History Main / CryLaughing

-->''Right before your eyes\\
We'll pull laughter from the skies\\
And he laughs until he cries\\
Then he dies, then he dies

-->''Right before your eyes
We'll pull laughter from the skies
And he laughs until he cries

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': After having spent several days in a HeroicBSOD following the Monkey Girl's death, Atsuko comes across [[UnintentionalFinalMessage the final text message they had sent her]] (complaining about the difficulty of Geordo's route in ''[[FictionalVideoGame Fortune Lover]]'') and begins to laugh at how ridiculous the whole situation is... before the fact that her best friend is never coming back finally sinks in and she breaks down in tears.

* WebVideo/DavidNear: It's strongly implied that [[https://youtu.be/SmAs-lpe3P4 Jason the Toymaker]] doesn't appear to enjoy his monstrous ways very much, but thinks violence is the means to stop people from leaving him. His last words to his latest victim is "You will be my friend, forever!" before he ends the video with a wicked yet sorrowful laugh.

* In ''Fanfic/BetweenMyBrotherAndMeMorsOmnibus'': DeadpanSnarker Yvonne Maxa starts laughing [[spoiler:after she screamed and howled in agony for killing Yusho Sakaki ''in front of a live audience'']] by asking Yuya and Zarc if she was either laughing or crying. When Yuya replies that it's the latter, he questions why. Yvonne answers that she'd kill herself if she found herself crying in front of a lovely audience before she finally breaks down. [[spoiler:It doesn't help that killing Yusho -- whom Yvonne saw as her late brother, Xavier -- means forfeiting his life to Wiraqocha Rasca.]]

* At the end of ''Film/InTheMouthOfMadness'', when John Trent finally watches the movie adaptation of Cane's book ''In the Mouth of Madness'' and [[spoiler:realizes that it was just a novelisation of everything he did in the last few days and that he may just be a fictional character]], he breaks down laughing for a minute before crying.

* [[Creator/FrankSinatra Frank Sinatra's]] [[Music/InTheWeeSmallHours "Glad to Be Unhappy"]]:
--> ''But for someone you adore''\\
''It's a pleasure to be sad''

* [[Franchise/SuperMario Luigi]] does this at the end of ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'', [[spoiler:because while seeing Mario finally safe again has brought him to tears of joy, Mario ''also'' having the entry frame of the Ghost Portrificationizer stuck around his head brings on the laughter.]]

* Done by Tom at the end of the ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' short "Is There a Doctor in the Mouse?" when he faces a [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever giant Jerry]].
* At least one ''WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker'' cartoon ("Square Shootin' Square") had this happen to the titular character.

* On occasions when ''WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker'' came out on the losing end, his signature laugh would become this.

* In ''Manga/TerraFormars'' Alex finds out Yaeko is older than him and laughs because her immaturity made her seem younger. Alex had spent the night acting like [[spoiler: he was not upset over his friend Sheila's death]], which Yaeko was trying to comfort him. Alex continues to laugh as tears start falling from his eyes, showing that he had actually been TryingNotToCry the entire time.
* In ''Manga/TokyoGhoul Jack'', [[spoiler: Minami]] does this in their final moments as [[spoiler: she complains that she studied so hard for her final exams]].

--> ''But for someone you adore''
--> ''It's a pleasure to be sad''

* In chapter 9 of ''Webcomic/{{Archipelago}}'', [[spoiler: Lucinda does this right before her BerserkerRage.]]

* Inverted in the Italian dub of ''Manga/DeathNote''. After [[spoiler:Near exposes him as Kira]], Light sounds like he's about to cry, only to break into psychotic laughter.

* In ''Manga/TerraFormars'' Alex finds out Yaeko is older than him and laughs because her immaturity made her seem younger. Alex had spent the night acting like [[spoiler: he was not upset over his friend Sheila's death]], which Yaeko was trying to comfort him for. Alex continues to laugh as tears start falling from his eyes, showing that he had actually been TryingNotToCry the entire time.

* Sakaki Yuya, the protagonist in ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'', does this a lot. But then, being a StepfordSmiler, it's a central part of his character. Most of the first times his ace monster, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, is destroyed, he starts crying, only to fake a laughter and put on a cheerful facade.
* ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'': [[spoiler:[[Characters/ZombieLandSagaFranchouchou Saki Nikaido]] -- a BadassBiker [[BikerBabe girl]] -- realizes [[NotGrowingUpSucks she'll always be stuck as an eighteen year-old and can neither regain the time lost with her friends or become an item with her longtime idol]]. She tries to laugh it off, only to start sobbing uncontrollably.]]

* In ''ComicBook/StrangersInParadise'', after one of their (many) fights, [[BrokenBird Katchoo]] goes to David's apartment only to realize he's already moved away. She finds a funny picture he drew of them and Francine and starts to laugh, which then turn into tears after she realizes she's pushed away [[DoggedNiceGuy the only man who stuck by her side]].
* In ''ComicBook/ThessalyWitchForHire'', after Thessaly finds out that her StalkerWithACrush has managed to get her contracted to kill a Tharmic Null - a beast that nothing and nobody can kill - she starts laughing and crying simultaneously, because he's finally given her a death sentence from which she can't escape.

[[folder:Film — Animated]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

* [[Franchise/SuperMario Luigi]] does this at the end of ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'', [[spoiler:because while rescuing Mario has brought him tears of joy, Mario having the entry frame of the Ghost Portrificationizer stuck around his head is what brought the laughter.]]

* ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'': [[spoiler:[[Characters/ZombieLandSagaFranchouchou Saki Nikaido]] -- a BadassBiker [[BikerBabe girl]] -- realizes [[NotGrowingUpSucks she'll always be stuck as an eighteen year-old and can neither regain the time lost with her friends or become an item with her longtime idol]]. She tries to laugh it off, only to start [[CryCute sobbing uncontrollably]].]]

* ZigZagged at times with [[ComicBook/TheJoker Arthur Fleck]] in ''Film/Joker2019''. Arthur's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudobulbar_affect Pseudobulbar affect]] caused him to laugh compulsively through the film, even when he breaks down in distress. Creator/JoaquinPhoenix does a good job of making his laughs look like they're genuine if you're unfamiliar with Arthur's character, and at the same time conveying that he's under terrible duress if you are.

* Anime/ZombieLandSaga: [[spoiler:[[Characters/ZombieLandSagaFranchouchou Saki Nikaido]] -- a BadassBiker [[BikerBabe girl]] -- realizes [[NotGrowingUpSucks she'll always be stuck as an eighteen year-old and can neither regain the time lost with her friends or become an item with her longtime idol]]. She tries to laugh it off, only to start [[CryCute sobbing uncontrollably]].]]

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/we_need_to_talk_greg_crying_talking.png]]]]

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' Franchise/MonsterVerse fanfiction, this trope is how [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonTitansAndOtherCreatures Vivienne]] (who has been through a ''hell'' of a TraumaCongaLine) responds when informed that Admiral Stenz, a man she really didn't like, [[BusCrash is dead]].

* ''Series/MoonLovers'': Wang So does this when he confronts his mother in episode four, and again after [[spoiler: killing Wang Eun.]]
* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': It happens to Miss Brooks at the end of "Hobby Show", where she's about to suffer a nervous breakdown. Afraid that she is overworking herself, Miss Brooks' friends visit encouraging her to start a hobby. Unfortunately, Miss Brooks is expected to knit (Mrs. Davis' hobby), play chess (Mr. Boynton's hobby), run model trains (Walter Denton's), finger-paint (Harriet Conklin) and fix broken toys to give to underprivileged children (Mr. and Mrs. Conklin) . . . ''all at the same time''. The [[SoundToScreenAdaptation radio original]] featured the same gag, although there Walter and Harriet's hobbies were the less-visually interesting [[PragmaticAdaptation stamp-collecting and crossword puzzle solving, respectively]].
* The December 5, 1986 telecast of ''[[Series/{{Pyramid}} The $25,000 Pyramid]]'' had host Dick Clark playfully pressuring Vicki Lawrence into selecting the category with the Mystery 7 as a car was up for grabs. Vicki just glared at Clark and called him a bleeped-out name. We can only guess what was bleeped as Vicki selected the category "Loosen Up", and Clark read what the subject matter was: Things that are stiff. The studio broke down laughing; Dick and Vicki were both crying laughing.

* In ''Series/RobinOfSherwood'' episode "The Greatest Enemy", Little John and some others have been captured by Gisburne's men. When Gisburne tells them that Robin of Loxley has been killed, John starts laughing and says that he doesn't believe it's true. Then his laughter turns into sobbing because he knows it is true, it's just hard to accept.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Family", Picard visits his childhood home in France where his brother is still living with his own family. During an argument, the two Picards get into a mud brawl. Picard starts laughing over it before he breaks down crying, recounting the MindRape that the Borg put him through in "The Best of Both Worlds."
* ''Series/ThreesCompany'' had an episode where Chrissy had to go to the hospital for something. When the doctor came to examine her, Chrissy, being TheDitz, managed to get him laughing so hard that he started crying and excused himself. When he went out of the room, he bumped into Janet in the hallway, who saw the doctor's tears and began to think Chrissy was going to die.
* Near the end of the [[HowWeGotHere flashback section]] of ''Series/TheUntamed'', [[spoiler:Wei Wuxian]] does a mix of this and LaughingMad at the Nightless City while watching [[spoiler:everyone fight over the Stygian Amulet he just destroyed]]; this is part in mockery, part his TraumaCongaLine (particularly [[spoiler:the deaths of Jin Zixuan, the Wen clan and Jiang Yanli, the latter of which happened just minutes ago]]) piling up on him, part realization that no matter what he does and says, everyone will always find a way to blame him and label him a monster.

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': After having spent several days in a HeroicBSOD following the Monkey Girl's death, Atsuko comes across the final text message they had sent her (complaining about the difficutly of Geordo's route in ''Fortune Lover'') and begins to laugh at how ridiculous the whole situation is... before the fact that her best friend is never coming back finally sinks in and she breaks down in tears.

* Sakaki Yuya, the protagonist in ''Anime/YuGiOhARCV'', does this a lot. But then, being a StepfordSmiler, it's a central part of his character. Most of the first times his ace monster, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, is destroyed, he starts crying, only to fake a laughter and put on a cheerful facade.

* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': It happens to Miss Brooks at the end of "Hobby Show", where she's about to suffer a nervous breakdown. Afraid that she is overworking herself, Miss Brooks' friends visit encouraging her to start a hobby. Unfortunately, Miss Brooks is expected to knit (Mrs. Davis' hobby), play chess (Mr. Boynton's hobby), run model trains (Walter Denton's), finger-paint (Harriet Conklin) and fix broken toys to give to underprivileged children (Mr. and Mrs. Conklin) . . . ''all at the same time''. The [[SoundToScreenAdaptation radio original]] featured the same gag, although there Walter and Harriet's hobbies were the less-visually interesting [[PragmaticAdaptation stamps and crossword puzzles]].

* Anime/ZombieLandSaga: [[spoiler:[[Character/ZombieLandSagaFranchouchou Saki Nikaido]] -- a BadassBiker [[BikerBabe girl]] -- realizes [[NotGrowingUpSucks she'll always be stuck as an eighteen year-old and can neither regain the time lost with her friends or become an item with her longtime idol]]. She tries to laugh it off, only to start [[CryCute sobbing uncontrollably]].]]