10 most hated soap opera characters

Some soap characters showed up and instantly rubbed people the wrong way. They weren’t misunderstood or secretly decent underneath the mess. They were just a mess. Viewers didn’t see potential or spark. They saw disaster from the start. Some of these characters committed awful crimes.

Others dragged on through storylines that felt like they’d never end. A few were just plain annoying. Maybe they talked too much. Maybe they kept getting in the way of fan-favorite couples.

This list isn’t about complicated villains or flawed favorites who won the crowd over in the end. This is about the ones who never stood a chance. Here are ten soap opera characters who went from bad to worse and stayed there until fans finally got their wish and they were gone.

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Most hated soap opera characters

1) Ryan Chamberlain (General Hospital)

Ryan was introduced as Kevin’s twin, but everything about him felt darker and worse. He killed Felicia’s cousin and then kidnapped Felicia. He later returned and swapped places with Kevin without anyone noticing. He murdered Kiki and left Ava devastated.

He faked his death more than once and played mind games with multiple women. He kept taunting Ava from prison, and fans got sick of it. Nothing about him ever felt redeemable. He didn’t grow and didn’t change. People hated how long he stuck around and how he ruined characters they actually cared about while staying the same person.

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2) Jan Spears (Days of Our Lives)

Jan kept returning with the same tired tricks, and fans were over it. She kidnapped Shawn and forced him into a marriage. She pretended to be in a coma just to break up his relationship with Belle. She faked pregnancies and tried to kill people who got in her way.

Her obsession with Shawn felt creepy and stale. Nothing about her stories moved forward. She always showed up to ruin Belle’s life and then disappeared again. Fans were frustrated because she kept wasting time and stalling actual storylines.

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3) Peter August (General Hospital)

Peter was supposed to be Anna’s son, but fans never accepted him. He held Jason captive for years and killed Franco without any guilt. He lied to Maxie while pretending to be a great partner. He tampered with medical records and blackmailed doctors.

He faked being innocent while covering up murders. He kept dodging consequences, and fans lost patience. Every time they thought he was gone, he came back. Viewers never saw anything worth saving in him, and made that clear.

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4) Ian Ward (The Young and the Restless)

Ian Ward entered with a cult background, and things went downhill from there. He groomed Nikki when she was a teenager and later tried to exploit her again. He said he was Dylan’s father and then stalked Summer.

He kidnapped Mariah and locked her in a basement. He tried to force her into marriage and threatened to livestream an assault. Nothing about him felt necessary. Fans hated how often he got away with everything.

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5) Deacon Sharpe (The Bold and the Beautiful / The Young and the Restless)

Deacon never had a good moment that lasted. He slept with his wife’s daughter while married to her. He got Bridget pregnant and destroyed the family. He married Nikki and used her for money and status. He showed up to blackmail people and cover for Diane.

His relationship with Sheila made everything worse. Fans never warmed up to him because he always went back to being selfish. He was written as a troublemaker with no real growth.

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6) J.T. Hellstrom (The Young and the Restless)

J.T. used to be someone fans could respect, but that changed fast when he returned in 2017. He spied on Victoria without her knowledge and tracked her phone. He yelled at her often and once shoved her during an argument. He ignored her concerns and blamed her for everything that went wrong.

He isolated her and treated her like she owed him something. The show blamed a brain tumor, but fans didn’t buy it.

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7) Nick Fallon (Days of Our Lives)

Nick came back from prison acting like a new man but nothing changed. He controlled Gabi through guilt and fear. He tried to take custody of her baby to shut out Will and Sonny. He made clear he didn’t accept their relationship. He used his intelligence to manipulate people and twist the truth.

He put on a clean image, but fans never saw it as sincere. He got hit over the head with a rock, and even that didn’t stop him. After his death, he haunted Gabi and pushed her to the edge.

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8) David Hayward (All My Children)

David always acted like he was smarter than everyone else. He faked Greenlee’s death and hid her in a coma. He brought her back just to prove a point. He blackmailed Angie and Jesse and used secrets as weapons. He created Project Orpheus to control who lived and who died.

He used medicine to gain power and control people’s lives. His arrogance never faded. Fans hated how he talked down to everyone like they were beneath him. He never showed real change. He hurt too many people and made too many stories feel heavy.

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9) Cesar Faison (General Hospital)

Faison spent years chasing Anna and hurting everyone she cared about. He kidnapped Robin more than once and faked his own death more than once. He held Jason hostage in a clinic for five years. He shot Nathan during a police raid and destroyed Maxie’s world.

He wore a mask to impersonate Duke and fooled half of Port Charles. He always played mind games and never showed any real emotion. Viewers never felt sorry for him.

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10) Pretty Crane (Passions)

Pretty hated her sister so much that she tried to steal her life. She was jealous of Fancy and used every dirty trick she could think of. She drugged Luis and made him believe they slept together. She tried to pass off a child as his. She blamed Fancy for her own problems and never owned up to anything. Her behavior got worse with every scene.

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