History Main / AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents

Contrast FamousAncestor. May overlap with TeasingParent if they tease their child in public.

Contrast FamousAncestor.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' and ''WesternAnimation/WinnieThePooh'': Roo thinks of his mother Kanga this way.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': #30 of ''X-Men: Gold'' has Rachel having to deal with her mother "momming" said mother's temporally displaced teenage self over drinking champagne at a wedding, and the latter dismissing it and saying that she should "mom" Rachel instead - who is muttering about wishing aliens would invade to end the sheer awkwardness. It's worth noting that thanks to her own time-travelling, Rachel is about halfway between her mother and her teen mother in age.

* On his elder son's 13th birthday, [[FaceOfTheBand Jeff Tweedy]] of Music/{{Wilco}} brought the kid up on stage at Madison Square Garden and got the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday" to him, sending him off stage afterwards with "It's all downhill from here, kid."

* In ''VideoGame/IWasATeenageExocolonist'', Antecedent embarrasses her daughter, Anemone, when she hits puberty by baking her a red velvet cake that says "Welcome to ''[[{{Pun}} Womb]]''-manhood!" and proudly telling the other grown-ups that she's "becoming a woman".

* Even Superman isn't invulnerable to feeling embarrassed by his parents. In ''WesternAnimation/TheDeathOfSuperman'', Clark invited Lois over to meet Ma and Pa Kent. They then proceeded to mortify him by telling her stories about his past girlfriends.

* Aladar is horrifyingly embarrassed of his adoptive lemur parents once they go full-on FishOutOfWater in ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaur}}''.
* ''WesternAnimation/FireAndIce'': Necron's actor, Sean Hannon, talked about how upset he was when he learned of the idiotic characterization of Juliana, Necron's mother. He was actually embarrassed by it and then realized what an interesting dynamic it created. He incorporated that embarrassment into Necron's character, explaining why Necron was so impatient with Juliana.
* The Trolls are essentially a family of this to Kristoff in ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}''. When he introduces Anna to them, they assume the two are a couple, and when he and Anna try to correct them, they start asking Anna ''why'' she's not dating him and begin singing a song about all the potential reasons they think she might not want to date him. And then try to start a sudden wedding for the two on the spot.
* Goofy in ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'' (and its sequel) is this to Max, and in ''WesternAnimation/MickeysTwiceUponAChristmas'' Max brings home his girlfriend Mona to meet Goofy only for his dad to embarrass him by doing such things as showing off a [[EmbarrassingOldPhoto huge baby picture]] of Max. See ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' for more examples.

* Riley's parents from ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' are this at the end, in a sweet way: they show up to her first hockey game in San Francisco complete with jerseys, foam fingers, and face paint, cheering loudly for her even before she gets on to the ice.
* In a brief scene from ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'', Simba gets annoyed when his mother Sarabi interrupts his conversation with his friend Nala and cleans him by licking him, messing up his small mane in the process.
* Roo thinks of his mother Kanga this way in ''WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' and ''WesternAnimation/WinnieThePooh'' (the 2011 movie).

%%* The core plot in ''[[Film/MeetTheParents Meet the Fockers]]''.

%%* Played to a "T" in the Creator/SylvesterStallone comedy vehicle ''Film/StopOrMyMomWillShoot''.

** Then there was the time he semi-jokingly threatened the Jonas Brothers with a drone strike.

* In a brief scene where he's cleaned by his mother, Sarabi for Simba in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}''.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': #30 of ''X-Men: Gold'' has Rachel having to deal with her mother "momming" said mother's temporally displaced teenage self over drinking champagne at a wedding, and the latter dismissing it and saying that she should "mom" Rachel instead - who is muttering about wishing aliens would invade to end the sheer awkwardness. It's worth noting that thanks to her own time-travelling, Rachel is about halfway between her mother and her teen mother in age.

* In ''ComicBook/TheGirlFromTheSea'', Morgan's mother Min reacts to learning her daughter is gay by being awkwardly cheeky about it, like greeting her by literally exiting a closet, or saying Morgan dating girls puts her at lower risk of a teen pregnancy.

* Odin toward Loki in ''ComicStrip/TwistedToyfareTheatre''.
-->'''Loki:''' Daaad, you're embarrassing me!\\
'''Odin:''' Nonsense! Now, gaze upon these naked baby photos of Loki.\\
'''Spider-Man:''' ...His horns have grown.
* "Just call us ComicStrip/{{Monroe}}'s mom and dad."

* A wonderful "Revenge of the Kid" occurred in ''ComicStrip/OnTheFastrack'' when Melody was showing Laurel's baby pictures to Bob. Melody excused herself briefly; Laurel followed her out, there was the sound effect of a flashbulb and a piercing scream, and Laurel came back to hand Bob a Polaroid photo with the words, "My mother on the throne." Cue another piercing scream from out-of-frame.

* Roo thinks of his mother Kanga this way in ''WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' and ''WesternAnimation/WinnieThePooh'' (the 2011 movie).

* Mrs. Witwicky in ''[[Film/TransformersFilmSeries Transformers]]'' 1 and 2. Specifically in 2, she snacks on pot brownies at Sam's college (she thinks they're regular brownies) and gets high.

* One of the ''less'' obnoxious habits of Bridget's family in ''[[Literature/BridgetJones Bridget Jones's Diary]]''.
* The plot of the Australian film ''Film/TheRageInPlacidLake'', about a kid so embarrassed by his hippie parents (who among other things send him to his first day of school in a girl's uniform) that he [[RebelliousRebel deliberately becomes the ultimate conformist]].
* ''Film/{{The Nutty Professor|1996}}'': The Klumps when Sherman brings Carla over. They talk openly about sex, bodily functions, marriage, and other embarrassing topics, so much so that Sherman tries to slit his wrists with a butter knife.
* ''Film/RealGenius'': Mitch Taylor's parents.
** After speaking with them at the science fair, Dr. Hathaway asks them if, by any chance, Mitch is adopted.
** An exchange late in the movie between Mitch and his new girlfriend Jordan:
--->'''Jordan:''' Are you going to take me home to meet your parents?\\
'''Mitch:''' (horrified) No!\\
'''Jordan:''' Why?! Are you ASHAMED of me???\\
'''Mitch:''' No, them!

* Particularly cruel version from Truffaut's ''Film/The400Blows'': Once Antoine's parents learn that he's been skipping school, they decide to punish him in the most humiliating way imaginable to a preteen boy -- by going down to school, storming into his classroom, slapping him in front of all his classmates, and letting him (and everyone else in the room) know, in no uncertain terms, that there's more to come once he gets home. They then leave him to stew in terror and suspense for the rest of the school day.
* The core plot in ''[[Film/MeetTheParents Meet the Fockers]]''.
* Played to a "T" in the Creator/SylvesterStallone comedy vehicle ''Film/StopOrMyMomWillShoot''.
* Creator/AdamSandler's parents in ''Film/{{Click}}''. They constantly joke about his small penis. Is anyone surprised he becomes effectively an asshole thinking only about his career and completely forgetting his family about it?
* Inverted with Jason's parents in ''Film/MysteryTeam''. He's an embarrassment to THEM.
%% * Frank Gilbreth in ''Film/CheaperByTheDozen1950''
* Patrick Winslow is embarrassed of his stepfather Victor Doyle in ''Film/TheSmurfs2''.
* Actually invoked by [[MyBelovedSmother Mama Boucher]] in ''Film/TheWaterboy''. During lunch with [[LoveInterest Vicki Vallencourt]], Mama constantly brings up embarrassing facts about her son Bobby, such as how much he wets his bed and how much his feet smell. After Bobby becomes so embarrassed he walks away saying "Excuse me, ladies, while I go hang myself...", Mama says [[NeverMyFault "Now, you see what you did?"]].

* Played for tragedy in ''Film/{{Stella Dallas|1937}}'', as Stella's brassy, uninhibited manner embarrasses her daughter Laurel when they're hanging out with the smart set. Stella's outrageous outfits and pancake makeup and general brassy demeanor make her the laughingstock of the fancy resort she took Laurel to, embarrassing Laurel and leading Stella to decide to give her daughter to Stephen and Helen.
* In ''Film/LaFamilleBelier'', Gigi and Rodolphe Bélier really embarrass their daughter when she brings home Gabriel, the classmate she loves secretly.

* Invoked in the 1989 ''Film/Batman1989'', when Alfred regales Vicki with the story of his one attempt at teaching a young Bruce Wayne horseback riding and the disaster that resulted, while Bruce facepalms at the memory.
* ''Film/BlindedByTheLight'':
** On the first day of school, Javed's father, Malik, shouts at him from the car to stay away from girls and "follow the Jews" to success. Matt also views his father this way.
** Eliza also feels this way about hers. They believe she's only with Javed to shock them, mention that Eliza once brought home a "colored fellow" before (which she tells him is a term no one uses anymore) and her dad offers him wine even though as a Muslim it's forbidden. As they're Conservatives and she's a leftist activist, it's clear she finds that an embarrassment as well.
* A sketch in one-off comedy special ''Film/HowToIrritatePeople'' has Creator/MichaelPalin's character being repeatedly showed up by his parents in front of his new wife, mostly via his father's being as annoying as possible to get Palin to switch the channel on the TV, and then by his mother's displaying NoIndoorVoice while listing every single ingredient in the dinner that she intends to cook... and then doing it again when she remembers that she bought pork instead of chicken.

* ''Film/Coda2021'': Ruby has to suffer from her dad talking (through sign language) about how Miles, her new boyfriend, should use a condom while they have sex, in a very over the top way (the two aren't actually sexually active). It would be amusing to many people watching the film, but much the opposite for her.
* ''Film/{{Crush|2022}}'': Paige's mom Angie embarrasses her through her flirting with the track coach, and getting overboard in her acceptance of Paige being a lesbian through sex toys she offers her.

* There's an [[http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/BookPreview?bookid=shaabao_00480004&route=asia〈=Hebrew&msg= Israeli children's book]] that's all about this: the kid's embarrassing, stay-at-home dad has his time to shine when the kindergarten has a moms' baking contest and his apparently bland cake explodes into fantastic sugared roses. Awww.
* Mrs. Bennet in Creator/JaneAusten's ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'' is sort of a version of this trope; her relative lack of breeding and unsubtle attempts to set her daughters up with prospective husbands -- and in the case of Mr. Bingley and Jane, to act as if they're already engaged after they've just met -- prove mortifying to her two older daughters at least (the younger ones are equally embarrassing as their mother). The consequences of this are more serious than usual since Jane's embarrassing family is one of the major reasons Mr. Darcy persuades Mr. Bingley not to marry her.
* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' has a father who is a dignified former naval doctor from a well-thought-of family... and her mother makes up for it in sheer embarrassing abilities. The ''very first thing'' she does onscreen is observe how nice the ass of Honor's second-in-command is, and telling her she needs to tap that.
-->'''Honor:''' ''Mother!''
* ''Literature/TheKingdomKeepers'' hints at this with Finn's parents. When his mother first meets [[ObviouslyEvil Jez]], she gushes about Finn meeting "a cute girl", earning a look.
* In the very last Creator/ManlyWadeWellman Literature/SilverJohn novel, ''Voice of the Mountain'', the [[BigBad main villain]] [[EvilSorcerer Ruel Harpe]] is described after embarrassing a young witch in his service as being rather like "one of those parents who enjoys embarrassing their children on purpose."

* Mr. and Mrs. Harris from ''[[Literature/TheCornersvilleTraceMythos How to Get Suspended and Influence People]]'' and ''Pirates of the Retail Wasteland'' are food disaster hobbyists and gave their son the middle name "Noside."

* Literature/StephaniePlum's mother and grandmother (''especially'' [[CoolOldLady Grandma Mazur]]) are so embarrassing that even Stephanie's father can barely stand it. As an example, when Stephanie's mother sets her up on a blind date in the first book, Grandma Mazur pulls out a gun during dinner and accidentally shoots the main course while showing it off. Stephanie often begs them to calm down to no effect, while her father, being TheQuietOne, merely mutters "Christ" under his breath when they get particularly bad.

* In Creator/BettyMacdonald's ''Onions in the Stew'' a recurring theme is how embarrassing Annie and Joan find Betty & Don.

* You'd be as embarrassed to bring girls home as Radar from ''Literature/PaperTowns'' if your parents owned the world's largest collection of Black Santa Memorabilia consisting of 1200 pieces.
* ''Literature/ParaisoStreet'': Cali Capistrano views her AlcoholicParent Danny this way, which he goes out of his way to reinforce. As he says, "I'm a parent... that's what we're for."

* The Spier parents from ''Literature/SimonVsTheHomoSapiensAgenda'', especially Simon's father. It makes Simon uncomfortable when some of his father's jokes toe the line of DudeNotFunny while Simon is still in the closet.

* In the ''Agatha Raisin'' mystery novels, Bill (although an adult) has such parents; his romantic relationships usually end when he tries to introduce his girlfriend to his parents.

* ''Literature/TheLoveAndLiesOfRukhsanaAli'': When Rukhsana's parents come around to accepting her lesbianism, she soon grows embarrassed by how much they start overcompensating (e.g. seeking out another Bengali lesbian for her, the way they'd done with guys earlier), though it's out of love.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'', before Noctis leaves for the road trip, his father asks Noctis' friends/bodyguards to guide his "wayward son" and care for him. Since Noctis is 20 and surrounded by his VitriolicBestBuds at this point, he finds this quite embarrassing. (Other scenes show that Noctis hates the caution and formality everyone in [[RoyalBlood his family has]] to act with.)

* The Delta Episode of [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]] involves Steven's father embarrassing him in front of the player by poking fun at his impatience, culminating in a loud "Dad!" from Steven with a literal >:( face.

* ''VisualNovel/AmnesiaMemories'' has Kent see his parents this way. When the heroine meets his parents, they are very enthusiastic about their son's relationship and mention that, logically speaking, nothing is stopping them, and even talk about their genetics being compatible. Kent tries to set things straight since their relationship is still pretty fresh [[spoiler:and he's convinced that, if the heroine regains her memories, she'll hate him again]]. ''Amnesia LATER'' makes it worse for Kent because his parents make no secret of the fact that they consider the heroine as his future wife and their daughter-in-law. And mention how he [[MenCantKeepHouse tried to wash the entire futon when he got the cover dirty]].
--> '''Kent:''' Mother, father. Would you please cut that out?

* A lot of the mothers from ''WebAnimation/TheMostPopularGirlsInSchool''.

* ''Website/CollegeHumor'': In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuLG6WqjOEo "The Six Ways You'll See Your Dad,"]] one of them is "The Clown", where the son starts to see his father as an unfunny dork.

* ''WebVideo/{{Dad}}'': Dad, naturally, is seen as embarrassing by Daughter. This is brought up in "Can't Be Stopped":
-->''Drive Daughter to Electric Zoo\\
Drop her off, then Dad sneaks in\\
The beat takes over and body begins\\
I'm cutting shapes, 2 stepping\\
They take their phones & start gramming\\
Now Daughter sees, she's horrified...''

* In her autobiography ''Fierce'', Kelly Osbourne speaks of being embarrassed by [[Music/OzzyOsbourne her father]] on numerous occasions as part of her experiences growing up. [[https://web.archive.org/web/20120505200403/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1497903.php/Ozzy-Osbourne-s-thong-fury In one notable case]], Ozzy wasn't terribly amused when he found out his wife Sharon had bought then-teenaged Kelly thong underwear as a present, and then [[MeddlingParents proceeded to cut up the thong]]--in front of her friends.

* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': Gru's mother, when she shows the girls Gru's old childhood photos.

Children on TV live in terror of their parents ever getting a chance to interact with the other kids in school. This is for a very good reason -- parents on TV seem to be on a quest to humiliate their children in front of their peers.

* A Very Senior General in the British Army took the passing-out parade for a squad of newly-minted junior officers, who included his own daughter. Knowing her father's dubious sense of humour, she steeled herself for the ordeal. The general passed down the ranks, commenting and complimenting, attended by the squad's CO and the [[SergeantRock RSM]]. Finally he arrived at his own daughter. Pretending not to know her, he turned to the RSM, who played along and prompted him.
-->Underofficer Brown-Windsor, SAH!\\
(''General Brown-Windsor, pretending to have his memory jogged'') Oh yes. You seem familiar from somewhere. Believe I might have met your mother once? (''pauses, reflects that he also has a son'') Probably ''[[ParentalSexualitySquick twice]]'', come to think about it...