History Main / HollywoodToneDeaf

* On a ''Series/PrivatePractice''/''Series/GreysAnatomy'' crossover episode, Naomi (Audra [=McDonald=]) and Sam (Taye Diggs) were heard singing quite badly. - [=McDonald=] in particular is a ''six-time Tony winner!''

The ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' GameMod, ''VideoGame/BeyondSkyrim: Bruma'', has the hilariously inept Nord bard, Renod Even-Toned of Bruma, who also suffers from a serious case of SmallNameBigEgo to boot.

Expect "tone deaf" to be misused as a blanket term to describe anyone who sings badly. A truly tone deaf person lacks "relative pitch," the ability to hear the difference between musical notes. A great deal of self-proclaimed "tone deaf" people can't sing because they're untrained, not because they have any sort of impairment.

* Happened with Dee Dee in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', who was so bad at singing that Dexter, after trying unsuccessfully to get her to stop singing and disrupting his work, attempted to use science to give Dee Dee a more pleasant singing voice... and instead wound up giving her an incredible barritone bass, which allowed her to join a barbershop quartet.

* Happened with Dee Dee in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', who was so bad Dexter tried to mute her...and instead gave her an incredible bass, which allowed her to join a barbershop quartet.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'': Carl and Sheen. Compared to Sheen's singing, Carl's is angelic. No really, Sheen's singing voice is really horrible. However, in ''Attack of the Twonkies'', his singing voice proved useful in stopping the horrible beasts the eponymous creatures turn into from exposure to music. His singing made them change back because it was so bad that the Twonkies couldn't even register it as music. Carl's singing, on the other hand, was just decent enough to make Twonkies transform.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'' episode "[[Recap/DuckTalesS1E17LaunchpadsFirstCrash Launchpad's First Crash]]", Launchpad plays his harmonica, and Scrooge says the sound is "torture". This leads to a {{Flashback}} story of the time they first met, where he's able to use it to confuse some giant bat monsters who use echolocation to fly in the dark.

* Scully in ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "Detour". In context Mulder cajoled Scully into singing when she didn't want to, so she wasn't very enthusiastic about it.

** Regarding the ''WesternAnimation/Ducktales2017'' reboot, in what's probably a predictable move, Donald's nigh [[TheUnintelligible unintelligible]] voice isn't any better when he sings...which is ''exactly'' what they needed to kill a [[ManEatingPlant duck-eating plant]]. Still, that doesn't stop [[Disney/TheThreeCaballeros Jose and Panchito]] from side-eyeing each other while Donald sings.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', the Scottsman's bagpipe-playing is ''really'' bad. This actually comes in useful in "The Scottsman Saves Jack" when his playing proves an efficient counter for the Sirens' enchanting singing.

* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'': In real life, the four younger kids were varying levels of tone deaf, but Chris Knight was the most obvious one; by his admission, he cannot sing a note. This worked perfectly into the Season 3 episode "Dough Re Mi," where Peter's voice is going through puberty and begins to crack just as the kids are rehearsing Greg's newly written song. Still, Chris did record an entire album of duets with Maureen [=McCormick=] (who is a decent singer) and got a solo on ''[[Series/BradyBunchSpinOffs The Brady Bunch Variety Hour]]'' (covering The Carpenters' "Sing"). If you are familiar with the lyrics, "Sing" is the perfect song for the worst singer in the group.

* Mana Aida of ''Anime/DokiDokiPrecure'' has a hideous singing voice that Rikka and Alice covered their ears and ran for cover when she tried singing a lullaby for baby fairy Ai-chan, also sending birds flying in terror. When she tries again in ''Anime/PrettyCureAllStars Spring Carnival'', the entire team covers their ears and catches the much more musically-inclined Anime/SuitePrettyCure team off-guard, with Hibiki screaming "This is ''music''?!"

* Several characters exhibit this trope in a karaoke-themed episode of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure''. It's present in both the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JckrUMveNbQ Japanese]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcWB8mg5yCc English]] versions.

** Though otherwise she's a fantastic singer.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', the Scottsman's bagpipe-playing is ''really'' bad. This actually comes in useful in "The Scottsman Saves Jack" when his playing proves an efficent counter for the Sirens' enchanting singing.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/RubyGloom'' episode "Unsung Heroes", Ruby and Iris sing in off-key, off-rhythm shouts that, although still not totally realistic, are not as overdone as some examples of this trope. Misery (while awake) does sing in the top-of-her-lungs, randomly-pitched shrieking wail that exemplifies this trope, but it's [[JustifiedTrope justified]], as she appears to actually ''be'' [[OurBansheesAreLouder a banshee.]] They still though produced a ''Ruby Gloom'' image single in Japan, though, with a professional singer portraying Ruby. All three eventually develop into fine singers, so their early stumbles can be dismissed as rookie mistakes. Or the No-Talent Ball. Whichever.

* In ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' Yomi is supposedly a bad singer, but when you consider that her VA is Creator/RieTanaka, another very famous actress known for performing anime theme songs, the "bad" singing ends up sounding completely fake.

* Lily in ''Series/HannahMontana'', London on ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'', a subplot on ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'', Paolo was exposed by Gordo, Isabella, and sometimes Lizzie to put a stop to his lip-synching in ''The Series/LizzieMcGuire Movie''....is there a Disney show that hasn't featured this?

** After [[{{Oasis}} Noel Gallagher]] criticised rappers, specifically getting one (Jay-Z himself) to headline Glastonbury, Jay-Z decided to open his performance at the festival by coming on stage strumming random notes on a guitar singing "Wonderwall" off-key, before jumping into a performance of [[SignatureSong 99 Problems]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'': a sequence in which Fiona's (''also'' voiced by Cameron Diaz) singing kills a bird actually had a ''talented'' singer come in and replicate the sound of an incredibly off-key note. This was noted on the DVD, in which they explained that a true bad note required either a truly tone-deaf person or a professional singer that knew the difference.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie'', Baby Lickety Split[[note]]Who was voiced by Alice Playten, who had previously appeared in [[IronyAsSheIsCast Broadway]] productions.[[/note]] is commonly perceived to be this during the "I'll Go it Alone" number, especially during the end.

* Peewit (from ''ComicBook/JohanAndPeewit'') and Harmony Smurf in ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs''.