The Simpsons, being a partial Trope Namer, naturally has a lot of characters like this.
- In the first 8 seasons, Homer was this in small doses. From Seasons 9-12, when Mike Scully ran the show, he was practically at 100% with this trope. Fans at alt.tv.simpsons gave him the nickname "Jerkass Homer" when he yelled "Outta my way, Jerkass!" twice in the Season 9 episode "The Joy of Sect". Lampshaded again in "Mommy Beerest":Homer: Dah duhh, that's me, Jerkass Homer.
- Bart has slipped into jerkass territory as of late. While he has his share of mischief, he usually means no harm to the victims of his pranks and does try to make it up if it goes too far. Nowadays, Bart's pranks either are borderline physically harming people or completely overstep them and he does all for the sake of getting a cheap laugh or getting out of homework.Lisa: Bart, you would really ruin Mom and Dad's marriage just to get out of a little homework?
Bart: Hey, hey! I would end all life on this planet if it would get me out of learning fractions.
Lisa: Fractions aren't so hard. All you have to do is find a lowest common denominator. For example, one-half plus one-third is four—
Bart: End... All... Life... On... This... Planet! - Helen Lovejoy, who's always criticizing Homer and Marge and is often gossiping and snooping on others, while doing nothing to help them.
- While Bart is by no means a good student, Seymour Skinner isn't exactly the nicest principal around either. In fact, he's an uptight tool fond of Disproportionate Retribution. As much of a jerk as Bart can be, it's hard to sympathize with Skinner when Bart pulls pranks on him.
- Agnes is a textbook example of an Abusive Parent. She also won't pass up an opportunity to act like a bitch to other people unprovoked, either; she calls Homer "jumbo" while he's not doing anything to her. She's usually just dreadful to be around.
- Comic Book Guy, who's a snobby and overweight shopkeeper of the Android's Dungeon, a comic book store that Bart often shops at. He overprices his comics, insults others that aren't of his IQ level, and even acts like a jerk to Bart and Milhouse even after they saved his life from a heart attack. In that same episode, he and Agnes Skinner fall in love with each other over their huge Jerkass tendencies; on their dates, they impress each other by acting like this to everyone else.
- The entire town can be a town full of Jerkasses. This is lampshaded in "The Boys of Bummer" episode in a billboard that says "Meaniest City in America."
- From the same episode, Joe LaBoot. At first, he is shown to be an honest role model for Bart, who became the town's black sheep for failing to catch a baseball. But once he learns Bart's name, he bullies the kid to the point of tears, which eventually contributes to his attempted suicide.LaBoot: Bart? Are you Bart Simpson? The kid who dropped that easy fly ball? You stink like a Dutchman's throw-up! Talking to you is the biggest error of my life!
[Crowd boos at Bart]
LaBoot: Boo, indeed.
- From the same episode, Joe LaBoot. At first, he is shown to be an honest role model for Bart, who became the town's black sheep for failing to catch a baseball. But once he learns Bart's name, he bullies the kid to the point of tears, which eventually contributes to his attempted suicide.
- The Rich Texan was willing to sadistically bully Lisa into tears For the Evulz, as seen in "Simple Simpson".The Rich Texan: There, there, little darling. Dry those tears... (hands out a last place ribbon) with this!
- Frank Grimes, who appears in "Homer's Enemy" and spends much of the episode lashing out at Homer, who spends the entire episode trying to be nice to the guy, out of jealousy that Homer's life is better than his, then attempts to humiliate him (and then goes crazy when his plan to do so fails). We're supposed to feel sorry for him, but it's pretty hard to.
- Jack Lassen, Bart's substitute from "Blazed and Confused", who borders on Ax-Crazy. He did things like shave Bart for attempting to pull a prank, electrocute him with a Van de Graaff generator, drove Nelson to tears, and tried to kill Bart at the end of the episode for humiliating him at the Blazing Guy festival.
- Ms. Cantwell, Lisa's substitute from "Black-Eyed, Please", who cruelly bullies Lisa (and only Lisa) simply for being pretty.
- Ugolin and César, two mean winemakers from "The Crepes of Wrath". While Bart is in France, they treat him like a slave, barely feed him and make him sleep on the bare floor. Then at one point, they make Bart drink antifreeze-laced wine possibly endangering his life, even after Bart tells them he knows there's antifreeze in there. Afterwards, Bart gets back at them by reporting them for the abuse and having the two arrested.
- Judge Constance Harm is a spiteful bully who sentences people to cruel and unusual punishment, such as forcing Homer and Marge to stand along the street wearing pillories and getting spanked by people who drive by. Another example is allowing Lisa to get a 6.1-meter (20-foot) restraining order against Bart, then extending it to 61 meters (200 feet) after Bart insults her. Marge puts it best:Marge: She's such a butthole!
- Kirk and Luann Van Houten in "A Milhouse Divided." They make no effort to hide their dysfunction and can't stop sniping at each other for a couple hours and as a result, the dinner party Marge worked so hard on becomes really awkward and uncomfortable for their hosts and the other guests.
