Hazardous. Poisonous. Venomous. The following relationships have one thing in common: they are toxic. Hollywood just loves to romanticize unhealthy relationships: it’s a fact. Doting on couples that suffocate each other and are just overall wrong–Hollywood gives impressionable teenagers unrealistic expectations of their own future relationships. So Hollywood, if you’re listening, stop romanticizing toxic relationships.

Marcus and Ginny, Ginny and Georgia

“​​It’s not Ginny. I love Ginny. She’s the only thing that makes me happy. That’s the problem. No one person should be responsible for your happiness. That’s not fair.”

Who doesn’t love a good boy next door, friends-to-lovers, and best friends brother teen romance? It seems like the cards have really fallen into place for Marcus Baker and Ginny Miller. They really get each other and make each other the happiest they can be. Perfect, right? Wrong. They both have some intense mental health issues that they need to work through before being in a committed relationship. Their happiness is another issue, both having stated that the other person is “the only one who makes them happy.” The toxic meter is ringing major bells here. Seems to me like this break they’re taking is well needed. Maybe Ginny and Marcus would be better off staying friends; it would definitely be less toxic.

Damon and Elena, The Vampire Diaries

“Listen to us. This is toxic. We are in a toxic relationship, Elena. I just killed your friend, and you find someone else to blame!” 

How does the song go? My boyfriend’s older brother is the one for me? Wait, that’s not right, but that is exactly how Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert’s relationship began. At the beginning of the series, Elena is dating Damon’s younger brother Stefan, who she claims to be in love with. Wait, let me pump the breaks here for a second! Did I mention that the Salvatore brothers are immortal vampires from the 1800s? And that they both were in love with and fought over Elena’s vampire doppelganger? Just when you start to think that there’s no way this relationship can get crazier, trust me it does. After Damon’s blood is used to turn Elena into a vampire, she becomes sired to him. This means that she’ll do anything he says without question, which seems like every man’s dream… Gross. After the sire bond breaks, she still says she loves him and that it was all real, which everyone has no choice but to believe. I mean come on, who wouldn’t call this trainwreck of a relationship toxic?

Beck and Jade, Victorious

“I bought my girlfriend flowers. Forgot she hates flowers. Starting a list of all her “dislikes.” It’s LOOOONG already.”

Beck Oliver and Jade West really are THAT couple. That is, that couple that really never should’ve been together in the first place. From the beginning of the series to the end, they bicker like children, insult each other, and overall don’t seem to enjoy being together. You know how they say some people bring out the crazy in each other? This is definitely the case with Beck and Jade. The biggest problem in their relationship, other than their obvious incompatibility, is Beck’s ongoing infatuation with their mutual friend Tori. Even though she rebuffs every advance and makes it clear that nothing will ever happen due to her friendship with Jade, this is still a sore spot in Beck and Jade’s relationship. Maybe they just have too complex of a relationship for people to understand, or maybe they just don’t work. In my opinion, even though this couple is endgame they’re still extremely toxic. 

Ross and Rachel, Friends

“She’s a little ditzy, you know? And I’ve seen her be a little too into her looks.”

Were they really on a break? Everyone knows about the infamous tiff between Ross Gellar and Rachel Green, but do they know about the other problems in their relationship? There were most definitely major red flags in their relationship, but one sticks out significantly. Starting off as a way to decide between his current girlfriend(a red flag all on its own) and Rachel, Ross makes a pros and cons list of their attributes. This seemingly harmless list turns into an encyclopedia of insults against Rachel. The real kicker in the relationship happened in Vegas but didn’t stay there. Turns out the pair got married, both well under the influence, and they don’t remember a thing. Here comes the bad part though, Ross lied about still being married weeks later. He tells Rachel that he got the marriage annulled, but then goes on to happily tell Phoebe that he truly didn’t. If this doesn’t scream toxic, then I really don’t know what does.

Derek and Meredith, Grey’s Anatomy

“You don’t get to call me a whore.”

Ok guys, I know I’m going to get some hate for this one. They might be one of America’s most beloved couples, but that doesn’t mean they have a healthy relationship. Derek Shepherd and Meredith Grey have had a rocky relationship from the start, from him turning out to be her boss to dark secrets being unearthed. The biggest issue in the relationship turned out to be a real doozy, turns out McDreamy has a wife back home. Derek even ran back to his ex-wife after meeting Meredith, but then realized he was still in love with Meredith while with his ex-wife. Despite this, they managed to get past this minor bump (not really minor, but whatever) and stayed together. This so-called “true love” wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though; they both have major communication and trust issues that never fail to shake things up. “MerDer” may have been endgame, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t toxic.