relations with Dean, knowing that he had a WIFE. She’s biggest rage-baiter of all TV history. If I could give her behavior a 0/10, I would.
All Star Rage Baiters
When I watch these shows, I find myself yelling at the screen, groaning at their decisions, and sometimes even questioning my own patience. And yet, despite my irritation, I can’t tear myself away. There’s something deeply engaging about witnessing their flaws and mistakes, watching their stories unfold, and anticipating what they might do next. The very traits that frustrate me are the ones that make the shows memorable and addictive. They create a connection that goes beyond simple entertainment. Will I keep complaining? Absolutely. Will I keep watching? Without a doubt. In fact, that tension — the push and pull between exasperation and fascination — is part of what makes these shows so compelling. Loving a character doesn’t mean agreeing with them, and hating them doesn’t mean we stop caring. And maybe that’s the point: the more they challenge me, the more I stay invested, and the more I realize that the mix of anger and affection is exactly what keeps me coming back, episode after episode.