History Main / TheMissusAndTheEx

* In ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', Dr. Cox comes in to find his ex-wife Jordan chatting to his new girlfriend. He greets them with "Well, isn't this horrible."

* The [[Music/BeautifulSouth Paul Heaton + Jacqui Abbott]] song "New Fella" is about the realisation that your current and ex partner are ''both'' jealous idiots.

* In ''Literature/TheSuitcaseKid'', Carol and Simon are both forced to interact with each other's new partners, Bill and Carrie respectively, due to them sharing custody of their daughter Andy. None of them get along well. Bill and Simon tend to get into fights, including nearly getting into a fist fight on one occasion, and Simon tells Andy he doesn't know what Carol sees in him. Carrie doesn't directly interact much with Carol, while Carol often mocks her for being a hippie, criticizes her home and lifestyle, and even calls her a "dirty slut".

** As the above is not complicated enough, right before starting to go out with Ramona Scott is dating recurring character Knives Chau, his earlier ex Kim Pine plays in the same band as Scott, and Envy Adams, [[TheOneWhoGotAway the one whose break-up with Scott left him devastated]], [[TheExsNewJerkass is now dating one of the Evil Exes]] [[spoiler:and was just as devastated as Scott by the break-up, she just hid it better]].

* In the LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek ''The Other Woman'', a woman and her children dislike her ex-husband's new, younger wife. Until the woman realizes that she's terminally ill and that she needs to befriend the woman and teach her how to be a good mother. It works and they end up bonding so beautifully -- with the mother also giving the stepmother sincere advice on making her marriage work -- that the stepmother is just as grief-stricken as everyone else when the woman finally passes away.

* ''Film/FatherOfTheBride2022'': There's apparent tension between Hernan's first wife Marcela and his much-younger second wife Julieta. Subverted: they get along swimmingly at Sofia's bachelorette party. When Ingrid says she thought they hated each other, Marcela and Julieta say they just pretend to hate each other for Hernan's benefit.
* In the bio movie, ''Film/{{Frida}}'', Frida is enraged to find that her new husband's Diego has his ex wife residing with him. But despite initial drunken tensions, Frida and the ex eventually befriend each other with the latter even giving Frida marital advice. This reflects some TruthInTelevision with the real Frida's amiable relationship with her.

** A RunningGag with [[ComicBook/{{Huntress}} Helena Bertinelli]]. First Oliver Queen is dating Helena, but their relationship breaks down when [[EveryoneCanSeeIt she sees he still has feelings for his ex-fiancée Laurel Lance]]. In "The Huntress Returns", Oliver is dating Detective [=McKenna=] Hall who ends up getting shot by Helena, now the PsychoExGirlfriend and specifically referred to as such. Then in "Birds of Prey", Helena kidnaps Laurel Lance as a hostage and as a result ends up fighting her sister Sara Lance, aka The Canary. On getting a close look at the black leather-clad ActionGirl in a DominoMask, Helena [[HasAType guesses accurately]] that she's fighting Oliver's latest girlfriend this time too.

* In the LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek ''The Other Woman'', a woman and her children dislike her ex-husband's new, younger wife. Until the woman realizes that she's terminally ill and realizes that she needs to befriend the woman and teach her how to be a good mother. It works and they end up bonding so beautifully -- she also gives her sincere advice on making her marriage work--that the stepmother is just as grief-stricken as everyone else when the woman finally passes away.

* ''Anime/{{Godannar}}'': Late in season 1, Go Saruwatari's ex Mira recovers from a coma after being presumed dead for many years. His wife Anna doesn't recognize the amnesiac woman, so she takes Mira into their home and treats her somewhere between a sister and a daughter. Go's situation only gets stickier when Mira starts regaining her memories and the three aren't fully comfortable with each other until near the end of season 1.

Made especially difficult if a PsychoExGirlfriend is involved.

Often given a PerspectiveFlip where the focus is on the "ex" character, who has the added awkwardness of being single where their partner has found someone new.

* ''Literature/TheElenium'': In [[spoiler:a DeadPersonConversation]] in the ''Tamuli'' sequel series, Kurik is pleasantly bemused to learn that his wife and the prostitute with whom he had the HeroicBastard Talen have met, sorted out their differences, and moved in together as a single family.

* In Kathryn Immonen's run of ''ComicBook/JourneyIntoMystery'', Lady Sif comes to Jane Foster for medical advice regarding Lady Gaea. They easily get along and crack a few puns at Thor's expense.

* ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' featured an [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerated example]]. After realising Don had had relationships before her, Sally tracked down Don's ex. The ex then mentioned another ex and so Sally tracked her down. Pretty soon Don was innocently walking in to the Solomon's home to find Sally along with every woman he's ever dated all in one place laughing together (about him).

* In ''Film/IronMan3'', Pepper Potts gets along quite well with Maya Hansen, whom Tony had a one night stand with.

** Dorothy starts dating Douglas, also known as D.B. Cooper. When he's found out and jailed for the crimes they can prosecute for (many had passed the statute of limitations) his jail cell roommate is none other than Dorothy's criminal ex-husband, Bentley, who strikes up a friendship with Douglas.
** Dorothy's [[VitriolicBestBuds Vitriolic Best Bud]] Elanor having an online friendship with Bentley, irritates Dorothy to no end. [[spoiler: It's later revealed that Bentley arranged for that to happen so he can make sure Douglas is good enough for Dorothy. Their son Kevin is actually ''surprised''.]]
-->'''Bentley:''' [[spoiler: That I'm a better ex-husband than a husband? ''Why?'']]