History Main / TakeThatCritics

* ''Series/MurphyBrown'': When then-Vice President Dan Quayle attacked the show for its favorable depiction of a single mother, a subsequent episode included a snippet of his remarks against the character of Murphy Brown to make it sound like he was criticizing a real person. Candace Bergen, in character as Brown, then responds to his criticism. This eventually culminates in a TakeThat right back at him when they arranged for a dump-truck full of potatoes to be dumped on his front porch, in reference to Quayle's equally well-publicized potato/potatoe gaff. "It's a good thing he didn't misspell 'fertilizer.'"

** ''Crock'', a frequent target of the ''Curmudgeon'' blogger Josh Fruhlinger's more biting criticism, went so far as to literally pull the plug on a invalided soldier who, told by doctors that a lobotomy had removed all "artistic talent", said he intended to move to Baltimore and write a comics blog. (Josh was based in Baltimore at the time.) Josh, of course, had a field day with it, as seen [[http://joshreads.com/?p=13534 here]].

* ''FanFic/ThePrayerWarriors'' often has people who badmouth the author mutilated. The ultimate example comes in ''Threat of Satanic Commonism'', when Rika and Books, two of the most prominent sporkers, are put in an arena and killed. [[GenderFlip Both are male despite really being female]]. Both actually [[InsultBackfire liked the fact that]] their characterizations got to take turns beating up the [[DesignatedHero protagonist]].

* ''Film/LadyInTheWater'' features a StrawCritic expressly for this purpose, who gets killed. Also, there is an author who changes the entire world by becoming a martyr and is played by [[Creator/MNightShyamalan Shyamalan himself]]. Naturally, in their (mostly savage) reviews of the movie, many of the critics were quick to note this stroke of narcissism. When the movie completely bombed he had to eat crow. Made even better by the common reaction to the critic, who became something of an EnsembleDarkHorse.

* Creator/JamieKennedy's ''Film/{{Heckler}}'' is an entire film based around this trope. First, it analyzes and criticizes hecklers at stand-up comedy shows, then moves on to its larger point of comparing negative critics to hecklers. A good portion of the running time is Kennedy personally confronting hecklers from his shows and critics who have panned his films.

* Creator/PiersAnthony takes a direct shot at his critics in the first chapter of ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'' book ''Currant Events'': In the very first chapter, the muse Clio runs into a evil doppelganger who taunts Clio with many of the critiques of the Xanth series as she attempts to kill and replace her as the Muse Of History. (It was one of Good Magician Humphery's challenges, so she probably wouldn't have killed her, but still.) In his Author's Notes and introductions, and even some of his stories, he frequently bashes critics and editors. His defense of his works (which are basically the print equivalent of a SummerBlockbuster) usually boils down to QualityByPopularVote; plenty of people like them, so they must be good.

* Creator/TerryPratchett has a handful of Literature/{{Discworld}} books where, alongside the usually glowing review snippets you see on the covers and first few pages of books, ends with one from ''The Late Review'' that reads "Doesn't even write in chapters ... a complete amateur ... hasn't a clue".
** The quote is also used by a vapid and shallow witch in ''Literature/AHatFullOfSky'' to dismiss another, hard-working witch: "She's rather sad. Complete amateur. Hasn't really got a clue. Just bustles about and hopes."
** That review is supposedly the reason Pratchett wrote his Moist von Lipwig series of books, which not only have chapters but even have [[InWhichATropeIsDescribed Victorian-style chapter titles]].
** Not to mention the "critters" that infest the depths of L-space, grazing on books and ''pooping out'' slim volumes of literary criticism.

** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E4TheGreatestShowInTheGalaxy The Greatest Show in the Galaxy]]" is pretty much based around this trope, complete with a stereotypical FanBoy whining that [[NostalgiaFilter the circus isn't as good as it used to be]], and the villains of the piece being a metaphor for television executives.

* Leonard Maltin made a cameo in the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S09E09Gorgo episode]] ''Film/{{Gorgo}}'' where he claims he ''liked'' the titular movie despite "sending two of [his] assistant editors into intensive care". Maltin had in fact written a positive review of ''Gorgo'' prior to the episode and his cameo was equally good-natured, despite the show having in earlier episodes brutally mocked Maltin's scores of ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' movies: the episode ''The Undead'' where Crow made Mike dress up as Maltin and read a humiliating apology for "his" review and [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S07E06Laserblast the episode]] ''Film/{{Laserblast}}'' where Maltin's two-and-a-half star rating of the titular movie is constantly mentioned as a RunningGag culminating in Mike and the 'bots going through one of Maltin's books comparing his scores of classic movies to the one he gave ''Laserblast'' (coming to the conclusion that, for example, Maltin considers ''Laserblast'' to be superior to ''Film/BeingThere'' and as good as ''Film/{{Unforgiven}}'' and ''Film/SophiesChoice''). In his review of ''Film/TheUndead'' he called it a black comedy, however, so it's possible he thought it wasn't supposed to be serious. Please note that all of these were in good fun and Maltin holds no grudges and even freely admits that his reviews are pretty much just his opinion and if you disagree that's fine and dandy too.
* Similarly to the Richard Ingrams example, the lengthy ''Series/NotTheNineOClockNews'' parody of ''Series/TheTwoRonnies'' came about after Ronnie Barker called the show obscene, making the point that someone whose entire routine relied on DoubleEntendre possibly shouldn't be throwing that particular stone.

* Jeremy Clarkson of ''Series/TopGear'' lives and breathes this trope. A particularly notable example comes from Season 9 episode 1 when Richard Hammond returned from a rocket-car crash at 288 mph that left him temporarily brain damaged and could have killed him. Clarkson thanked the (very much alive) Hammond for reminding everyone of an important lesson: Speed kills.

* ''Series/TheWestWing'':
** The show features an episode where Josh posts a message about some minor issue of government procedure on an Internet forum. Though the site is actually dedicated to him, the users (including a forum administrator "sitting in a muumuu and smoking Parliament Lights") attack him for getting the issue wrong. Creator Aaron Sorkin wrote this episode as a response to his experience using Website/TelevisionWithoutPity, where he was a member for quite some time. Sorkin posted a topic about a dispute he had with a staff writer, which led to the site's users attacking him.
** The same episode also features the new US Poet Laureate deliver a speech wherein she basically says that an artist's job isn't to reach for some higher truth, but to captivate the audience's attention for as long as possible.

* It was only too obvious that Music/TwoLiveCrew's FilkSong "Banned in the USA" (which was totally SFW and done completely with Music/BruceSpringsteen's approval) was intended to be this towards critics complaining about the use of dirty language in their music, along with them using their First Amendment rights to condemn censorship.

* Many people think that the song ''Droppin' Plates'' by Music/{{Disturbed}} is a TakeThat at the record company who told them that because they played a unique style of music, they wouldn't become successful. Their first album selling over four million copies and their three consecutive #1 albums are even more effective examples. Sons of Plunder and Awaken could also count.

* Music/AdamAndTheAnts' song, "Press Darlings," name drops two adversaries in the British music press, Nick Kent and Garry Bushell. AdamAnt would later extend this trope to an entire album, ''Friend or Foe'', where most of the tracks answer Ant's critics in the media.
* Music/TimMinchin's "Song for Phil Daoust"
-->Just wanna say, Phil Daoust, occasional guardian newspaper journal-oust\\
That it's been three years since you wrote it,\\
And time is very healing.\\
But I still wanna cut big chunks of flesh out of your stupid face,\\
And make your children watch while I force you to eat them.

* Music/GunsNRoses' "Get In The Ring."

* "Shut Up Bitch" by Music/LilKim.
* "Don't Wanna See Your Face" by the John Butler Trio. Often assumed to be a break-up song, mainly due to the chorus being the only really intelligible part of the song for many listeners.
-->You think I love you? You think I need you?
-->Damn no, get out the door. [[TitleDrop don't wanna see your face]] no more.
** However in the verse...
--->Tell me why you're in this game
--->There's better use for your pen
--->Than criticising others for doing their thing.

* Tyler, The Creator of Music/{{OFWGKTA}} often calls out critics who label his music as "hatemongering horrorcore", but his most notable example of disdain for the criticizing bloggers is heard at the very beginning of the title track of his debut album "Bastard" where he rants:

** Nearly the entirety of the album ''Kamikaze'' is a rant about the critics and other rappers who shit on his previous album, ''Revival'' - not unjustifiably, as a significant proportion of the negative feedback was from the tracklist before the album came out. And like ''Slim Shady EP'', above, it's also a NewSoundAlbum ditching the aspects critics hated about ''Revival''...

* One of the more entertaining aspects of Christian musician Music/SteveTaylor's career was his constant battles with charlatan televangelists who decried him as an agent of Satan for writing rock music. "Guilty By Association" in particular is all about critics who unfairly maligned his work as Satanic simply because of the instruments it uses and the genre of music it belongs to. Also, from "Cash Cow: A Rock Opera In Three Short Acts"
-->The golden Cash Cow had a body like the great cows of ancient Egypt
-->And a face like the face of Robert Tilton (without the horns)
* Music/NickiMinaj's ''Stupid Hoe''.
* {{Music/Chicago}}'s "Critic's Choice."
* ''Music/WeirdAlYankovic'''s I Can't Watch This (This is even funnier when you realize a few years earlier, Siskel and Ebert gave ''Film/{{UHF}}'' a scathing review)
-->''"Those Siskel and Ebert bums oughta go home and just sit on their thumbs!"''

* Music/FrankZappa didn't have a high opinion of rock 'n roll critics. He famously said: "Rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, in order to provide articles for people who can't read." In his autobiography, "The Real Frank Zappa Book", he also devoted a few lines about the inanity of most critics and argued that somebody may like an album, even if someone gave it a bad review. Zappa himself was a good example because he discovered his main musical inspiration Music/EdgardVarese thanks to a horrible review in a magazine and felt he had to check it out, just because of that. ''Packard Goose'' on Music/JoesGarage is a pointed attack on rock 'n' roll journalists.

* Music/DieArzte have had several, but their most notable are "Radio brennt" where they complain about never appearing on mainstream radio (which is HilariousInHindsight, giving their bookable chart performance nowadays) and "Ein Lied über Zensur" (a song about censorship) which is a take that to both the censorship they had to endure early in their career and the MoralGuardians that still advocate them being banned from just about everything.

* From Music/NeilYoung's "Ambulance Blues":
--> So all you critics sit alone\\
You're no better than me, for what you've shown

* Every stand-up comedian has a set of pre-planned jokes and come-backs that they use to respond to hecklers and negative reactions to their jokes, though sometimes they just improvise.
** Michael Richards' racially-fueled tirade is a good example of the latter going horribly wrong. When he was heckled, Richards starting using the n-word at the heckler, and used some ''very'' racist remarks on top of that. [[CreatorKiller That moment killed Richards' career, right then and there]]. These days, [[NeverLiveItDown this racial tirade is all Richards is known for]].
** Discussed by Creator/ChristopherTitus in a stand-up special. He mentions that "every comedian has sixty things in his head he's used a million times" when someone heckles them onstage. Titus remarks that the real way to make a comedian have a nervous breakdown is to sit as close to the stage as possible [[SomebodyDoesntLoveRaymond and never laugh]].

* The ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' DLC ''Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage'' has an extreme in-universe example. Mr. Torgue directs you to track down and murder the authors of video game reviews he disagrees with. Interestingly, none of the games reviewed seems to be a stand-in for ''Borderlands'' itself.

* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic tends to do this in regards to his FanDumb, most notably with his character of "Douchy [=McNitpick=]", who endlessly whines and bitches about every tiny mistake he makes and finds the idea of agreeing with him on anything to be repulsive. In his ''Film/JamesAndTheGiantPeach'' review, he did a RunningGag that the fans of the movie were pointing guns at his head so he couldn't actually criticize it. At the end of the review, he both says what he doesn't like about it and very fairly says many things that he thought the movie did do well, only for the FanDumb (in voiceover) to shriek "HE SAID HE DIDN'T LIKE IT!" and attack him. Also, on the whole, Doug mixes it with a '''lot''' of SelfDeprecation and a constant need to apologize for things that aren't his fault, so nobody really gets upset. At the end of his review for ''Film/ASimpleWish'', the Critic is confronted by Creator/MaraWilson, who had been the leading child actress in that movie. Angry with him for mocking her for doing such terrible movies, she starts playing some of the ''really'' bad home-made films the Critic did in his teens, showing him as an extremely awkward adolescent. The episode commentary explained the circumstances behind Mara's cameo, how the whole thing was arranged between her and Doug, and how both of them had great fun doing it. Doug has stated that he considers it to be the best joke he's ever made in the show.

* Podcast/{{Radiodrome}}: Josh (but other hosts often too) seem to hate mainstream critics for condemning many of the B-movies, horror movies and exploitation films they tend to like. Even though a lot of these films aren't exactly quality pictures, making general critics' opinions understandable at least. An entire Radiodrome episode was once devoted to a 1980 Siskel & Ebert review of a slasher movie that they at the time both gave a thumbs down. The duo then condemned the entire genre on both its artistic merit as well as their lack of ethics. Josh, Brad, and other co-hosts reviewed every single quote from this (then) 30-year-old review that should be viewed in the context of its time anyway, only to simply disagree with all of the points that Siskel and Ebert raised.

* Occasionally happens in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', usually through the mouth of the [[StrawCritic Comic Book Guy]]. One notable example had him point out a continuity error that the producers had made ("Should The Simpsons get a horse?" When they did have one in an earlier episode, with completely different circumstances), followed by Homer asking "Anyone care what this guy thinks?" - with the entire town yelling "No!" at him.

** May be the sole reason for the ShooOutTheNewGuy episode. The Poochie episode was as much about ExecutiveMeddling and the TotallyRadical as it was fan criticism, though Comic Book Guy's critique tends to be what it's best remembered for (that and Poochie's [[BusCrash ultimate fate]]).

* Very common in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'', given its reputation as a divisive show. An episode or two a season is dedicated to mocking the show's vocal {{Hatedom}}. Considering how much the show tends to revel in SelfDeprecation, these episodes tend to be the result of them [[TheGadfly loving playing up the show's infamous representation]] as much as it is them sincerely telling the hatedom to relax.

* In a similar situation to the Han van Meegeren example, a museum tested the skill of art critics by presenting paintings literally drawn by monkeys, then claimed they came from a very famous surrealist painter. Out of around 20 critics, only one of them exclaimed correctly that they were obviously drawn by a monkey, all others fell for it completely.

* Website/YouTube singer [=AmaLee=], who specializes in English anime covers, has an AprilFoolsDay tradition of doing this to her HateDumb by taking songs and changing the lyrics to call-out particular types of hate comments the most common being "[[TheyChangedItNowItSucks She Changed It, Now She Sucks]]". Ranging from [[SarcasmMode such heresy]] as [[https://youtu.be/7LJ8hBZx71k not signing a direct translation of the lyrics]] to [[https://youtu.be/JzPSE6Kzyn8 "being a sell-out"]].

** Director Creator/RolandEmmerich lampooned Series/SiskelAndEbert by featuring NoCelebritiesWereHarmed versions of the latter as the buffoonish Mayor of NYC and the former as his sycophantic sidekick to avenge their critical mauling of his previous movies[[note]]one of those movies, ''Film/{{Stargate}}'', is on Ebert's most hated list;[[/note]] (also, presumably, a preemptive strike against criticism of the current movie). The critics just laughed it off, and Siskel even wondered why Emmerich didn't have the monster eat or squash them.[[note]]It should be noted in the case of Godzilla actually eating people, Toho vetoed the concept, so GINO feasting on Mayor Ebert and Gene was never going to happen -- though that also didn't stop the [[Film/JurassicPark1993 raptor]] expies that were GINO's kids from eating most of Philippe Roche's crew.[[/note]]

** Director Creator/RolandEmmerich lampooned Series/SiskelAndEbert by featuring NoCelebritiesWereHarmed versions of the latter as the buffoonish Mayor of NYC and the former as his sycophantic sidekick to avenge their critical mauling of his previous movies[[note]]one of those movies, ''Film/{{Stargate}}'', is on Ebert's most hated list;[[/note]] (also, presumably, a preemptive strike against criticism of the current movie). The critics just laughed it off, and Siskel even wondered why Emmerich didn't have the monster eat or squish them.[[note]]It should be noted in the case of Godzilla actually eating people, Toho vetoed the concept, so GINO feasting on Mayor Ebert and Gene was never going to happen -- though that also didn't stop the [[Film/JurassicPark1993 raptor]] expies that were GINO's kids from eating most of Philippe Roche's crew.[[/note]]

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'' features a jab at critics of the show, portraying two sexist stoners has men who hate the show, complete with with [[Film/JusticeLeague2017 "Release the Snyder Cut"]] and [[Film/TheLastJedi "The Last Jedi Isn't Canon"]] shirts. That said, the former may've aged poorly, considering [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague the Snyder Cut got a release]].

* Music/PinkFloyd did this, in the third verse of ''Pigs (Three Different Ones)'' from their album ''Music/{{Animals}}'' against British {{Moral Guardian|s}} Mary Whitehouse.

-->You just called my shit trash?\\

* Back in 1983, Marvel delivered one to MoralGuardians by introducing the Crusader, a WellIntentionedExtremist villain with a religious theme. A seminary student who had already been kicked out because of his extreme views (he believed the church should have been more active in fighting "paganism and godlessness" in modern society) he was given armor and an enchanted sword by an apparition who claimed to be one of his ancestors who served in the Crusades, and used them to go after [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], whose claims of godhood seemed blasphemous to him. And he actually didn't do half bad the first time (well, ''maybe'' Thor was holding back a little, seeing as they were in a public place full of people) but their second fight was the CurbStompBattle you'd expect in a fight where a mortal dares to challenge Thor for no reason. The guy didn't learn, however, and after fighting several more heroes over imagined crimes of blasphemy, he's taken down by Wolverine in the act of hijacking a plane; Wolvie gouges out the villain's eye while quoting the Bible with "An eye for an eye." Seeing as he refused the Hood's invitation during ''ComicBook/DarkReign'', it seems THAT finally knocked some sense into him.

* ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'' pokes fun at those who criticize the Disney Princesses as little more than [[DistressedDamsel damsels in distress]] when one of the questions they ask Vanellope is "Do people assume all your problems got solved because a big, strong man showed up?"

* The Second-Salemers from ''Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem'' serves as a TakeThat towards the [[EveryoneIsSatanInHell religious fundamentalist critics]] of the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series. Their anti-witch views are presented as FantasticRacism (up to and including [[BurnTheWitch advocating genocide]]), and the movement's leader, Mary Lou Barebone, is an AbusiveParent towards her adopted children [[spoiler: who [[DeathByRacism is killed]] by one of them when he turns out to be the Obscurial]].

* ''Series/TheWestWing''

* Calliope Mori, a [[VirtualCelebrity Vtuber]] from WebAnimation/{{Hololive}}, released a single in early 2021 titled "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M-6lkoi6L4 Off With Their Heads]]" which was targeted at critics in the English Vtuber fan community who took offense when she offered advice to a fan about Vtubing that amounted to "Stop tweeting, start creating". Calli meant the advice as inspiration to others to dive headlong into their creative passions, but some believed she was being condencending while also accusing her of being a corporate shill who got her fame and fortune from being a "company hire" without taking into account the genuine talent and hard work she put in to achieve her dreams. In response to the critics, Calli penned "Off With Their Heads" to explain, in lyrical form, that the Vtubing industry was highly competitive and that you cannot expect to succeed if you don't commit to your craft.

** The episode "Let's Get Serious" had the ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' cartoon version of Aqualad pointing out how incompetent this iteration of the Titans was. The Titans thus decided to "get serious", but instead became parodic pastiches of DarkerAndEdgier comic book characters, and the end of the episode implies that [[StatusQuoIsGod things will go back to normal in the next episode]]. Notably, it's one of the few of the few non-special episodes that ''even the hatedom enjoys''.

** The second half of "Two Parter" not only took a jab at the critics but also had a cameo from Music/WeirdAlYankovic as Comicbook/{{Darkseid}} that was meant to parody the more serious episodes of past DC productions.

* The VillainTeamUp near the end of Fanfic/TwilightSparklesAwesomeAdventure includes "all the people who down-rated this story".

* Creator/RogerEbert and Richard Roeper ripped ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirlsMovie'', calling it a "nasty little film". At Comic-Con in San Diego that summer, creator Creator/CraigMcCracken was seen wearing a T-shirt that read "a nasty little film".

** Director Creator/RolandEmmerich lampooned Series/SiskelAndEbert by featuring NoCelebritiesWereHarmed versions of the latter as the buffoonish Mayor of NYC and the former as his sycophantic sidekick to avenge their critical mauling of his previous movies [[note]]one of those movies, ''Film/{{Stargate}}'', is on Ebert's most hated list;[[/note]] (also, presumably, a preemptive strike against criticism of the current movie). The critics just laughed it off, and Siskel even wondered why Emmerich didn't have the monster eat or squish them.[[note]]It should be noted in the case of Godzilla actually eating people, Toho vetoed the concept, so GINO feasting on Mayor Ebert and Gene was never going to happen -- though that also didn't stop the [[Film/JurassicPark1993 raptor]] expies that were GINO's kids from eating most of Philippe Roche's crew.[[/note]]
** Another critic actually ''is'' squished in the film: the extra in the car that is stepped on early in the film is intended to be a representation of J.D. Lees, editor of ''G-Fan Magazine'', who had harsh criticism for the film based on information leaks prior to its release. Since hardly anyone in the audience was even going to recognize the reference, it's pretty clear that this statement was just for the benefit of Emmerich himself.
* ''[[Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg Meet the Spartans]]'' has one of the most spectacularly backfiring examples in history: they build up the gag, by having characters read unflattering reviews of the previous installment, ''Epic Movie'', off the Internet in a mocking tone of voice...but forget to put in a punchline. So all the scene adds to the movie is that it flat-out ''explains'' how bad the rest of the film is.

* ''Film/{{Willow}}'': General Kael, TheDragon of the film, is named after Creator/PaulineKael, and the the two-headed dragon is named "Ebersisk" [[AllThereInTheScript in the script]] after Creator/GeneSiskel and Creator/RogerEbert. While Pauline Kael gave negative reviews to ''Franchise/StarWars Episode IV: Film/ANewHope'' and ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk,'' Siskel and Ebert generally gave his movies good reviews. It's not exactly clear how much personal insult Lucas intended to give, so he may have just been taking playful swipes at film criticism in general.

* One poster for ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'' [[https://static.miraheze.org/awfulmovieswiki/0/03/Battlefield_Earth_film.jpg features actual negative reviews of the film]].

* Creator/SMStirling has often been accused of sympathizing with the Domination of Literature/TheDraka, a racist, technologically advanced EvilEmpire that has conquered much of an AlternateHistory Earth. In response, the unrelated novel ''Conquistador'' contains the following line, in response to those making the accusation: "There is a technical term for someone who confuses the opinions of a character in a book with those of the author. That term is idiot."

* In ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', while Peter and May are watching the news in their apartment, there is a Time Magazine cover that is spreading the Daily Bugle libel, that is called "Iron Man Jr" and depicts a picture of a baby Spider-Man in a diaper crying, responding to all the fans online who called Tom Holland's Spider-Man this phrase and making it something Jameson and the mislead media would call him in the movie.

* In ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', while Peter and May are watching the news in their apartment, there is a Time Magazine cover that is spreading the Dailey Bugel's libel, that is called "Iron Man Jr" and depicts a picture of a baby Spider-Man in a diaper crying, responding to all the fans online who called Tom Holland's Spider-Man this phrase and making it something Jameson and the mislead media would call him in the movie.

* The [[https://movies.universalpictures.com/media/the-hunt-poster-5e42ebc495937-1.jpg poster]] for ''Film/TheHunt2020'' shows negative quotes on the film’s premise back when it’s original trailer premiered.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' itself did this in Generation V with Team Plasma, the villains ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2''; as a swipe at the criticisms that many religious and animal rights groups made against the series; depicting them as a literal KnightTemplar AnimalWrongsGroup. [[spoiler: Ghetsis, TheManBehindTheMan of Unova, depicts himself as a figure of good, but ultimately has self-serving goals for the group.]]

* Subverted by ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'', which pit Slappy Squirrel against Series/SiskelAndEbert knockoffs but didn't seem to be a shot at them personally - A) Slappy's shtick is being a washed-up cartoon star, of course she'd have to deal with critics; and B) the show made liberal use of NoCelebritiesWereHarmed, they weren't ''not'' going to lampoon recognizable faces if they could help it. Then again, in her other cartoons, Slappy repeatedly badmouthed MoralGuardians who wanted over-the-top, slapstick violence toned down. One cartoon specifically had her nephew Skippy deal with bullying, to which all the nonviolent solutions failed and he resorted to Aunt Slappy's favorite solution - liberal use of cartoon explosives. The same toon's B-plot saw Slappy forced to build some machine to tone down on-screen violence, which ended up working by [[SceneryCensor moving the violence offscreen]].

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'' features a jab at critics of the show, portraying two sexist stoners has men who hate the show, complete with with [[Film/JusticeLeague2017 "Release the Snyder Cut"]] and [[Film/TheLastJedi "The Last Jedi Isn't Canon"]] shirts. That said, the former may've aged poorly, considering [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague the Snyder Cut is getting a release]].

* A.P. Herbert's ''Misleading Cases in the Common Law'' includes the following passage, where a judge (apparently) urges the jury that they ''shouldn't'' discriminate against a critic:

* A constant theme for ''Music/{{Eminem}}''.

* "On Fire" by Music/{{Eminem}} features the line ''"So, the next time you blog, [[LetsSeeYouDoBetter try to spit a flow]] / You want to criticize, dog? Try a little more"'' which is assumed to be directed at former rapper Nick Cannon who claimed that a song on his ''Relapse'' album proved him to be [[http://idolator.com/5229092/nick-cannon-stands-up-to-eminem-sits-back-down-almost-immediately racist and jealous]] of the relationship he now has with his ex-girlfriend Music/MariahCarey.
** The entirety of ''The Marshall Mathers LP", especially the song "The Way I Am" are this. In fact when Eminem performed "The Way I Am" at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards he introduced the song as a "little song I wrote for my critics".

* The [[https://movies.universalpictures.com/media/the-hunt-poster-5e42ebc495937-1.jpg poster]] for ''Film/TheHunt2020'' shows all the negative reviews for the film.

* The poster for ''Film/TheHunt2020'' shows all the negative reviews for the film.

** Director Creator/RolandEmmerich lampooned Series/SiskelAndEbert by featuring NoCelebritiesWereHarmed versions of the latter as the buffoonish Mayor of NYC and the former as his sycophantic sidekick to avenge their critical mauling of his previous movies [[note]]one of those movies, ''Film/{{Stargate}}'', is on Ebert's [[RogerEbertMostHatedFilmList most hated list;]][[/note]] (also, presumably, a preemptive strike against criticism of the current movie). The critics just laughed it off, and Siskel even wondered why Emmerich didn't have the monster eat or squish them.[[note]]It should be noted in the case of Godzilla actually eating people, Toho vetoed the concept, so GINO feasting on Mayor Ebert and Gene was never going to happen -- though that also didn't stop the [[Film/JurassicPark1993 raptor]] expies that were GINO's kids from eating most of Philippe Roche's crew.[[/note]]

* Back in 1983, Marvel delivered one to MoralGuardians by introducing the Crusader, a WellIntentionedExtremist villain with a religious theme. A seminary student who had already been kicked out because of his extreme views (he believed the church should be have been more active in fighting "paganism and godlessness" in modern society) he was given armor and an enchanted sword by an apparition who claimed to be one of his ancestors who served in the Crusades, and used them to go after [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], whose claims of godhood seemed blasphemous to him. And he actually didn't do half bad the first time (well, ''maybe'' Thor was holding back a little, seeing as they were in a public place full of people) but their second fight was the CurbStompBattle you'd expect in a fight where a mortal dares to challenge Thor for no reason. The guy didn't learn, however, and after fighting several more heroes over imagined crimes of blasphemy, he's taken down by Wolverine in the act of hijacking a plane; Wolvie gouges out the villain's eye while quoting the Bible with "An eye for an eye." Seeing as he refused the Hood's invitation during ''ComicBook/DarkReign'', it seems THAT finally knocked some sense into him.

** "Boys Do Cry" closed with Peter responding to criticism of the content of the show by saying [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped the following]]:

** Peter Capaldi's first episode as the 12th Doctor includes the Time Lords asks Clara to accept the new Doctor even if he's different from what he used to be. This whole speech might as well be pointed directly at audience members who expressed disapproval of Capaldi's casting for not being as young and sexy as the previous three Doctors.

** The entirety of ''The Marshall Mathers LP" and "Kamikaze" is this, among other things.

* On [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII June 22, 1941]], Creator/JeanMarais inflicted a beatdown on critic Alain Laubreaux at a Parisian restaurant. Laubreaux was a homophobic and antisemitic [[LesCollaborateurs collaborationist]] who lambasted the plays of Marais' lover Creator/JeanCocteau purely out of Nazi-friendly ideological bias.

* On [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII June 22, 1941]], Creator/JeanMarais inflicted a beatdown on critic Alain Laubreaux at a Parisian restaurant. Laubreaux was a homophobic and antisemitic [[LesCollaborateurs collaborationist]] who lambasted the plays of Marais' lover Creator/JeanCocteau purely on Nazi-friendly ideological grounds.