Memorable Incest Scenes in TV, Movies: White Lotus, Monsters and More

TV exhibits and flicks have pushed boundaries over time by exploring incest on display.

The White Lotus is the latest instance, with Patrick Schwarzenegger‘s Saxon and Sam Nivola‘s Lochlan complicated Us with a kiss that shouldn’t be going down between brothers. Fortunately, HBO’s hit present is understood for messing with its viewers by throwing out loopy story traces as conversation-starters about greater matters.

“I believe that one of many issues that we labored on as a gaggle, as a household, was to attempt to create that dynamic. The closeness, however the oddness, the weirdness [that] we thought was regular, the older brother to youthful brother relationship,” Schwarzenegger informed RadioTimes in March 2025. “However I believe that Saxon really actually does care about his brother. He cares about his sister. And I believe that the connection together with his brother – though it’s very odd and peculiar, which is what Yana Grebenyuk Mike [White] wished — it’s nonetheless very loving on the similar time.”

Earlier than The White Lotus there was Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story making headlines for sexually charged moments between a fictional model of actual siblings. The sequence was launched in late 2024 and viewers instantly questioned why Monsters was advertising convicted murderers Lyle and Erik Menéndez as sexual companions.

Erik subsequently slammed the present for the way it approached their story.

“I believed we had moved past the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, making a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant likes rampant within the present,” learn an announcement from Erik that was shared on Lyle’s Fb web page in September 2024. “I can solely imagine they had been completed so on objective. It’s with a heavy coronary heart that I say, I imagine Ryan Murphy can’t be this naive and inaccurate in regards to the information of our lives in order to do that with out unhealthy intent.”

Maintain scrolling for extra cases when TV exhibits and flicks shared incest story traces:

‘Bates Motel’

A&E’s Bates Motel had 5 seasons to dig into the origins of Psycho‘s Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore). And there can be no Norman with out his mom Norma (Vera Farmiga). Their connection didn’t totally cross the road into romantic however the emotional undertones had been sufficient to make Us really feel uneasy. By the tip of the sequence, Norma got here to comprehend how harmful Norman’s devotion to her was — but it surely was finally too late.

‘Home of the Dragon’

Recreation of Thrones’ Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and sister Cersei’s (Lena Headey) romance walked so Home of the Dragon may run. If there was any present that discovered a option to make the viewers root for a love story between an uncle and his niece, it’s Home of the Dragon. Daemon (Matt Smith) and Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) chemistry spanned years till they lastly obtained collectively after crossing paths once more when she was an grownup.

‘A Easy Favor’

The 2018 movie took an opportunity on just a few adjustments from Darcey Bell‘s e-book of the identical title. The most important was Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) admitting that, as a teen, she had intercourse along with her half-brother, Chris (Dustin Milligan), at her father’s funeral. Good factor Blake Vigorous‘s Emily by no means let her — or Us — neglect it.

‘Monsters’

Ryan Murphy is not any stranger to making a present that begins a dialog. However Monsters turned a popular culture phenomenon partly due to the backlash to scenes between Lyle Menéndez (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and brother Erik Menéndez (Cooper Koch).

Within the first episode, which premiered in 2024, Lyle — who was on medicine — kissed Erik on the lips. The present later featured a sequence the place the brothers had been seen having a shower collectively. (The actual Erik and Lyle by no means claimed to have been concerned in a romantic or sexual relationship. Lyle particularly testified at his homicide trial in 1994 that he by no means had a sexual relationship together with his brother.)

‘The White Lotus’

As quickly as Saxon requested Lochlan what porn he was into, the vibes had been off in season 3. Then Lochlan watched Saxon stroll round their lodge room bare. Then Saxon made it his mission to assist his youthful brother lose his virginity and all of it went downhill from there. The excellent news? The White Lotus nonetheless has time to push the envelope even additional.

‘Sons of Anarchy’

In the course of the third season of the hit FX sequence, Jax (Charlie Hunnam) virtually slept with Trinity (Zoe Boyle) earlier than discovering out that she is his half-sister. Sons of Anarchy narrowly prevented happening the incest rabbit gap, however they had been shut sufficient that we’re nonetheless speaking about it.

‘Degrassi’

Holly J. (Charlotte Arnold) wasn’t the one one with questions in regards to the twincest kiss heard world wide. Fiona (Annie Clark) caught nearly everybody off guard when she pulled brother Declan (Landon Liboiron) in for a kiss. However, it was by no means defined whether or not there was really a plan to the touch on that shut connection between the siblings.

‘New Lady’

Generally there isn’t a higher option to put a cease to a TV couple than by making them first cousins. Take Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Robby (Nelson Franklin), for instance. They had been by no means meant to final whereas Nick (Jack Johnson) existed, so New Lady took the simple approach out by making them associated and transferring the story alongside.

‘Flowers within the Attic’

Based mostly on V. C. Andrews’ e-book sequence, Flowers within the Attic, If There Be Thorns and Seeds of Yesterday, the present performed with the thought of forbidden romance spanning generations in a single household. Kiernan Shipka and Mason Dye kicked it off as siblings Cathy and Christopher, respectively.

‘Passions’

Whereas Whitney (Brook Kerr) and Chad (Donn Swaby and Charles Divins) had been finally not blood kinfolk, the spiral they went by way of on the cleaning soap opera makes them worthy of being on this listing. Whitney was so guilt-ridden about doubtlessly relationship her half-brother — with whom she has a baby — that she briefly turned a nun. Discuss memorable.