25 problematic gay characters we can't help but love

We love a queer villain!

Positive LGBTQ+ representation is always wonderful, particularly given the long history of mainstream media depicting people in our community as villains, evil, and/or mean. As we move forward and have more projects that feature LGBTQ-inclusive casts and characters, however, we should hold some space for some of the slimiest, dirtiest, most evil, most fun, and sexiest representation we can get, too!

It is obviously fantastic to have queer representation of good guys who are good role models, but that can often constrain characters into tired tropes of being a "gay best friend" or a "magical queer helper" throughout the whole story. The fun really happens when a character can get down and dirty. Queer people are human, and flaws are human, and it is often these flaws that make for great characters.

Scroll through to see our list of problematic queer characters who are interesting, exciting, and that make us invested in following their journeys!

Boone Clemens — 'Scream Queens'

Boone Clemens was played by gay-favorite Nick Jonas in Scream Queens, where the hunky gay college student was revealed to be a serial killer who stalked and murdered his fellow students. Problematic, but still hot!

Quentin — 'The White Lotus'

The second season of The White Lotus introduced us to Quentin: a rich gay man on vacation in Italy who meets Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) and immediately becomes her GBF, taking her on all sorts of adventures.

It's not until later in the season that we realize that Quentin is having sex with the young man going on dates with Tanya's assistant, Portia (Haley Lu Richardson). Oh, and Quentin is also planning on murdering Tanya, which brings out the iconic quote: "These gays… they're trying to murder me!"

Craig and Trevor — 'Dicks: The Musical'

All love is love, even when it's wrong. That's what the hilarious Dicks: The Musical taught us, and we believe it! Craig and Trevor may be assh*les, they may be misogynists, and they may be brothers, but they're also a couple we love.

Omar Little — 'The Wire'

 The Wire's Omar Little is one of the greatest TV characters of all time. He's a mastermind criminal, an ominous presence, and a moral guide on a show full of powerful and dangerous people.

Working as a stick-up man, Omar is known for carrying a shotgun and bulletproof vest, making him as intimidating as they come. But when he's in private, we can't help but love him.

Tom Ripley — 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'

Created by lesbian author Patricia Highsmith, Tom Ripley is a gay con man and murderer who appeared in five novels, several of which have been adapted into movies. The most famous story is The Talented Mr. Ripley, which was made into a movie in 1999 with Matt Damon as the twisted young man who takes what he wants.

Recently, Andrew Scott played him and was nominated for an Emmy in the Netflix show Ripley.

Hannibal and Will — 'Hannibal'

Hannibal and Will, as seen in the NBC series, are absolutely delicious together. Obviously, they're both serial killers. And yes, Hannibal literally tortured and messed with Will's mind and gaslighted him. But beneath it, you can tell it's all because he loves him.

Pray Tell — 'Pose'

Pray Tell, brought to life by the brilliant Billy Porter on Pose, loved to read a girl for filth. He was not one to hold back his opinions on anything, whether it was someone's fashion, body, actions, or beliefs. Yes, he said some very hurtful things to our queen Candy, and he dated much younger men, but we still love him.

Sandy Ryerson — 'Glee'

This former teacher in Glee is what you’d call a “predatory gay.” As soon as we met Sandy, he was being falsely accused of touching a student by Rachel Berry, and as the show went on, we saw that she maybe had good reason to accuse him. But we’d be lying if we didn’t quote “who’s Josh Groban? Kill yourself!” all the time.

Oliver — 'Call Me By Your Name'

A lot of people consider the Call Me By Your Name film to be deeply problematic for the age gap relationship it shows. In the actual story, the characters are 24 and 17. Oliver, however, played by problematic actor Armie Hammer, looked even older in the film — causing many to call out the film for its age gap and underage relationship. Still, it remains one of the most beautiful and relatable gay movies ever made.

Mac — 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'

For much of the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia run, Mac has been one of the most vocal and proud homophobes on TV… and that includes moments after he came out!

Even if Mac wasn't homophobic and transphobic, he'd still be a complete assh*le, not to mention a racist, misogynist, and xenophobe. And yet, somehow, fans can't stop themselves from loving him.

Jack — 'Will & Grace'

During Will & Grace's original run, Jack made quite a few problematic jokes with his best friend Karen. The two of them would often joke about gay culture, homeless and lower class people, and other races. Still, we can't help but love these chaos agents.

HIM — 'The Powerpuff Girls'

The devil has never looked this good! The Powerpuff Girls introduced us early to the idea of a queer villain, giving us this diabolical drag queen!

Ian Gallagher — 'Shameless'

The entire Gallagher clan is full of f*ck-ups and criminals, and Ian Gallagher is no exception. Ian gets into several problematic relationships, loves to pick a fight, and gets into all sorts of other trouble. Still… we do love him.

Louis and Lestat — 'Interview With the Vampire'

Since the premiere of Interview With the Vampire on AMC, Lestat and Louis have become two of the sexiest characters on television — human or vampire!

They have a very toxic relationship built on blood, manipulation, and power imbalances. But damn… are they sexy. We can even forgive all the murder and blood drinking.

Armond — 'The White Lotus'

Armond is the manager of the White Lotus resort in Hawaii and a recovering drug addict. Upon facing a mounting stress from the wealthy clients at his resort, he steals drugs from them, has sex with a young co-worker, and loses control of everything.

Disney Villains

While these characters aren't canonically gay, so many classic Disney villains were queer-coded that you really can't blame a queer person for loving the bad guys. Villains like Scar, Jafar, and Captain Hook brought sassy feminine energy to their movies, giving us some of the first queer representation we ever had.

Andrés — 'Los Espookys'

Andrés Valdez is the wealthy heir to a chocolate empire from Los Espookys. He loves to sit around all day doing nothing but bask in his family's riches and have whatever he wants served to him on a silver platter. He's self-centered, ridiculous, lazy, and out-of-touch, and he’s a total genius.

Connor Walsh — 'How to Get Away With Murder'

Connor is a cocky pretty boy used to getting whatever he wants. He breaks hearts and laws throughout his time on How to Get Away With Murder, but how can you say 'no' to that face?

Edward Teach and Stede Bonnet — 'Our Flag Means Death'

Blackbeard (a.k.a. Edward Teach) is particularly problematic on Our Flag Means Death. We've seen him murder, torture, and pillage, and we were told that most of his worst days were behind him!

Stede later joined him and became a murdering, pillaging pirate on his own. Together, though, they're one of our favorite TV couples.

Midnighter — 'The Authority'

On The Authority, Midnighter is basically a gay, ultra-violent BDSM version of Batman.

Batman may have a "no kill" rule, but Midnighter definitely does not. Yeah, that makes him problematic, but it also makes him kind of hot!

The Corinthian — 'The Sandman'

The Corinthian is a literal nightmare. Plus, he's one of the most prolific and successful serial killers of all time.

On The Sandman, he travels across the country collecting lovers and trophies alike. He's one of the most charming characters you'll ever find, and one of the scariest, too!

The Vampires — 'What We Do in the Shadows'

More vampires! If you live for hundreds of years — or even thousands — of course you're going to be pansexual and going to have tried just about everything.

Unfortunately, that also means you've tried murder, cannibalism, and just about every other sin there is.

Twink — 'Q Force'

Well, according to a bunch of fools on X (formerly Twitter), his name is a slur. But apart from that, Twink is a government agent on Q Force who often seduces men while disguised as a woman. It's pretty problematic… but also, he's our favorite character on one of our all-time favorite shows.

Elliott Goss — 'Search Party'

Elliott Goss, brought to life on Search Party by the hilarious John Early, is one of a dozen problematic, but lovable characters on the dark comedy Search Party. He’s a self diagnosed narcissist who lied about having childhood cancer and later became a right-wing talk show pundit. He’s absolutely terrible, and we love him.

Alejandro — 'Problemista'

Alejandro is a young immigrant from El Salvador who has dreams of becoming a toy maker. Throughout Problemista, a film that Julio Torres also directed and wrote, Alejandro repeatedly makes things much harder on himself, refusing to compromise and making rash decisions. He's not as problematic as others on this list, but he still deserves a spot.