History Main / Blackmail

* In ''Film/SilverLode'', saloon girl Dolly threatens to tell telegraph operator Paul Herbert's wife some juicy details about the two of them if he doesn't send some wires that could exonerate Ballard. When he protests that it isn't true, Dolly points out that while that is correct, nobody would believe him if she made those claims in the first place.

** In the first chapter, Kiritaka is blackmailed by [[BigBad Okaya]]'s {{gang|OfBullies}} into [[YourMom uploading a heavily-edited sex video of his mother on the internet]]. When he refuses, [[SadisticChoice Okaya threatens to upload the video himself if Kiri doesn't jump off the nearby cliff within three seconds]]. After a brief hesitation, Kiri does just that, which [[CruelAndUnusualDeath gets him killed]]. ''[[YouAreTooLate Right in front of Mari]]''.

{{Supertrope}} to RevengePornBlackmail, which involves blackmailing someone with indecent material of them. Compare BlackmailBackfire when the blackmailing [[SpannerInTheWorks fails for some reason]].

* ''Manga/MyDressUpDarling'': Sajuna "Juju" Inui, desperate to get a costume done by Wakana Gojo, threatens to denounce him to the police [[AccidentalPervert for seeing]] [[NakedFirstImpression her naked]]. It's important to notice that, one, she was in ''his'' house (using his shower because Gojo's grandpa let her in so she could dry herself and avoid catching a cold), and two, [[StalkerWithoutACrush she followed him in secret all the way from a cosplay event to find out where he lived]].

--->'''[[TheDon Falcone]]''': I want to know how you're gonna convince me to keep my mouth shut.
--->'''[[MadScientist Crane]]''': About what? You don't know anything.
--->'''Falcone''': I know you wouldn't want the police to take a closer look at those drugs they seized. And I know about your experiments with the inmates of your nuthouse. See, I don't go into business with a guy without finding out his dirty secrets. And those goons you used –- I own the muscle in this town. Now, I've been bringing your stuff in for months, so whatever he's planning, it's big, and I want in.
--->'''Crane''': Well, I already know what he'll say: that we should kill you.
--->'''Falcone''': Even he can't get me in here. Not in my town.
--->'''Crane''': ...would you like to see my mask? I use it in my experiments. Probably not very frightening to a guy like you, but these crazies, they can't stand it.
--->'''Falcone''': So when did the nut take over the nuthouse?
--->''[[spoiler:Cue [[EvilVersusEvil Crane spraying the fear toxin in Falcone's face]], [[LaserGuidedKarma making Falcone scream in terror]].]]''

* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': [[spoiler:R.K. Maroon, head of Maroon Cartoons]], sets up Jessica Rabbit into cheating on her husband, Roger, with Marvin Acme. The blackmailer hires detective Eddie Valiant to take pictures of the encounter, and with the pictures he hopes he will be able to start a massive scandal that will make Acme sell his Gag Factory as well as Toontown to Cloverleaf Industries, so that he could sell his studio to Cloverleaf as well. The plan ends up failing when Acme is murdered, Jessica's explanation of the blackmailer's scheme to Eddie ends up vindicating Roger of Acme's murder, andthe villain learns that Cloverleaf intends to destroy Toontown in order to replace it with a freeway. [[spoiler:Maroon attempts to repair the damage he caused by trying to find Acme's will, as that is the only thing that will prevent Cloverleaf from seizing Toontown [[WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve (which is what will happen to Toontown if the will isn't found by midnight)]], only to be murdered by Cloverleaf's owner, Judge Doom (the one who also killed Acme), in the process.]]

* The major plot point for ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. [[spoiler:R.K. Maroon, head of Maroon Cartoons, sets up Jessica Rabbit into cheating on her husband, Roger, with Marvin Acme. Maroon hires detective Eddie Valiant to take pictures of the encounter, and with the pictures Maroon hopes he will be able to start a massive scandal that will make Acme sell his Gag Factory as well as Toontown to Cloverleaf Industries, so that Maroon could sell his studio to Cloverleaf as well. The plan ends up failing when Acme is murdered, Jessica's explanation of Maroon's scheme to Eddie ends up vindicating Roger of Acme's murder, and Maroon learns that Cloverleaf intends to destroy Toontown in order to replace it with a freeway. Maroon attempts to repair the damage he caused by trying to find Acme's will, as that is the only thing that will prevent Cloverleaf from seizing Toontown [[WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve (which is what will happen to Toontown if the will isn't found by midnight)]], only to be murdered by Cloverleaf's owner, Judge Doom (the one who also killed Acme), in the process.]]

* In a book about stars in Hollywood whose name escapes me, a character tells how (back in the 1960s), he'd meet underage girls and go home with them to have sex in the girl's bedroom, ''while her parents were home'', and they wouldn't say anything or do anything about her boyfriends because she knew enough about their pot plants to get them serious prison time (back in the 1960s, possession of marijuana in California was actually a felony).

* This is part of the OriginStory of the ComicBook/{{Batman}} heroine Helena Wayne, Huntress of Earth-Two and daughter of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. Selina is conned by a former lackey of hers into doing OneLastJob by revealing that he had photos of her killing a police officer. Sadly, the job goes balls up when Batman gets involved, ending up with Selina getting killed. Before Helena discovers him, the lackey admits that the photos were doctored and she hadn't killed anyone.
* ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'': In a flashback story, Dr. Thomas Wayne breaks into a closed drug store to get the medicine to treat a dying child, leaving behind a note and promising to pay for it. The druggist spends the next month blackmailing him over this. Ultimately, Alfred disguises himself as a cop to scare the druggist into handing the incriminating note over.
* ''ComicBook/BatmanAndSpiderManNewAgeDawning'': Ra's Al Ghulthe Kingpin's wife with a man-made virus that imitates cancer, all so he would could essentially Blackmail Kingpin into working for him and destroy New York City.

* In ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily'', Batman finds out that [[spoiler:Joker]] has not only taken over Arkham Asylum, but he has blackmailed the guards into working with him.

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "Welcome Back Carter", Peter ends up finding out that Carter, his father-in-law, cheated on his wife. Peter's friends convince him to take advantage of this knowledge and blackmail Carter. It works until Peter inadvertently lets the secret slip anyway.

** [[DirtyCoward Tsubasa Kowase uses compromising photos and recordings of girls who don't look like they'll fight back]] to blackmail them into doing whatever he wants, such as giving him money or allowing themselves to be used for sexual favors. [[ShrinkingViolet Yajima]], who serves as his latest victim, [[CaughtOnTape was recorded shoplifting by Kowase once]], and has been tormented by him ever since. [[BullyHunter Maria]] gives him ATasteOfHisOwnMedicine by confiscating and hacking into his smartphone before anonymously sending him [[CaughtWithYourPantsDown a video of himself masturbating]] and another video deleted two years go where [[BullyBrutality he and his friends were bullying Kiritaka]], demanding 3 million yen in exchange for not posting them on the internet ([[XanatosGambit not that she expects him to pay up]], since at this point [[ParanoiaGambit she's just trying to fuel his paranoia]]).

* ''Fanfic/CodePrime'': In the chapter "The Patch Paradox", Megatron learns through the Cordial Psychic Patch that Suzaku knows that Lelouch and Nunnally are alive. While Megatron already knows about that they’re alive, he decides to use this as leverage against Suzaku to keep him under his thumb.

'''Hair:''' Well, I could, sir. I could if I was going to be star of the show.\\

* At the conclusion of ''WesternAnimation/TheHairBearBunch'' episode "Ark Lark," Peevly is rushing to get the animals back to the zoo (after having sailed to a resort island in an ark) as the superindendent is coming to them stage a re-enactment of the story of Noah's Ark.