History Main / BreakingBadNewsGently

* ''[[WesternAnimation/6teen]]'' has an episode where Marlowe wants to break up with Wyatt, so Jonesy offers to tell Wyatt for her. He tries to do this, but it backfires when he takes Wyatt to a parlour where people break up and everyone in there thinks they're a gay couple breaking up.

[[folder:Jokes]]
* A man goes on vacation and his friend is watching his cat. A few days in the man calls to check up, and the friend says "Your cat fell off the roof and died." The man says, "Ouch! Couldn't you have said it more gently, like 'Your cat climbed up on the roof, there was a loose tile, she fell, I rushed her to the vet, but there was nothing they could do'?" The friend apologizes and a few months go by. The man goes away again, and calls to check in. His friend says "Your mother climbed up on the roof..."
* A RemittanceMan is arrested and hanged for stealing cattle out West. The lawyer charged with informing his father agonizes for some time about how to best break this news to the family, finally settling on "Dear sir, I regret to inform you of the death of your son. He was participating in a public function when the platform fell out from under him."

-->The Wizard sighed deeply. “Ever since you have returned here, you have been distracted, tricked, ''betrayed'' in so deep and subtle a fashion that I am almost ashamed to tell you what happened, for it was partially my doing, though my involvement in it was opportunistic rather than initiatory. I protected you from something far worse, and I would have stopped it all had I the power. ''Please'' understand that I am deeply and permanently grateful to you for breaking my curse, and I profoundly regret that what I am about to say will cause you distress. It is my fervent hope that once you are fully cognizant of your circumstances, we can work together to alleviate them.”
-->“Right,” said John after a short, unhappy silence, “we're no strangers to bad news and betrayal, so bring it on, let's get it over with.”

[[folder:Film]]

-->'''Mirror''': You are the fairest my Queen, ... although well, when one considers it globally, then...
-->'''Queen''': What? I'm the fairest of them all!
-->'''Mirror''': Yes, well, "of them all" is currently... a bit exaggerated. Now when you exclude the dwarven lands,... then sure... But beyond the seven mountains by the seven dwarves... there is this Snow White and well...

--> '''Andy:''' I think you should sit down. No really, please sit down. Well ma'am, you can have it your own way. Don't sit down. All right: your husband is alive... hello? Hello? ''(hangs up)'' I believe she's sat down.

* Played with in the ''Series/QuantumLeap'' episode "Miss Deep South," in which Sam has leapt into a beauty pageant contestant. Al comes bearing bad news, and insists that Sam sit down before he hears it. Sam sits down and his skirt's crinoline cage hits him in the face. Al relents, "I think you better stand up, Sam."

-->'''General-of-the-week''': Are you sitting down, Henry?
-->'''Henry Blake''': ''(stands up)'' No sir!
-->'''GOTW''': Maybe you should, I have some exciting news.
-->'''Henry''': ''(sits down)'' Yes sir!
-->'''Hawkeye''': They're giving you calisthenics over the phone?

[[folder:New Media]]
* The title of [[http://greenleegazette.blogspot.com/2010/03/youd-better-sit-down-for-this-ricky.html this]] article includes this trope in its name.

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* A ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' strip has Pig call Goat to ask if he's sitting down. Goat freaks out and asks what's happened, and Pig replies: "Oh, it's just comfy."

[[folder:Radio]]
* Done in ''Radio/TheNavyLark'' between [[CloudCuckooLander Mister Phillips]] and the ship's Chaplain in a very confused conversation about a pregnant racehorse (which the Chaplain thinks is a girl Phillips has got knocked up due to how Phillips broached the subject), with the Chaplain being so shocked that after having had to sit down he declares "I think I better stand up again."

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue:'' Grif couldn't sit down because both of his kneecaps were shattered, so Sarge ordered Simmons to prepare catching him when they had to explain (again) that his Sister had died.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/ChampionsOfFaraus'', the city guard who had to tell Wila that her sister and brother-in-law are dead, and that she’ll have to take care of her nephew, nervously tries to lead into the news.
-->'''Wila''': Why is my nephew with you?
-->'''City Guard''': Well uh, Ma’am we understand you haven’t talked to your sister or her husband in a ''long'' time and well - ''Unfortunately'' . . .
* During one page of ''Webcomic/FriendlyHostility'', Fox and Colin are given some heavy news. Fox says he needs to sit down, to which Colin replies 'You already are'.
* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick,'' Haley had some difficulty trying to figure out how to tell Celia that [[spoiler: her boyfriend was dead (albeit [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist only temporarily]])]], which unfortunately is complicated by Celia being LiteralMinded over her metaphors. Sick of wasting time, [[HeroicComedicSociopath Belkar]] decided it was best to just shout it [[EuphemismBuster in the bluntest manner possible]].
--> '''Belkar: ''' OK, that's IT! I can't take the euphemisms any more! [[spoiler: Roy is dead!]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In the ''WebVideo/LoadingReadyRun'' sketch [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp9M3RRfdRg "All the Little People."]]
-->'''Graham:''' I ... think I'd rather stand. Near the door.

(Graham stands up)\\

* ''[[http://www.rrrrthats5rs.com/games/dont-make-mommy-cry/ Don't Make Mommy Cry]]'' is a flash quiz game, where the player picks the most gentle option of something shocking. Usually deflecting blame onto something else.

* Used this way in [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants "Patty Hype"]] also.

* A RemittanceMan is arrested and hanged for stealing cattle out West. The lawyer charged with informing his father agonizes for some time about how to best break this news to the family, finally settling on "Dear sir, I regret to inform you of the death of your son. He was participating in a public function when the platform fell out from under him".

* In the UsefulNotes/WorldWarII MiniSeries ''Series/TheSinkingOfTheLaconia'', Captain Sharp says tells Junior Officer Thomas Mortimer "You better sit down", before presenting him with a telegram. Mortimer doesn't sit down; he merely asks, "All of them, sir?". [[spoiler: As one can probably guess, his wife and children have all been killed in an air raid.]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdLUV0hhYZY Tout Va Très Bien Madame La Marquise]]: A marquise calls her servants to ask how things are going. They tell her that all is well (tout va très bien), except her horse died. Then they describe the series of events that led to this calamity, with each link in the chain more horrible than the one before it.

* In the ''WebVideo/LoadingReadyRun'' sketch [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp9M3RRfdRg "All the Little People".]]

** Parodied in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MS3rQsx6w4 their Dragons of Tarkir spoiler video]]:

* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' did this in the 2010 season opener when [[FirstEpisodeSpoiler presenting news of]] [[spoiler:his wife's death]].

* In WesternnnAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk, Astrid calls it "the honey and the hatchet." First you say something nice to soften the blow, then you hit them with the bad news. When Hiccup tries it on his dad, Stoic sees right through it.

* Enforced in ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights''. After King John is told that the Sheriff of Rottingham has bad news, the corrupt king orders the Sheriff to "tell me the bad news in a good way." So the Sheriff starts breaking into MirthlessLaughter about how Robin Hood is back from the Crusades, defeated the Sheriff's men, and is coming to see King John hanged.

And it should be noted that methods have been around long enough for many to be discredited. Expect many instances of this trope to be PlayedForLaughs.

[[IThoughtItMeant Has nothing to do with]] ''Series/BreakingBad''.

* Played straight in [[TheFilmOfTheSong La Bamba]]. Donna enters the room after the news of Ritchie's death has been announced. She missed it but wants to know why everyone is so upset. Her sobbing friend warns her, "You'd better sit down, Donna."

* Sometimes happens on the Creator/{{PBS}} show ''Series/Ghostwriter'', as people tend to be freaked out upon seeing the titular character for the first time and receiving his outgoing, friendly greeting.

A staple trope of both the PoliceProcedural and the MedicalDrama, in which breaking the news of a loved one's death is regularly portrayed as the most difficult part of a cop's/doctor's job.

* A staple trope of both police and medical dramas, in which breaking the news of a loved one's death is often portrayed as the most difficult part of a cop's/doctor's job.

-->-- '''Lord Summerisle''', ''Film/TheWickerMan''

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick,'' Haley had some difficulty trying to figure out how to tell Celia that [[spoiler: her boyfriend was dead (albeit [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist only temporarily]])]], which unfortunately is complicated by Celia being {{Literal Mind}}ed. Sick of wasting time, [[HeroicComedicSociopath Belkar]] decided it was best to just shout it [[EuphemismBuster in the bluntest manner possible]].