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5%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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11[[quoteright:350:[[Theatre/TheMusicMan https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/87053153_ff2a_4304_9a2f_ba9c152b78dc.png]]]]
12
13->''"Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,\
14Cheep cheep cheep, talk a lot, pick a little more"''
15-->-- '''Alma and Ethel''', ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'', "Pick-a-Little"
16
17A group of [[AlwaysFemale (usually) women]] whose sole purpose in life seems to be gossiping about other people, since that's all they do whenever they are on screen, and you never hear any mention of what they might be doing when off-screen.
18
19Often used for exposition, since they know the business of ''everybody'' in town. They will say [[MaliciousSlander mean things]] about different characters (and sometimes each other when they're apart), and if they get bored may come into the foreground and mess with the main characters' lives so that their gossip can be more interesting. They may be responsible for GossipEvolution. In a CloseKnitCommunity, they may account for the way everyone knows about everyone else.
20
21Usually almost completely the same in terms of personality, so that their lines are completely interchangeable. The only reason that there's more than one is so they have somebody to talk to. Often they won't be named, or only the leader will be named.
22
23Chances are, if your work is set in Victorian or Edwardian times, these characters will show up. If the characters are Jewish, expect the word "yenta" (after the gossiping matchmaker in Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof) to be thrown around. In Asian and African works, "aunties" are often this. In African-American works, [[ChurchLady church]] and [[ChattyHairdresser hair salons]] are prime locations for these ladies. Are often members of a GirlPosse, if the action is set in a high school. In a work with [[TalkingAnimal Talking Animals]], a VisualPun of literal female birds often do this. Sometimes serve as a GreekChorus. Compare ThoseTwoGuys and ChattyHairdresser.
24----
25!!Examples:
26
27[[foldercontrol]]
28
29[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
30* In ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'', Julius calls several handmaidens this. One of the outtakes even adds a cluck for good measure.
31--> '''Julius''': Gossipy hens. *bukkawk!*
32* In ''Manga/CallOfTheNight'', Niko Hirata's vampire clique does nothing but engage in love talk, with Niko herself being into it the most. It is the primary reason [[AllergicToLove Nazuna]] doesn't like to hang out with them.
33* [[{{Meido}} Minako]] from ''Manga/DearBrother'', although she is nicer than the standard. [[spoiler:And she plays [[ChekhovsGunman a]] ''[[ChekhovsGunman very]]'' [[ChekhovsGunman important role]] [[CanonForeigner in the anime]] since she tells Nanako about Fukiko's "[[RoomFullOfCrazy secret room]]", which is full of memorabilia of her time with her crush Takehiko; Minako herself is the only person aside of Fukiko who is allowed to set foot on said room, and ''only'' to keep it clean and completely unchanged. But before she can tell Nanako more details about it, Fukiko finds out and gets so upset that she gets Minako fired.]] She openly refers to herself as such when talking to Nanako [[spoiler:after being kicked out of her job at the Ichinomiya mansion.]]
34* Maya from ''Manga/DetectiveSchoolQ'''s BoardingSchool case has some traits of this, mixing them with GenkiGirl and SchoolNewspaperNewsHound. [[spoiler: And almost ends up killed by the case's culprit since she has vital information abot his killings. ''And she doesn't even know it''.]]
35* Eleanor from ''Manga/EmmaAVictorianRomance'' has three nearly indistinguishable friends who spend most of their appearances discussing the latest developments in high society and what their acquiantances are up to.
36* ''Manga/GoodbyeMyRoseGarden'' has Edward's sisters. When his fiancée Alice comes to visit, they gossip about how Alice's former maid Giselle married a baron, as well as how her new maid Hanako is a "lion" from Japan. Unsurprisingly, Alice doesn't seem to like her sisters-in-law very much, and makes excuses not to spend time with them.
37* Tomoe from ''Anime/HanasakuIroha''. Also, when a film crew comes to the inn to do some preparations for a shooting, there is a scene where Tomoe, Ohana ''and'' Nako sit in a tight circle and gossip about the film crew. When the serious and reserved Minko passes by, all three of them promptly make a calling gesture towards her.
38* In ''Anime/HeatGuyJ'', there are three prostitutes named Cynthia, Janis, and Vivian, who are up on ''all'' the gossip in Judoh, both from their clients and from the other people they encounter. They serve as informants to [[TheHero Daisuke.]]
39* At first, [[HugeSchoolgirl Miki Hosokawa]] from ''Manga/HellTeacherNube''. She's still gossipy later, but not as much as she used to. Not to mention she's a bit of a subversion: despite being a gossip hen, Miki ''[[EveryoneHasStandards does]]'' [[EveryoneHasStandards feel bad when she sees one of her neighbors spread downright hurtful rumors]] that make people upset, and she vows to not reach such extremes. [[spoiler: When a ghost tricks her friends into believing she ''is'' spreading mean lies as well as the secrets they confided in her, Miki is genuinely hurt at how angry they get at her and, after a brief HeroicBSOD, tries to clear her name. When she's succesful, the ghost tries to kill her and has to be exorcised by Nuubee.]]
40* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'':
41** Hong Kong according to his newest profile which lists "gossip" among his interests.
42** Also Seychelles, in volume four. She has a lot of trouble keeping it to herself that a certain royal couple would be spending their honeymoon at her place.
43* Mrs. Tachibana and her group of friends from ''Manga/HotGimmick''. Hence why Hatsumi completely panics when her son Ryoki sees the morning-after pill she had just bought for her sister Akane, and then tells him to do what he wants to her in exchange of keeping the deal secret: being the wife of the landlord/Hatsumi's dad's boss ''and'' quite the RichBitch, she can ''very'' easily tell her husband that Hatsumi's family is not a good influence on the residents, which would lead to Hatsumi's father being laid off ''and'' them being evicted and losing everything.
44%%* Julie and Charlotte from ''Anime/KaleidoStar'', before their CharacterDevelopment.
45* An episode of ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'' focuses on a group of these. They discuss rumors (and BlatantLies) involving Li'l Slugger, and at the end of the episode, one of them returns home to discover her husband was the latest victim... The victim [[spoiler: whose wife is more interested in what happened to him so that she can join in on the gossip with a 'real' example.]]
46%%* A few of these appear in ''Manga/PeachGirl''.
47* In the first scene of ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', a group of these make fun of Simon, helping to establish that although Kamina is friendly to him and the village chief considers him a hard worker, Simon doesn't really have a lot of incentive to stay in his village.
48* A small group of neighborhood women tend to gossip about the latest malady to hit the Moroboshi house in ''Manga/UruseiYatsura''.
49* Yoriko Nikaido of ''Manga/YoureUnderArrest'' is this, to the point of fellow officer Natsumi interceding when she talks about her collegues. She once ends up BoundAndGagged in the OVA when her friends find out that one of her gossip chains is wrong.
50[[/folder]]
51
52[[folder:Comic Books]]
53* A heavy portion of the young women in ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'', if not all of them. When one story has Veronica lament failing history because the textbook "isn't juicy", Betty teaches her and their friends how to gossip about historical figures, a study tactic that [[CrazyEnoughToWork helps all of them ace the next test]].
54* In ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}} [[Recap/AsterixAndTheRomanAgent and the Roman Agent]]'', the Romans send out a guy who's ''scaringly'' good at spreading rumors [[ManipulativeBastard to try pitting everyone in Asterix's village against each other.]] And the women of the village become a prominent tool in his arsenal with their constant gossiping (and the GossipEvolution that comes with it).
55%%** Male version: the four old Corsicans sitting on a bench in ''Asterix in Corsica''.
56* One ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story is about an alien spy disguised as a human, gathering information on humanity in preparation for a full-scale invasion. He slowly begins to believe humanity isn't so diffeerent from his own species, and is prepared to call off the invasion, but the group of Gossipy Hens he has to live near bug him to the point where he changes his mind and tells his superiors to proceed with the invasion.
57* The classic horror comic ''ComicBook/MisterMystery'' gives us a particularly nasty trio in the appropriately titled [[http://thehorrorsofitall.blogspot.com/2007/10/gossips.html "The Gossips!"]]. This being a horror comic, the title gossips get a gory KarmicDeath at the end.
58* The ''ComicBook/XMen'', being recognised InUniverse and out as part super-team, part absurdly complicated soap opera, are infamous for this, with Gambit [[ComicBook/RogueAndGambit2018 at one point]] complaining that ''eight different people'' called him up to inform him that Rogue, his then ex, had kissed Deadpool.
59[[/folder]]
60
61[[folder:Comic Strips]]
62%%* Annie from ''ComicStrip/LittleOrphanAnnie'' has encountered her fair share of them.
63* Susanita from ''ComicStrip/{{Mafalda}}'' is a Hen in training. When she's not rambling about the many sons she'll have when she grows up, of course.
64** To make things worse (or funnier), Susanita's HouseWife mother is ''exactly'' the same way. So much that even ''Susanita'' gets embarrassed when she spreads gossip in front of her and her friends.
65-->'''Mrs. Chirusi'' (talking on the phone when the kids are playing): "Elvira told me all about Mecha and her husband, and I swear that looking back on it's fascina~ting!"
66-->'''Kids''' *stop playing and stare at her*
67-->'''Susanita''': *looks like she wants to die*
68* The "posse" in the comic strip ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}''. The Posse are the schools "girly girls." They are addicted to their cellphones, and are usually at the centre of all gossip circulating through the school.
69[[/folder]]
70
71[[folder:Fan Works]]
72* In ''Fanfic/GrowingDaylight'', Darci and Mary ask Claire for details if Jim's "equipment" are like a human's or not. She refuses to dignify that with an answer.
73* A ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'' fanfic called ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/2145390 Heard It Through The Heart Line]]'' makes the Heart [[spoiler: AKA [[TheHighQueen Empress Jessamine]]]] into one. The Heart canonically has the ability to see everyone's secrets, and spends the entire fic gleefully revealing them to Corvo. [[TooMuchInformation All of them]]. HilarityEnsues.
74* Most of the conversations between Alya, Marinette and April in ''Fanfic/LadybugInAHalfShell'' usually pertain to boys and love-triangles.
75* ''Fanfic/MindBrigade'' presents Eve as this. She's the barmaid at the local Moonlight's Bar who enjoys gossiping. Her gossip isn't always correct, such as when he told Jamie that the new farmer was pregnant. She [[MistakenForPregnant wasn't]].
76* In ''ComicBook/XMen'' fanfic ''Fanfic/MutatisMutandis'' by [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2359030/Artemiss_Liege Artemis's Liege]] there are the male students Xavier's Academy.
77-->'''Manuel:''' One of Jamie's dupes overheard Ms. Munroe telling Ms. Grey, who told Bobby, who told Julio, who told Scott, who told Kurt, who told Shola, who told me.
78* ''Fanfic/TheParselmouthOfGryffindor'' has a male example with Little Hangleton's barkeep/innkeeper, John Hanger, whose pub (''The Hanged Man'') is the knot of every gossip in town. Not that there's much happening in a little village, so he makes do by endlessly recycling the town's ''only'' interesting story (the decades-old Riddle murders) to no end, and making up ludicrous conspiracy theories about what few strangers pass through town.
79* ''Fanfic/QueensOfMewni'': Hope loved spreading gossip around, and notably broke the news that her older sister (and heir to the throne) was kissing a boy. History remembers her as Hope the Gossip Girl.
80%%* Violet, Morgan, Barbara, and Marissa in ''FanFic/TotalDramaLegacy''.
81* ''Fanfic/TheStoryOfApolloDaphneAndLucaAnItalianTragedy'': [[TheGadfly Carlos]] ''absolutely'' loves gossip.
82* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': Aeva, one of the girls in Fiora's home village, is a shameless gossip queen. At first Fiora completely ignores her, but she later becomes a key player in Fiora's schemes when the latter discovers (to her astonishment) that Aeva's secretly been chosen to succeed the Sister as clan matriarch.
83[[/folder]]
84
85[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
86%%* The sewing machine with two faces in ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster''.
87* All the villagers in ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', even the children.
88%%* The other elephants in ''WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}''.
89%%--> ''"Girls, have I got a trunkful of dirt..."''
90* A group of middle-aged women whom the three leads meet in ''Anime/TokyoGodfathers'' fit this trope; their gossip helps point our heroes toward the mother of the abandoned baby they'd found.
91[[/folder]]
92
93[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
94* ''Film/AliFearEatsTheSoul'': Emmi's nasty neighbors, especially the fat lady who literally runs to another neighbor's door to spread the news when she sees Emmi bringing a tall African man home.
95%%* The female villagers in ''Film/AnotherTimeAnotherPlace''.
96* The villagers in ''Film/TheBakersWife'' are very prone to gossiping, men and women alike.
97* ''Film/CarmenYLola'': After Lola's neighbor Maria finds out she is with Carmen, she quickly spreads the news all over their neighborhood.
98%%* Most of the supporting cast of ''Film/DoTheRightThing''.
99%%* About 80% of the town from ''Film/EdwardScissorhands'' seems to be composed of these.
100* ''Creator/ElviraMistressOfTheDark'': Elvira suffers at the hands (or should that be ''tongues''?) of these when '''''she''''' is looking for a job.
101* The two quality-control ladies in ''Film/{{Extract}}'' spend 90% of their shift gossiping, and the other 10% complaining about how [[HypocriticalHumor no one else is ever doing their job]]. In fact, it's their willful negligence that causes the horrific accidental GroinAttack that kicks off the plot.
102* In the Fritz Lang movie ''Film/{{Fury|1936}}'', these women's actions inflate the arrest of an innocent traveler into the capture of a child-kidnapper. During the gossip-chain scene, there's even a brief shot of chickens. (Thanks to the gossip, the townspeople storm the jail and set fire to it.)
103* ''Film/HuntingScenesFromBavaria'': The widow Maria, with whom Abrams lives on her farm, is the subject of village gossip because of her disabled son Ernstl and her relationship with her farmhand Volker.
104* ''Film/IndiaSweetsAndSpices'': The local aunties (older Indian women) are all notorious as gossips.
105* Two mean old biddies in ''Film/JohnnyBelinda'' who spread gossip about Belinda, saying the doctor is her baby's father (he isn't). Their rumormongering plays no small part in the town trying to take Belinda's baby away.
106* In ''Film/AJollyBadFellow'', Mrs Pugh-Smith is the chief gossip in the small, incestuous university town of Ockham. When she spreads rumours about Professor Bowles-Otterly [[TeacherStudentRomance affair with a student]], Bowles-Otterly decides to put his SocialDarwinist beliefs into action and removes her from university life permanently.
107* When Amy (Creator/ElizabethTaylor) and Beth (Margaret O'Brian) [[SnoopingLittleKid sneak]] into Mr. Lawrence's Christmas party in the Creator/KatharineHepburn [[TheFilmOfTheBook adaptation]] of ''Literature/LittleWomen'', they overhear some of these making snide comments about Marmee "training" the girls' older sisters Meg and Jo to be {{gold digger}}s and marry rich guys. Amy is angry to the point of tears and Beth has a HeroicBSOD.
108* An all male example is used in ''[[Film/ManonDesSources Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring]]''. A group of old farmers hang out in the village, talking about farming and rumors. They turn out to be pivotal to the plot of the two movies, as [[spoiler: it is due to their inaction that Jean goes insane, and in the end they are the ones that confess about their knowledge of the spring and the cause of Jean's death to Manon]].
109%%* The rather unknown {{Anvilicious}} SoBadItsGood Mexican film ''Me llengua como un plato'' has a gossip hen as a protagonist.
110%%* The two racist, bourgeois old ladies gossiping on their balconies in ''Moi et mon Blanc''.
111* In the movie treatment of ''Film/TheMusicMan'', such a group of townswomen actually cluck like hens.
112* ''Series/MyLeftNut'': Siobhan is a massive gossip, so when Rachael tells her she thinks Mick has a GagPenis, by the next day everyone in school already knows. Unfortunately, this also causes a GossipEvolution that ends up getting Rachael {{Slut Sham|ing}}ed.
113* In ''Film/MyReputation'', Jess's friends engage in spreading some nasty rumours about her new lover, Major Scott.
114* In ''Film/PleaseTurnOver'', the local women all become them after ''Naked Revolt'' is published and become fascinated with the Hallidays' private lives:
115-->'''Janet''': It's not what ''we'' think that matters, it's what ''they'' think.
116%%* In ''Film/SavingFace'', pretty much all of the main character Wil's extended family and the local Chinese American community.
117* ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'': Scott's roommate Wallace and his sister Stacey both gossip constantly, both with each other and everyone else. Wallace somehow manages to text Stacey about Scott's new relationship despite being unconscious, and Stacey sends out multiple text blasts to everyone about the situation.
118%%* The entire film ''Film/SteelMagnolias'' is structured around this trope with the ladies in the salon.
119* The sailors in ''Film/WatchYourStern'' spread rumours that Miss Foster and Commander Fanshawe are keen on each other. When Miss Foster finds out she calls them a load of old women.
120%%* Sylvia and the manicurist in ''Film/TheWomen''.
121[[/folder]]
122
123[[folder:Literature]]
124* ''Literature/AbsolutelyTruly'': Pumpkin Falls' resident postmistress, Ella Bellow, likes sticking her nose in other peoples' business.
125* Various female characters from L. M. Montgomery; for example, the women at the Ladies' Aid quilting bee in ''[[Literature/AnneOfGreenGables Anne of Ingleside]]''.
126* ''Literature/ChocoholicMysteries'': Male variant in Gregory Glossop, one of the town pharmacists, who's better known as "Greg Gossip" for his notorious gossiping habit.
127%%* The society ladies of N____ in ''Literature/DeadSouls'', especially those two in chapter #9.
128* A variation in ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid''. Albert Sandy has a lot of stories to share at lunch, such as how a guy practiced jumping out of a hole that he made slightly deeper everyday until he was able to jump several feet in the air. Whether or not they're actually true or if he's spicing it up or not is never revealed. Of course, the other kids believe him straight, though Greg has come to realize by ''The Meltdown'' that most of what he has to say is just complete nonsense.
129* The less-developed characters among the UU wizards in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' (i.e. the Chair, Lecturer and Wrangler) sometimes act like Gossipy Roosters, as their non-stop nattering, bickering, and reminiscing provides a sort of background accompaniment to whatever practical task Ridcully and Ponder are working on (or whatever the Dean and Bursar are messing up).
130* ''Literature/GoneWithTheWind'' has quite a few of these, with Mrs. Merriwhether, Mrs. Meade and Mrs. Elsing filling the main part of the hens. However, a lot of other characters in the book can be considered gossipy hens as well, including Scarlett and Melanie.
131* ''Literature/TheGreatGreeneHeist'': Megan has a bad habit of blabbing juicy secrets to the Drama Club and her fellow cheerleaders, which is why Jackson shuts her out his HighSchoolHustler plots. Jackson lets her back into his circle of friends after she proves during a SecretTestOfCharacter that she's changed (he feeds her a false rumor about an AlphaBitch, and she doesn't tell anyone else).
132* Petunia Dursley of ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fame is pretty much one of these without a second to gossip at.
133* Pretty much ''everyone'' in the small town near ''Literature/{{Heidi}}'' and her grandpa's cabin. In fact, one of them tags along with Aunt Dete for a while so she can go into MrExposition mode and explain both why the old man is living alone up there and why she's taking Heidi to live with him.
134%%* The 'nestie bodies' in ''The House With The Green Shutters'', a very rare very vicious all-male example.
135* Creator/HansChristianAndersen's story "It's Perfectly True" has literal hens, though other animals who hang around the henhouses, including owls and pigeons, play their part in the GossipEvolution.
136* In ''Literature/LittleWomen'', Meg attends a party at the home of the wealthy Moffat family, and overhears some of these speculating about her being a GoldDigger. She manages to pull herself together a bit, but breaks down crying later when in bed.
137* A male version is used as an exposition device in early chapters of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', with scenes in pubs in Hobbiton and Bywater.
138* ''Literature/MaidenCrown'': The royal court of Denmark loves spreading around rumors at the slightest hint of scandal, mostly to alleviate boredom. Tove, TheMistress to King Valdemar, encourages this by helping spread an untrue rumor about Queen Sophie possibly having an affair with her friend Stig.
139* In ''Literature/TheMidnightFolk'', Sylvia Daisy's social circle includes a flock of them, with names like Mrs Gossip, Mrs Tattle, and Mrs Scatternews.
140* Lady Kliss comes off as this in ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy''. She's later revealed to be using it as an innocent front to collect information.
141* Creator/AgathaChristie's ''Literature/TheMurderAtTheVicarage'' had three old ladies (the "old pussies") who seemed like this. One of them turned out to be sharper than she looked -- her name? [[Literature/MissMarple Miss Jane Marple]].
142* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/MySonThePhysicist": Although it [[InformedAttribute never appears onscreen]], Mrs Cremona claims that all women gossip. This is important because the ''way'' they gossip (talking non-stop, even while they're listening to other people talk non-stop) solves the story's communication problem.
143-->"But, Gerard, all women know it. Any two women-on the video-phone, or on the stratowire, or just face to face-know that the whole secret to spreading the news is, no matter what, to Just Keep Talking."
144* In Creator/BrianAldiss' ''Non-Stop'', Roy encounters a group of Gossipy Hens in Quarters. The fragmented bits of sniping he overhears are part of a breakthrough he has regarding the inward-turned and purposeless nature of his community and his need to go on his [[TheHerosJourney Hero's Journey]].
145* ''{{Literature/The Parasol Protectorate}}'s'' most prominent gossip is [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Lord Akeldama]]. He doesn't always share what he knows, but he loves collecting gossip so much that he's trained a horde of [[TheRenfield Drones]] to eavesdrop at parties all over London. There are times when this network keeps him better informed than the British government.
146* In the second part of French novel ''Reine: my priest and my uncle'', main character Reine is attending a ball and overhears a trio of old ladies talking about how [[spoiler: Reine's love interest, [[GentleGiant Paul de Conprat]], may be getting engaged to her cousin Blanche.]] Reine is so shaken that she suffers an HeroicBSOD, which thankfully isn't very serious. [[spoiler: Bad thing: the ladies were ''right''.]]
147%%* The Puritans, especially the women, in the first few chapters of ''Literature/TheScarletLetter''.
148* ''Literature/SecretSanta2007'': Mindy Yee is constantly inquiring about new drama and spreading it across the school, although the third book reveals that this is because she's lonely and wants people to like her.
149* Mrs. Jennings of ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility'' with her gossipy rooster of a son-in-law, Sir John. They love nothing better than to tease and joke the young people in their acquaintance about any romantic prospects and spread such news around the neighborhood. Even when Elinor asks Mrs. Jennings ''directly'' to stop talking about Marianne and Willoughby's supposed engagement (which, in actuality, does not exist), Mrs. Jennings simply laughs and says she'll do no such thing.
150%%* Although they seem more into bragging, the group in ''Literature/SewingCircle'' qualifies.
151* ''Literature/SorryBro'': Sona is a gossipy older woman who instantly spreads the news that Nareh was kissing a woman after she catches them at it.
152* In ''Literature/SweetValleyHigh'', Jessica and her clique, and the Unicorns in the ''Twins'' series. True to form, twin sister Elizabeth decries this kind of behavior... to ''her'' friends, in her usual hypocritical style.
153* A group of these gets a character to tell the story of ''Their Eyes Were Watching God'' to a friend.
154%%* Miss Stephanie Crawford from ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird''.
155* ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'': Deconstructed in the series. The novels indicate that it's not just a female passion. The male Vor counts gossip as much as their wives, and in Gentleman Jole, Cordelia teases Jole that the military personnel "gossip like washerwomen". Jole grins and doesn't refute this.
156* There's an old (and rather [[ValuesDissonance sexist]]) nursery rhyme about the "gossips of the village" sitting around sipping tea and ignoring everything but their gab session.
157[[/folder]]
158
159[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
160* The Hetebrink sisters of ''Series/{{Amen}}''. Thelma as well, though not as bad. Most of the church ladies, in fact, including the unseen mother of neighbor boy Chris, making him an example of this as well.
161* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'':
162** Penny tends to lean into this from time to time. In "[[Recap/TheBigBangTheoryS4E4TheHotTrollDeviation The Hot Troll Deviation]]", when Howard and Bernadette break up over Howard cheating on her in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' (ItMakesSenseInContext) and try to patch things up at The Cheesecake Factory, Penny constantly stays near their table to hear their conversation, at one point admitting that she would not be able to hear them if she waited on other tables.
163--->'''Penny:''' Complimentary nachos! You enjoy. ''(walks away)'' Never had sex? Wow.
164** In "[[Recap/TheBigBangTheoryS4E20TheHerbGardenGermination The Herb Garden Germination]]", rumours begin to spread that Bernadette plans to leave Howard while in truth Howard intends to propose to Bernadette, and that Raj has a crush on Bernadette. Fascinated by the effect gossip has had on their friends, Amy convinces Sheldon to spread false rumours among their friends as a social experiment on meme theory in order to see which gets the most attention. The first set Amy tells Pennu is Amy is starting an herb garden, and Amy and Sheldon had sex. The latter spreads quickly because of how out of character the formerly asexual Sheldon had been. The second set Amy tells Penny is Amy wearing orthotics, and she is pregnant with Sheldon's baby. Amy barely gets down one flight of stairs and is passing Leonard when he shouts, "You're pregnant?!" Amy just smiles and asks if the text has anything about orthotics.
165* Taken quite literally in ''Series/BigBarnBarn'': As the [[ThemeTuneRollCall theme song]] says, the Mrs. Chickens "gossip, gossip all day long."
166* ''Series/{{Community}}'' has Jeff and Shirley being this for [[Recap/CommunityS1E04SocialPsychology an episode]].
167* One of these exists offscreen in ''Series/TheCosbyShow'', when the grandparents meet Vanessa's fiance. As the man tells it, "In my church, we don't have a church newsletter, we have Gladys Jones." To make matters worse, the woman frequently gets the man and his brother mixed up, meaning like most examples of this trope, she's not only blabbing personal information that she has no right to discuss, she's blabbing (technically) incorrect information as well.
168* The entire premise of ''Series/DeviousMaids'' is domestic workers in Beverly Hills leveraging gossip picked up from their wealthy employers.
169%%* The EvilDuo of Sarah O'Brien and Thomas Barrow on ''Series/DowntonAbbey''.
170* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' brings you Miss Patty and Babette. When Luke and Lorelai are in the early stages of their relationship, she wonders how Miss Patty and Babette haven't heard about it yet.
171** There is also [[TheGhost East-Side Tilly]], their off-screen rival with whom they openly compete in regards to this trope. They occasionally comment on taking delight in beating her to a juicy piece of gossip or shame at her knowing something before either of them.
172%%* The Gossip Girls sketches on ''Series/HeeHaw''.
173* ''Series/HometownChaChaCha'': The nosy neighbors are all in each other's business and have a healthy gossip chain going. When Nam-suk spots Hye-jin leaving Du-sik's home early in the morning, the news spreads so quickly across Gongjin that Hye-jin's best friend Mi-seon hears of it before Hye-jin even reaches home. And when they spot Du-sik hanging out with a pretty woman, they semi-discreetly follow him everywhere to keep tabs on them.
174* Lily from ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''. She always passes along new gossip even when the others don't ask or care about it. In addition whenever others avoid telling her secrets it drives her crazy that others view her as a gossip, no matter how true it is.
175%%* There was an episode of "Series/ILoveLucy" titled "The Gossip."
176* Tip, one of the main characters in ''Series/JamAndJerusalem'', is quite happy to divulge her patients' medical problems to anyone she happens to be talking to.
177* One of the best examples of this trope in any Mexican telenovela comes from the set-in-high-school ''Series/{{El Juego de la Vida}}'' (''The Game of Life'') with the character Cinthia, who was a mean girl, MotorMouth, ValleyGirl and the BetaBitch to one of the main villains, but her most prominent character feature was being the biggest gossip in school, a trait that she wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of to help her best friend [[ManipulativeBitch Tania]] make a living hell out of the lives of the four main characters. Several times through the telenovela, Cinthia is seen at school surrounded by a group of girls indulging in her latest juicy bit of gossip.
178* ''Series/LastOfTheSummerWine''. The format in the late 80s and 90s was essentially that halfway through the episode, the ladies would meet up to discuss the men's latest ZanyScheme, sometimes including GossipEvolution. The punchline was that they would all drink their tea simultaneously.
179** Drink your coffee!
180%%* The pepperpots from ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus''.
181* A recurring feature in ''Series/MurderSheWrote'', generally at Loretta's Beauty Parlor, although Loretta says she's never heard ''any'' of her customers gossiping, just "good friends having conversation, about other good friends who aren't there to defend themselves".
182* In ''Series/MsMarvel2022'', Kamala refers to her mother's friends--older ladies in the local Pakistani-American community--as the "[[TheIlluminati Illumin-Aunties]]," as they live for gossip and know ''everything'' about everyone in the community. Naturally, she goes to them to try to learn more about her great-grandmother (the source of her powers), as that's a sore subject for her mother.
183* ''Series/NeverHaveIEver'': The "aunties" (older women) in the Indian Hindu community are all huge gossips, thus avoided when possible by others who find this annoying.
184* ''Series/OurMissBrooks'':
185** In "The Party Line", the two woman who share Miss Brooks' party telephone line hold up the phone gossiping all day. The women also listen in on Miss Brooks' conversations and gossip about Miss Brooks, Mrs. Davis and Mr. Boynton.
186** Mrs. Davis and her sister Angela, on occasion. Of course, they'll deny being gossips . . . .
187* ''Series/{{Sadakatsiz}}'': Most of the women running Tekirdağ's Charity Foundation are elderly, wealthy housewives with lots of time on their hands. Therefore, in between planning projects, they entertain themselves by sharing the small city's latest gossip and fanning the flames of the rumor mill. Particularly noteworthy are Gönül, who has connections with Tekirdağ's news media, and Cavidan, who doesn't have an ounce of remorse about divulging even secrets other people confide in her. When doctor Asya joins the Foundation, she initially [[DefiedTrope refuses]] to engage in gossip. However, she later learns to [[ExploitedTrope use it to her advantage]] whenever Derin or Gönül is being too obnoxious -- Asya knows both women care a lot about their public image.
188* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' has main character Carla, who also enjoys trying to correct things, and secondary character Laverne whose main trait is how she enjoys juicy gossip (once even admitting to being a busybody). J.D. on a few occasions enjoys sharing gossip with Carla, while amusingly Elliot ([[MasculineGirlFeminineBoy the masculine female to J.D. feminine male]]) is not that interested.
189* Mrs. Beeker and the other block ladies on ''Series/SeventhHeaven'', though Mrs. Beeker herself was able to put it away early in season 4... and again in season 5 after Mary was PutOnABus and the Camdens caught her in the act.
190%%* The Misses Enid and Eulalia from ''Series/ThisHourHas22Minutes'', and their predecessors, the two Margs from ''{{Codco}}''.
191* ''Series/WandaVision'': Vision finds out that the neighborhood watch isn't about security and is actually an opportunity for a clique to get together and gossip about their neighbors over donuts. Once he catches on to what they really do, he tries to darken the mood by [[RedScare randomly accusing Norm of being a communist]], [[BlackComedy which they all find hilarious]].
192* ''Series/WhenTheCamelliaBlooms'': Chan-sook and all the other mean, nasty married ladies in the neighborhood. They don't just gossip about Dong-baek, they seem to actively hate her just because she's young and pretty and a single mom.
193[[/folder]]
194
195[[folder:Music]]
196* Referenced in "Ripples" by 4 Runner, which is all about a small-town rumor mill:
197-->Last year the local mayor got caught\
198Doin' the breast stroke in the typin' pool\
199Now that's hands-on politics\
200And Bubba's land, the banker bought it cause he knew\
201That's where they're building the county school\
202He's gonna get rich again\
203And two seniors are havin' babies\
204Ain't no ifs, ands or maybes, cause\
205When you hear it from the Avon lady, it's the gospel truth
206* "Amen" by Eden's Edge. The singer hears through the town grapevine that her crush's girlfriend (who nobody liked) has left him and the whole town is rooting for her and him to get together.
207-->''I heard from a friend of a friend of a friend that\
208You finally got rid of that girlfriend\
209You finally came out of that love coma, boy\
210I heard Mary Jane at the powder-puff beauty shop\
211Sayin' that blond in her tube top\
212She left our Jimmy for a boy in Illinois\
213Someone give me an amen,\
214Someone give me an amen''
215* The song "Suds In The Bucket" by Music/SaraEvans is about a young woman who eloped with a man one day without any warning and the whole small-town erupts over that one event, including the "Now all the biddy's in the beauty shop gossip goin' non-stop" and sipping pink lemonade.
216* Hilariously and mercilessly parodied in the song "La Vieja Julia" ("Old woman Julia") by the Chilean group Los Hijos de Putre. The title is also a PunnyName, since "la vieja Julia" sounds kinda like "la vieja culiá", which is a... very rude slang expression to refer to old women in Chile, alluding to how the narrator hates the old lady named Julia because she meddles in everything, talks shit about everyone and acts double-faced.
217* Music/MirandaLambert has "Famous in a Small Town," which suggests this is the reason why...and not always for flattering reasons.
218-->Every last one, route one, rural heart's got a story to tell\
219Every grandma, in-law, ex-girlfriend maybe knows it just a little too well\
220Whether you're late for church or you're stuck in jail\
221Hey, word's gonna get around\
222Everybody dies famous in a small town
223* Music/TaylorSwift:
224** In the video for "White Horse", she learns about her boyfriend's infidelity through her best friend.
225** Two coworkers whisper about her in the cafeteria in the "Ours" music video.
226* "Papa Don't Preach" by Music/{{Madonna}} was born from this trope. Songwriter Brian Elliot's recording studio was near a high school, and it had a reflective storefront window that teen girls would use as a mirror to fix their hair and makeup while walking to school. Elliot was inspired to write the song based on gossip he overheard about one of their classmates [[TeenagePregnancy being pregnant]].
227[[/folder]]
228
229[[folder:Theatre]]
230%%* The middle school girls in ''Theatre/{{Thirteen}}'', especially during the GossipEvolution song.
231%%* The high school girls in ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'' in the song "The Telephone Hour"
232%%* A trio of church ladies in ''Theatre/TheColorPurpleMusical''.
233* OlderThanTelevision: ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'': Roxane lampshades at Act II Scene IV that [[LoveAtFirstSight she never has spoken to Christian]], but she knows a lot about him because the Palace Royale is crowded with Gossipy Hens, and they informed her that Christian loves her and that he has joined the Gascon Cadets:
234-->'''Cyrano:''' How know you then that he...?\
235-->'''Roxane:''' Oh! people talk\
236Gossip's chat\
237Has let me know...
238%%* The characters of George S. Kaufman's comedy sketch "If Men Played Cards As Women Do."
239* Carla and ''especially'' Daniela in ''Theatre/InTheHeights''. To the point where Daniela knows about plot points the very next scene.
240* A rare male equivalent to this trope appears in ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' in the form of Solanio and Salarino, who play this role in the service of exposition.
241* The ''Theatre/{{Mrs Hawking}}'' play series: Subverted somewhat with Clara. In [[http://www.mrshawking.com/?page_id=526 Vivat Regina]], it is clear that while Clara does enjoy gossip, she is a sharp, discerning, clever person, nothing like the vacuous babbling persona she puts on to scare Mrs. Hawking away.
242* The women's committee from ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'', as shown in their ensemble song "Pick a Little, Talk a Little." (TheMovie interposes footage of actual chickens during this number.)
243%%* The women of ''Theatre/OurTown'', especially Mrs. Soames. [[LampshadedTrope Lampshaded]] by Dr. Gibbs at one point.
244* Britten's ''Theatre/PeterGrimes'' has a town of these, and the males are just as bad. They have a tendency to grab pitchforks...
245* In ''Theatre/TheRoseTattoo'', the ladies of the neighborhood do a lot of gossiping about Serafina, who even calls them hens at one point.
246* ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'': Stella and Blanche occasionally fall into this trope. Stanley yells at them one point, "You hens cut out that cackling in there!"
247* Most older female characters in ''Theatre/StreetScene'' who aren't Mrs. Maurrant (the subject of most of the gossip), Mrs. Fiorentino and Mrs. Jones in particular.
248%%* The two Celestes from ''Theatre/SundayInTheParkWithGeorge''.
249%%* The patrons of Mrs. Organ Morgan's shop in ''Theatre/UnderMilkWood''.
250[[/folder]]
251
252[[folder:Video Games]]
253* In the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' series, the main source of gossip in your town comes from snooty villagers, which are one of the six (eight from ''[[VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewLeaf New Leaf]]'' onwards) personality types found among villagers. Amusingly enough, they often try to deny the fact that they gossip about their neighbours. For added extra points, some of the snooty villagers are ''literally'' hens.
254* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': In the final Goldsmith quest in ''Stormblood'', you present Ul'dah's ruler, Sultana Nanamo Ul Namo, with a compact music player called an orchestrion as a gift and discover that in the time it took for everyone to leave the sultana's chambers and return to the Goldsmiths' Guild, word has spread massively and there are now several orders for similar orchestrions coming in. The reason: the Goldsmiths' guildmaster Serendipity ran into Momodi, TheBartender at the local Adventurers' Guild, on the way to delivery the gift and let slip what was going on. Once everyone learns Momodi is involved, it's reasoned that once she knew, so did everyone.
255* ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel'': Outside her own route, Ranpha Franboise seems to be the one who's most interested in gossiping about Tact's love life. In the ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngelII'' trilogy, she bonds with Tequila who also loves to know the going-ons if she's not the one being romanced by Kazuya.
256* The trio of local housewives in ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature'' get together every day just to gossip.
257* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
258** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' gives us Pompie and Vera, who seem to love gossiping about anything, particularly the local photographer. Also, there are two little girls who carry on in the same manner.
259** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' there are a few groups of two to four women who gossip to each other, ranging from a trio of Gerudo women at a bar discussing a secret shop to a pair of Hylian ladies in Hateno Village discussing Purah's curious absence. They'll get mad at Link if they notice him listening to them, requiring him to find a sneaky spot nearby where he can eavesdrop.
260* The female ''and'' male students of Shujin Academy in ''VideoGame/Persona5'' fit this to a T. During the first arc of the game they do nothing but spread gossip about the protagonist after an EvilTeacher leaked the criminal record he was framed for for no reason other than a "delinquent" not having any business in a prestigious school (and that school is far from being [[SuckySchool a decent place to learn]]), damaging his already ruined reputation even more. Is not just the protagonist who suffers the effects of the gossipy students, but some of his teammates too: The previously mentioned teacher started telling everyone about Ryuji Sakamoto's abusive father, which let to Ryuji hitting him in a fit of anger and getting his leg broken in return, with the school calling it self-defense and all of the other students gossiping about him being just like his father, Ann Takamaki suffers from SlutShaming because of her good looks, her part time job as a model and being quarter-american, and rumors about her are just what you might expect from her suffering from SlutShaming, and Makoto Niijima, who always does what the faculty members tell her to do because she is always told to "be useful", has the students label her as a TeachersPet who is only looking for a letter of recomendation for college.
261* Irina Turgenyev in ''VideoGame/{{Rama}}'', who lets the player in on the team's plan to capture a Crab Biot by helicopter.
262* Coco in ''VideoGame/RivieraThePromisedLand'' has dialogue consisting almost ''entirely'' of gossip about Fia and Lina. One of the voiced dramas features a mixed-gender group gossiping about Malice's parents.
263* There are two old women who, along with a daughter, do this in ''VideoGame/ShadowOfDestiny''.
264* When not being an ObstructiveBureaucrat, Marsinta Drewbish in ''VideoGame/StarshipTitanic'' tends to spread gossip about almost every major character in the game, if you ask her. Some of this also [[PlayerNudge acts as hints]].
265[[/folder]]
266
267[[folder:Webcomics]]
268* In ''Webcomic/{{Endstone}}'', [[http://endstone.net/2011/01/27/5-04/ Colindra accuses women of being this and demands the latest news.]]
269* In ''Webcomic/ImpureBlood'', [[http://www.impurebloodwebcomic.com/Pages/Chapter003/ib014.html the taproom is filled with gossip about the escape.]]
270* In ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'', Bud is ''the'' gossipy hen of Future's Promise School for {{Magical Girl}}s. She is regularly a source of information of events and students within the school and is so good at it that not even her friend and teammate Harley, who spends the bulk of her time with Bud, knows how she does it.
271-->'''Cassidy:''' Are you sure gossip isn't your ''real'' power?
272* Most of the rumours in ''Webcomic/WeakHero'' can be traced back to the blabbermouth Hugo Yoon. Much of [[TheDreaded Gray's]] reputation as a fearsome badass is thanks to him running his mouth to anyone who will listen.
273[[/folder]]
274
275[[folder:Web Original]]
276* In WebVideo/AllAboutMeep's videos, Rosemarie and Annabelle spend the majority of their screentime gossiping (literally, they frequently just say "Gossipiiiiin..." to each other).
277* The Creator/BrunoBozzetto short "Women vs Men" entry for "Discussion" shows a circle of women clucking like hens; the male counterpart shows two boxers in a ring.
278* [[GenkiGirl Lulu]] [[CoolBigSis Milton]] from the online game ''VideoGame/GardensOfTime''. Several gold-unlockable scenes are dedicated to her chatting and gossiping about the game's LoveDodecahedron, and she's referred to as "gossipmonger" and the "gossip girl" of the group.
279* ''WebAnimation/TheGModIdiotBox'' parodies this in Episode 5, with the two women in the store and later the one with her cell phone, who it seems the only sound they can make is chicken-clucking noises. They continue to do this even after their "conversation" partner is gone.
280* ''WebAnimation/MangaWaido'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7Tw5z7cXDY Mrs. Hino]] is a housewife who loved to spread false rumors about the other neighbors. This is deconstructed, since her constant gossiping drove the other housewives to chew her out for it, driving her to target quieter housewives instead. However, her gossiping comes back to bite her when she calls Rina Satou about the latter's husband cheating on her with a younger girl, but Rina tells her that her husband is a [[spoiler:detective]] and the girl in question was [[spoiler:the fiancee of a ''Yakuza executive''. After she and her lover got beaten up by the Yakuza, it turns out said lover was ''Mrs. Hino's husband''.]]
281[[/folder]]
282
283[[folder:Western Animation]]
284%%* The (literal) hens from the WesternAnimation/{{Classic Disney Short|s}} ''Chicken Little''.
285* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' had a parody of ''The View'' where they just sat around clucking and one of them laid an egg.
286* In Creator/DrSeuss and Creator/ChuckJones' 1970 adaptation of ''[[WesternAnimation/HortonHearsAWho1970 Horton Hears a Who!]]'', word of Horton talking to a dust speck is spread via the song "Mrs. Toucanella Told Me". The literal birds of the jungle gossip to the point they're convinced the Jungle of Nool is being terrorized by a violent schizophrenic.
287* The ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "Of Rice and Hen" features a particularly mean-spirited flock of hens targeting Miss Prissy (not their only appearance).
288* ''WesternAnimation/PrivateSnafu'': This is what Snafu imagines his mother and her bridge partners to be (literally seeing them transform into hens) in "The Home Front".
289* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons:''
290** Marge's two older sisters, Patty and Selma. They're indistinguishable in personality, have identical voices, and exist entirely to say belittling things--''especially'' if it's about Marge's husband, Homer.
291** Ditto Reverend Lovejoy's wife, Helen. In her first speaking appearance, "Life on the Fast Lane," she introduces herself as, "Helen Lovejoy, the gossipy wife of the minister." She later is hit with {{Flanderization}}, as she seems to do ''nothing'' but gossip (mostly stuff about Marge and her family) - or invoke ThinkOfTheChildren.
292*** Helen is joined in her hennism by Agnes Skinner, Edna Krabapple, Maude Flanders, and Luann Van Houten when introduced as The Springfield Investorettes. Marge is (temporarily) a member, but ends up more the target of the gossip rather than the instigator.
293* Pops up in the Christmas special ''WesternAnimation/TheStoryOfSantaClaus'', with a group of women gossiping outside the toy shop very early in the special.
294-->'''Gretchen''': You nosy old hens!
295
296[[/folder]]
297
298[[folder:Other Media]]
299* There are numerous UsefulNotes/WorldWarII era propaganda posters ("Loose lips sink ships!") about how careless gossiping may cause deaths of soldiers because of spies. Almost all the posters depict women.
300* In Philippine social media, the word "[[https://philstarlife.com/geeky/940668-chismosang-marites-meme-justine-luzares-tiktok Marites]]" became the shorthand slang for Gossipy Hens, especially 30-50 year-old Filipina housewives. Sometimes, they are also compared to the "Karen" slang.
301[[/folder]]
302

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