History Main / CannotKeepASecret

* Haruna Saotome in ''MahouSenseiNegima'': only minutes after threatening to [[ToThePain torture her friends]] for not letting her in on TheMasquerade earlier, she proceeds to start telling the next people she sees, somewhat justifying their decision not to tell her. She also comes very close to telling Anya about Negi's Pactios.

* In Lois McMaster Bujold's VorkosiganSaga, Simon Ilyan develops a bad case of this at a key moment in ''A Civil Campaign,'' as a side effect of losing his computer-assisted memory.

* TheBigBangTheory: Sheldon can't do impromptu secrets. So he goes way, way overboard constructing elaborate, and usually unnecessary, lies. They fall apart because Sheldon.

* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{6teen}}]]'': Given her gossipy nature, if somebody tells Caitlin a secret, it is almost guaranteed that she will spill it. She told her GuyOfTheWeek all of the gang's most embarrassing stories in "Pillow Talk" after promising to keep the stories only among the group, and she reveals Jude's secret girlfriend Melinda to the gang in "Silent Butt Deadly".

* This happened with Monica in ''{{Friends}}''. Monica learns that Gary is gonna ask Phoebe to move in with him, and asks that she doesn't tell Phoebe. Monica manages to hold out for a [[SarcasmMode full 25 seconds]] before blabbing.

A classic sitcom trope, in which a character seems to be physically incapable of keeping a secret for very long, at least without showing extreme discomfort. Usually, by the end of the episode, or even within the same scene, they would spill the beans. Although sufferers of this trope in fiction are [[AlwaysFemale mostly women]], due to their more gossipy nature, there are male examples too.

Almost always PlayedForLaughs. Related to KeepingSecretsSucks. Compare CannotTellALie.

!!Examples:

[[AC:Anime]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* There's an example in ''Yann et Julie'', an old and obscure {{Franco-Belgian comic|s}} book: In one of the skits, Yann sees Julie coming out of a shop during Christmas Holidays, having ordered an item. He presses her to tell him everything about this, but she's dubious as she knows he can't keep secrets. After he swears he will keep it, she reveals she'll offer the new [[BlandNameProduct Nintenga]] to one of her friends. Sure enough, once they part ways, Yann goes to the shop to get info about the order, and while the clerk can't tell him any name, he gives him the phone number he has to use to tell when the order will be available. Yann rushes to his house, dials the number, and right off the bat, thinking he's talking to Julie's friend, starts to spill out about the present... Only to hear the voice of a furious Julie: in his excitement, he didn't notice it was her phone number.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* From ''CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'':
-->'''Sam''': Can you keep a secret?

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* Lily Aldrin on ''HowIMetYourMother'' can't keep a secret for her life.

* In a first season episode of ''Series/{{Charmed}}'', Phoebe learns that their handy man, Leo is essentially an Angel. She tells her sisters by the end of the episode but they don't believe that Leo is magical, which is odd considering that they are themselves witches...
** To a lesser extent, Paige CannotKeepASecret. In Season 4 Piper told her not to tell Phoebe that they suspect Cole of being a demon. Paige almost immediately does afterwards.
* Virginia on ''RaisingHope'' encourages others to blackmail her with a secret of her own to avoid blabbing theirs. This backfires when her family notices her "gossip face" and she ends up telling them her own secret.
* ''{{Cheers}}'': In "Truce or Consequences", Carla confides in Diane, only for Diane to turn around and blab the secret to Coach less than 24 hours later. (Well shy of the purported 47.)
** Of course, it turns out [[spoiler:the secret was a huge lie in the first place.]]
* An entire episode of ''Series/CornerGas'' revolved around Brent and Lacey competing to see which one of them is a better confidant.
-->'''Emma:''' See? You both suck.
* This happened with Monica in ''{{Friends}}''. Monica learns that Gary is gonna ask Phoebe to move in with him, and asks that she doesn't tell Phoebe. Monica manages to hold out for a [[SarcasmMode full 25 seconds]] before blabbing.
* ''SaturdayNightLive'': Kristin Wiig's character Sue, who is almost orgasmic in her desire to tell a secret, usually involving [[http://www.hulu.com/watch/16388/saturday-night-live-surprise-party parties.]] (Sorry for the ad at the start of the video.)
* Averted in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''; Carla usually can't keep secrets, but when Eliot loses her job at another hospital, she manages not to tell Turk and J.D. about it. Of course, they can tell she knows ''something'' ... so she tells them she's keeping the secret that Eliot smokes a pipe.
* It's happened to Fran Fine a number of times on ''TheNanny'', like in "One False Mole and You're Dead".

* ''MysteryScienceTheater3000: Film/{{Mitchell}}'':
-->'''Gypsy:''' Can you guys keep a secret?

[[AC: NewspaperComics]]
* Edda in ''NineChickweedLane'' is an unrepentant gossip, who gets offended if she finds someone (like Amos) who ''can'' keep a secret.

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]
* Rudy in ''Webcomic/{{Rain}}'' is known to be bad at keeping the secret that Maria is a lesbian, among other slips.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* ''TheSimpsons'': in a FlashBack episode to when Maggie was born, Marge begs her sisters Patty & Selma to not tell until she's ready to inform her husband.
-->'''Marge:''' I've got to tell Homer about this baby in just the right way and at just the right time. Until then, please, keep this to yourselves.
-->'''Patty:''' Oh, if he found out now, it would probably destroy him, huh?
-->'''Marge:''' Oh, yes.
-->'''Patty and Selma:''' ''*exchange evil grins and get up*'' Gotta go!
-->'''Marge:''' Wait a minute! Wait, I know that look. Now promise you won't tell Homer.
-->'''Selma:''' Oh, we promise we won't tell...''[[ExactWords Homer]]''.
-->''*they go to the phone book and open it to page one*''
-->'''Patty:''' Hello, is this A. Aaronson? It might interest to you to know that Marge Simpson is pregnant again.
-->''later''

** Also played with in another episode, where Homer overhears Moe proclaim he'll give a free beer to the gossiper "Mr X" (Homer's secret alias). Homer whispers if Moe can keep a secret, he claims no, not even a little one.

* ''MysteryScienceTheater3000: {{Mitchell}}'':

* Don't tell [[TotallySpie Alex]] to keep a secret. ''Just don't.''

[[AC: WebOriginal}}]]

* In a first season episode of ''{{Charmed}}'', Phoebe learns that their handy man, Leo is essentially an Angel. She tells her sisters by the end of the episode but they don't believe that Leo is magical, which is odd considering that they are themselves witches...

----

* ''{{Arthur}}'': DW is desparate to be told a secret, any secret, which she then tells other people - because what's the point of knowing a secret if you don't tell? She eventually learns AnAesop about keeping secrets.

* Grizz and Dot Com (apparently) on ''ThirtyRock''. Liz and Tracy tried to invoke this to create a rumor, but it backfired and they got burned by GossipEvolution.

* ''JimmyTwoShoes'' can't keep secrets when he's excited. Even when [[RalphWiggum Beezy]] can.

-->Marge: I've got to tell Homer about this baby in just the right way and at just the right time. Until then, please, keep this to yourselves.
-->Patty: Oh, if he found out now, it would probably destroy him, huh?
-->Marge: Oh, yes.
-->Patty Selma: Gotta go!
-->Marge: Wait a minute! Wait, I know that look. Now promise you won't tell Homer.
-->Selma: Oh, we promise we won't tell...''[[ExactWords Homer]]''.
-->''they go to the phone book and open it to page one''
-->Patty: Hello, is this A. Aaronson? It might interest to you to know that Marge Simpson is pregnant again.

-->Patty: ''on the phone with a weary voice'' Just thought you'd like to know, Mr. Zykowski. ''hangs up, sighs'' There. Aaronson and Zykowski are the two biggest gossips in town. [[TelecomTree In an hour, everyone will know]].

* In the "Green Isn't Your Color" episode of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', one of the recurring jokes is Twilight's extreme difficulty in not telling secrets.

* Rubeus Hagrid from ''HarryPotter'' is described by several characters as being "less than discreet", despite his best efforts to the contrary.

* Averted in ''{{Scrubs}}''; Carla usually can't keep secrets, but when Eliot loses her job at another hospital, she manages not to tell Turk and J.D. about it. Of course, they can tell she knows ''something'' ... so she tells them she's keeping the secret that Eliot smokes a pipe.

* Rudy in ''{{Rain}}'' is known to be bad at keeping the secret that Maria is a lesbian, among other slips.

* In the "Green Isn't Your Color" episode of ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', one of the recurring jokes is Twilight's extreme difficulty in not telling secrets.