The Villainous Golden Girls Character Fans Hated The Most

According to Robert Frost, nothing gold can stay. Clearly, though, he had never seen "The Golden Girls." Although the sitcom came to an end in 1992 with a particularly tear-jerking final scene, "The Golden Girls" achieved cult status in syndication. The series only further extended its cultural lifespan in 2017 when Hulu became the first platform to acquire the streaming rights. The grab for a new generation of viewers paid off: in April 2022, fans gathered for three days of festivities at Golden-Con, the first-ever "Golden Girls" convention. 

Long before the days of "Sex and the City," "The Golden Girls" provided a foursome of personality types to claim as one's own: the lusty and liberated Southerner Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan), the delightfully dimwitted Rose Nylund (Betty White), the sardonic, husky-voiced Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur), and her plucky Sicilian mother Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty). 

While living in their Miami abode, the four main characters met their fair share of off-putting outsiders, whether they be sleazy men or unfriendly neighbors. Here's the "Golden Girls" villain who fans hate the most.

Of the outsized number of creeps and unsavory side characters on "The Golden Girls," one fan narrowed the field down to five contenders in a Reddit poll that asks, "Who's the worst 'villain' on the show?" The number one spot went to Jeremy (Joe Regalbuto), the fiancé of Blanche's daughter, Rebecca (Shawn Schepps). Although he appears just once, in the Season 3 episode "Blanche's Little Girl," the character makes quite the impression, as Jeremy spends the entire episode cruelly berating Rebecca and making fatphobic comments, only to get a taste of his own medicine from Dorothy. As u/Dionysus232 put it, "Jeremy was just awful ..."

The other "Golden Girls" top villain contenders are just as monstrous. Barbara Thorndyke (Bonnie Bartlett), a haughty anti-semite, came in second in the poll, and Blanche's abusive boyfriend Rex Huntington (Mitchell Ryan) placed third. "God they are all horrible," wrote u/jasmine7098. "Rex was physically and verbally abusive, Jeremy was verbally abusive and Barb was anti-semetic. I really can't choose between those 3."

The crotchety Freida Claxton (Nan Martin) and Rose's selfish daughter Kirsten (Christine Belford and Lee Garlington) also racked up some votes. Other users pointed to villains who didn't make the cut. "Daisy, the sociopathic girl scout!" wrote u/homasecksyul. "Don't forget Nancy, the hotel front desk clerk that extorted money from the girls," added u/MrMattyMatt.

While the high incidence of villainous characters may seem like a lot for a sitcom, their presence only serves to bolster the friendships of the four main women, who often come to each other's aid. On a panel at PaleyFest LA in 2006, series creator Susan Harris spoke to that friendship. "['The Golden Girls'] represents a family, and I think very often we find our families outside of our family," she said. "And it's very reassuring to have that."