Coming off the heels of a very divisive creator and having a very diverse audience, it's no surprise that The Loud House would be a pretty divisive cartoon in spite of its popularity.
Examples regarding characters go in the Base-Breaking Character page.
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General
- One of the most divisive things about the show is the amount of abuse Lincoln often goes through, with one camp finding it to be funny while others think that it's just plain mean (to the point of often calling it "torture porn"). Especially as this makes his sisters come off as jerks considering they're often the cause of Lincoln's problems and are rarely called out on it.
- The inclusion of Harold and Howard McBride seems rather controversial; some praise the inclusion while others criticize it for being inappropriate in a children's show. It also doesn't that the Arabic dub changes one of the McBrides into a woman, which many viewers consider homophobic.
- Does the show use Toilet Humor too often? On the one hand, it can happen to make some good jokes, but on the other hand, it can feel particularly pointless, distasteful, and overall just too gross. This reached a very critical high when the show's official YouTube channel decided to upload a full episode's length of all of the show's fart jokes, which brought a lot of the show's detractors to accuse the show of intentional fetish pandering on a kids network similarly to Dan Schneider's foot fetish accusations within his own shows. The backlash got so vocal that the video was eventually removed, but anyone who has learned of that video will often use it as a major point against both the show and its fandom.
- There is a split among fans of the show about whether or not Ronnie Anne should escape retribution for bullying Lincoln before leaving for her own show. Some people think that she should, since she doesn't bully Lincoln anymore and they are friends now, while others think that she shouldn't, since her actions were still wrong even if she no longer does them.
- Whether the show should break the Status Quo Is God rule in a major way or not. Some say that the show works better as a comedy where what happens in one episode, stays in one episode, which would allow for a lot of humor while also allowing the show to be accessible. Others say that breaking the status quo would help the show become even better by making continuity a thing, and allowing characters to get long term Character Development. Starting in Season 3 though, while the show still adheres to a loose continuity, there are a few quick nods to previous episodes.
- More fuel was added to the fire with Season 5, which saw everyone go up a grade, Lori head off for college, and Lily enroll in preschool. There are two main arguments here: those who think that the mass age-up could allow for more interesting stories, and those who think the changes will be detrimental to the show as a whole. Not helping is the fact that the Casagrandes in the same universe do not appear to have aged up a year in the corresponding universe, even though it can be assumed that Bobby has turned 18 and Ronnie Anne has turned 12, leading to further confusion and controversy among the fanbase.
- The growing tendency toward more outlandish plots starting in Season 4 (especially the plots that involve otherworldly things, such as "Haunted House Call") has been contentious. Some feel that the shift gives character to what would otherwise be an ordinary animated sitcom, while others feel it goes against the spirit of the series.
- Lincoln being downplayed in later episodes in favor of fleshing out the other characters. Starting in Season 3, many episodes either have him playing a smaller role, making silent cameos, or flat out be absent. One side doesn't mind it since it helps give more depth to the characters, and he still gets enough moments to shine. The other side feels it comes at the expense of Lincoln's character and and makes him somewhat underdeveloped.
- Has the show gone downhill? If so, when? Season 5 and beyond are the most divisive seasons to date, and is the point where some fans say the show has gone downhill. Some will go earlier and say Season 4. And then some will go even earlier and say Season 3. While Season 3 is generally seen as a good season, some do feel it was the beginning of the show going downhill. That said, a subset of fans also consider Season 3 the best season.
- The canonicity of the film has been a contentious debate since at least late 2020. The official statement by Chris Savino when the film was first green lit in 2017 was that the film would be separate from the series. However when he later got fired some parts of the fandom thought that statement became null and void. The confusion culminated in July 2021 when a leaked Instagram DM with the film's new director Dave Needham stated that he and some of the other staff members thought that the film would be set between the 4th and 5th season and was unsure that future episodes would reference the movie. The vague nature of that statement further established the rift, with one faction believing that the movie was confirmed to be canon while the other see his statement as too vague and that the movie isn't canon.
- At one point in The Loud House Movie, the girls hug Lincoln and refer to him as "the glue that holds them together". Some people saw this as heartwarming, while others thought it implied they were too dependent on their brother and saw the hug as just a "pity hug".
- The tendency for Rita and Lynn Sr. to not get involved when the children mess up, sometimes due to choice (for instance, "Chore and Peace") and sometimes because they are too scared (such as in the April Fools episodes). Some see this as irresponsible and, in the cases where it's caused by fear, cowardly, however others think it just means they're only human.
Episodes
- "April Fools Rules" is a rather divisive episode among fans. There are those who liked it and thought it was funny, while there are those who felt Luan was made into a sociopathic jerkass towards her family with all the endless (and rather lethal) pranks and who didn't like the fact that she got away scot-free at the end of the episode.note
- Though not as bad as the other episodes here, "Raw Deal" is a bit divisive over whether or not Lincoln's paranoia was funny or unpleasant to watch.
- "One of the Boys". Is it one of the best episodes of the series since we got to see what the Loud siblings would look like as the opposite gender and it introduced the topic of other dimensions, or is it just a chapter full of very offensive masculine—and feminine— stereotypes and clichésSuch as? And for that matter, should the gender-flipped universe from that episode appear again in the series? Another issue is how most of the sisters' gender-flipped counterparts are voiced by their regular voice actors doing boy voices. Some thought that it was distracting and would've preferred for all of them to be voiced by different people just like the ones for the four eldest, while others didn't mind since that's what they were expecting to happen when the episode was first announced knowing that most of the voice actors for the sisters, especially Grey DeLisle and Lara Jill Miller, have proven to be capable of Cross-Dressing Voices in the past (and still continue to do so in other instances on this very show).
- For the most part, "Study Muffin" has been well-received, with many finding it to be a very funny episode. However, there are some fans who felt that the obsession the sisters had with Hugh was too out-of-character for them (or at least for the more relatively grounded sisters like Lisa and Luna) and even weird or disgusting, considering that Hugh is a young adult. Some also objected to Lori's behavior since she already has a boyfriend, while others excused it, since she never actually did anything with Hugh.
- "No Such Luck" has so far managed to surpass "April Fools Rules" and "Brawl in the Family" as the show's most controversial episode:
- Even before it aired, some fans didn't like it for seemingly being yet another episode where Lincoln's family holds the Jerkass Ball against him. This is only made worse by the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Loud also help to make Lincoln miserable and that it feels Out of Character at least for Mrs. Loud who's generally the Only Sane Man. Others consider it to be a much better version of "Brawl in the Family", since this time Lincoln brought much of the anguish upon himself.note He does apologize to his family for lying to them about being a jinx, however, and even then they still treat him like an outcast. Lynn's part in introducing and reinforcing this belief towards him, in part as something to blame for her team blowing a winning streak, did not endear her to many (the fact that she threatens Lincoln to come to the game, with a wooden bat no less, didn't help).
- In a situation unique to this particular episode, there is the general reaction toward fanon relating to it. Many have grown sick of "No Such Luck" Deconstruction Fics, Fix Fics, and Revenge Fics and feel that either fans are overreacting to the events of the episode, that The Loud House fanon circle is just overloaded with fanon/fics that are predictable and similar in terms of plot and/or too bleak, or both. A particular sticking point over this is the sheer contempt some members of the fandom have toward Lincoln's sisters and parents (especially Lynn) over their treatment of him during the episode. Others either find their reactions to the episode justified or don't really care. Reportedly, some have even left the fandom over this alone, instead of the episode itself. Many believe the episode could had been salvaged if the episode had ended on a positive note rather than a bittersweet "it's better than nothing" note.
- Chris Savino responded to the criticism by simply saying that "Lincoln got what he deserved." This statement made it more heated. Some agree with the idea, while others think that Lincoln's punishment is Disproportionate Retribution and that the boy ends up becoming Unintentionally Sympathetic. And there's a third, smaller camp that thinks that, yes, Lincoln deserves to be punished, but what he received in the episode itself is pretty overkill.
- Many fans are divided regarding any episodes featuring Ronnie Anne, in particular, "Heavy Meddle" and "Save The Date".
- "Heavy Meddle" is mainly controversial for the fact that when Lincoln reveals that his bully is a girl, his sisters all squeal and claim that if someone of the opposite sex picks on you, that means they have a crush on you. Then, they turn out to have been right as Ronnie Anne does have a crush on Lincoln. Some people think this is a bad message, since obviously not everyone who picks on members of the opposite sex has a crush on themnote , while others didn't mind this as the episode still introduced an interesting new character, and a three-dimensional one at that.
- "Save the Date" is controversial because some people think Lori was a jerk for blaming Lincoln for Bobby breaking up with her while others either thought Bobby was a jerk for breaking up with Lori in the first place or that Lincoln had every right to say those things about Ronnie Anne and that Ronnie Anne herself was a hypocrite for not taking his words (since she used to bully him) or that she was out of character for crying so easily, but others like the episode because of the Ship Tease.
- "Vantastic Voyage." Fans are split as to whether Mr. Loud's obsession with his new van was funny or uncharacteristically mean, especially after "Lock 'N' Loud," where he claims his family is the thing he values most.
- While "The Loudest Mission: Relative Chaos" is generally agreed to be pretty good, the ending is a bit divisive, since Bobby and Ronnie Anne, two characters who've been in the show since the beginning, end up moving in with their relatives, the Casagrandes. Depending on your opinion, this is either a poignant and natural way of changing the status quo, or a lazy way for the show to write-off a pair of characters that didn't manage to develop that much on their own. The controversy died down later on, when it turned out that Bobby and Ronnie Anne were not being written off.
- "Fool's Paradise", the Sequel Episode to the infamous "April Fools Rules". Some fans hate the episode for being a sequel to one of the show's most despised episodes as well turning Luan into a full-fledged horror villain by having her trap the Louds in a motel full of dangerous pranks.note Others actually like the episode for its inventiveness and addressing the complaints of "April Fools Rules" as Lincoln mostly gets away prank-free instead of bearing the brunt of Luan's pranks like last time and Luan actually gets hit by karma. Among the episode's detractors, it's either considered as bad as its predecessor if not even worse. The biggest contention for many fans is the ending in which Luan experiences a Humiliation Conga yet doesn't show any regret while plotting to have even meaner pranks come next April Fools' Day. The fans of the ending think it's a fun spoof of horror movie endings, while the detractors think her not showing regret was too mean.
- "Change of Heart." While fans were pleased to see Leni get a central role after being Out of Focus for most of Season 2, those who were tired of Clyde's obsession with Lori were left disappointed that the episode didn't go a different route.
- "No Laughing Matter," not so much because of the episode itself, which tries to paint Luan in a positive light, but due to coming after "April Fools Rules", which portrayed Luan in a negative light, and "Fool's Paradise", which did the same thing but to a lesser extent. Is the episode perfectly fine, and its attempt to make Luan seem likable works, or is it a mediocre/average episode whose attempt to positively portray Luan is a rehash of "Funny Business"? Also, in general, some fans view it as a cute heartwarming episode and were glad to see the writers open up a door to Luan's insecurities, while others just see it as a bland episode that showcases Luan as an immature person who Can't Take Criticism and has nothing other to her personality than comedy.
- "Job Insecurity" was hyped up to be a game changer episode for the series, but all that really happened was Lynn. Sr getting a new job as a cook. Was the hype worth it, since this is a change that wasn't seen coming, or does the "game changer" aspect fall flat, and make the episode seem overhyped?
- "Future Tense" deals with the parents making their children be more "well-rounded", which translates into basically changing their entire selves. Does this show that the parents are just people who make mistakes, or does the episode make the parents seem like neglectful jerks who'd be willing to turn their children into something they're not, just to feel good with themselves and their parenting skills, lesson learned in the end or not?
- In "Not a Loud", Lincoln is revealed to be a biological Loud delivered by the First Lady, debunking a popular fan theory that he is actually adopted. Some fans are glad that Lincoln is indeed a Loud, while others love the theory of him being adopted and view this revelation as a disappointment. There are also those who were keen to him being a biological Loud, but thought the revelation was stupid (usually due to the bizarre circumstances surrounding it).
- "Be Stella My Heart" seemed to have gathered so much hype for months due to Stella becoming an Ascended Extra since "White Hare" where she only played a small role in the end of the episode, leading many to believe there’s going to be a ship between her and Lincoln made canon. It only escalated to a major disappointment (to at least the shippers) when it officially premiered where Lincoln and his friends spend about half of the episode fighting over who would Stella choose as her boyfriend, and later put her to blame for destroying the boys' friendships. In the end, it turns out that Stella really just wanted to be friends with Lincoln and his friends. All in all, the episode's outcome was divisive for those that thought the episode was pretty fun to watch and had a decent moral of "just because a girl wants to hang out doesn't mean she's interested in you" versus those who thought it was downright cringeworthy.
- In general, any episode where Lincoln ends up being the Designated Monkey (a.k.a. "Lincoln Torture Porn") gets this, with the arguments of whether he deserved the punishment in question and if the sisters are justified in their treatment flying back and forth across the line.
- "Spell it Out" is similar, only it's Lucy who's the designated monkey. Her siblings ignore her for half the episode and don't even notice when she raises her hand for pie or is standing right where Leni's painting. Some people think this is both too mean and too uncharacteristically oblivious, while others don't mind it because it started the conflict (every episode needs one) and they apologized afterwards.
- While not as infamous as "Brawl in the Family", "Two Boys and a Baby" has a bit of this, particularly the ending: Is the fact that despite going out of his way not to stay with Ruth, Lincoln ended up staying with Ruth anyway funny or disappointing?
- A minor case for "One Flu Over the Loud House": Is the zombie aspect funny or not (it was played for laughs, but some people found it too scary to be funny)? Are people holding the Idiot Ball too much? (not wearing germ masks, Leni of all people is the Only Sane Woman, etc.) Should the whole family have gotten infected or was that just too much of a Downer Ending? Also, Leni's frequent accusations of Lincoln being too selifsh for trying to escape his sick family members, at one point even calling him a "monster" — some agreed with Leni and thought she was the voice of reason, while others thought she was too hard on him and he had every right to want to escape.
- The Casagrande arc that began Season 4 was met with this. While fans enjoy how this will establish more history and development for Ronnie Anne, Bobby and the rest of the family, while also introducing new diverse characters like Sid Chang, that will practically build up hype for the spin-off series, other fans are frustrated that they are taking away 9 episodes worth of focus from Lincoln and the Loud family that started it all and felt like they could've saved that arc for their actual show.
- "Making the Case": Was it a good episode because Lincoln learnt his lesson or was he just too much of a jerk when he uploaded the video of his sisters' embarrassing situations? On the flip side, was it heartwarming when he lost the contest but was given a trophy from his sisters or would it have been more satisfying if he'd won the contest?
- As mentioned in the Base-Breaking Character page, the episode "Middle Men" shows Lynn's Dark and Troubled Past on her first year of middle school which might explain why she is so rough on her brother and her overall personality. The episode offers her some sympathetic light by some viewers. Lynn's detractors, however, felt like her past doesn't justify her words and actions in the present. Not helping is "Schooled!" having her take a level in jerkass, where she becomes a roadblock for Lincoln during her hall monitor stint, as well as abusing her power at the expense of him, Rusty, Zach and even the school principal and not receiving any comeuppance for it, causing her to be disliked even more.
- With "Grub Snub", regarding the conflict between Lincoln and Leni's friend groups, no one can agree on which side is meant to be in the wrong, or whether both sides are wrong, or neither of them are.
- "Cereal Offender" is a rather polarizing episode, primarily due to the sisters and whether their antics were funny, or made them come off as too stupid and selfish, and Rita blaming Lincoln for getting them banned from the store when it was actually his sisters' fault. A major sticking point is whether the sisters truly redeemed themselves at the end by buying Lincoln his Zombie Bran, as some felt it would've been better if they'd owned up to their actions and told Rita the truth instead of letting Lincoln take the blame.
- While all fans agree that Mrs. Johnson was in the wrong in "The Green House" for treating all students as being on equal footing when it comes to attempting to be "green", the audience is divided over who was the most in the wrong in the Loud family — was it the sisters for being wasteful and having Lincoln power the house with an exercise bike, or was it Lincoln for making his sisters live like cavegirls, guilt-tripping them with a photo of a polar bear, and playing video games despite not allowing the girls to use electricity?
- "Sleuth or Consequences" is either loved for having Lincoln being so kind to Lucy and for revealing her Hidden Depths, or hated either for Lincoln's sisters being rude to him about his Ace Savvy costume, or for him being wrongly grounded (even though it was his choice) at the end.
- "Kings of the Con": Another conflict regarding who was most in the wrong — was it Lincoln and Clyde for cat-napping the Kitty (and if so, was this decision stupid or just morally wrong)? Or was it the sisters for soaking up the attention when they don't even like Ace Savvy? People also argue about the ending — did Lincoln and Clyde deserve to be punished by being made the Kitty's litter box scoopers or not? Also, the fight with the Kitty — some see this as animal cruelty, while others see it as a justified case of self-defense since the Kitty was attacking the boys.
- "Schooled!": Its detractors think that Leni not knowing which clothes to wear and going to preschool by mistake was too stupid even for her, that Lincoln had too much of a rough time, that the Canadian stereotypes were wrong, and that Lynn's overzealous hall monitor antics (especially giving Principal Ramirez a ticket and not being punished) made her a bully. Its fans, however, think that Leni's mistakes were perfectly in-character for her, Lincoln having a rough time was a good chance to show off his "man with a plan" side, the Canadian stereotypes were permissible due to a lot of the show's writers being Canadian themselves, and Lynn's hall monitor antics were no worse than what the twins did in "Get the Message".
Shipping
- Between "Loudcest" shippers (mainly on imageboards) and the fans who find it disgusting (mainly on Tumblr). Caught in the middle are the camp who either don't care or only care based on how it's used.note
- The Lincoln/Ronnie Anne relationship getting explicitly sunk
. To some, this is sinking a potentially good relationship for seemingly no reason, since there are times when the two get along and it's been a long time since she's bullied him. Others will tell you this is a good thing, since the pair haven't interacted that much together and even if she doesn't bully him that much anymore, it still started with her bullying him, when he already had enough problems in his life to deal with. - Lori and Bobby's relationship. Some fans see their ship as a pretty stable, dynamic couple and the two work well just fine. Others find it baffling that a girl like Lori and someone like Bobby could ever manage to become a couple, let alone stand each other, and are wondering whether it's a matter of time before they break up.
- The Lori/Clyde relationship is divisive, particularly whether or not it should be depicted like in the show, or not:
- Some say that Lori and Clyde should actually get together, seeing as it would be nice to give someone like Clyde a bone for once, and Lori could do better than Bobby.
- Others believe that they should either not develop beyond acquaintances or at least develop into the two becoming better friends (mostly on Lori's end). This is usually either because there's just too big of an age gap, or because Clyde doesn't emerge greater from the whole situation. Since Bobby is a textbook Nice Guy, Clyde's jealousy and dislike of him can come across as very petty and mean-spirited.note
- By Season 3, the ship sunk and Clyde no longer has a crush on Lori, and he found a girl in Season 4, presumably due to the Savino fiasco, but even this has caused divide amongst fans, with some saying that this new ship was forced or that Clyde should've learned that he doesn't need a love interest to be happy. Some fans have even reported that they prefer Clyde's interest in Lori over this new ship.
- Finally, some didn't mind Clyde having a crush on Lori, but found him getting nosebleeds annoying, or too sexual (since it originated from a gag about physical arousal) or too gory, so they're glad that Clyde no longer likes Lori just because then he doesn't get nosebleeds anymore. However, some found the gag funny and were disappointed it ended.
- Let's just be blunt, certain types of relationships are very controversial:
- Luan/Maggie (the emo girl from "Funny Business"). A decent Opposites Attract pairing, or a mind-boggling, logic-defying Crack Ship, seeing how Maggie doesn't even interact with Luan in her introductory episode outside of liking her mime act? Especially since Maggie never reappears outside of her debut episode, and Luan would later receive a canon boyfriend in Benny Stein a few seasons later.
- The Loud sisters/their respective crushes in "L is for Love". Are the relationships cute, just fine, meh, or outright bad for whatever reason?
- Lucy/Rocky. Is it a cute ship, or was it a pointless ratings bait, since Lucy is off crushing on somebody else in "L is for Love"?
- Lincoln/Stella. Would they make a cute couple, or would it just break the Aesop of "Be Stella My Heart", which is basically "boy/girl platonic friendships exist, and it's important to remember that"?
- Involving Leni:
- Leni/Chaz — Should they get back together, or is it fine that they're no longer together, since Chaz is Lori's friend so he's probably older and in college by now?
- Leni/Scott — Are they cute together, or should Leni just go back to Chaz (or is it just implausible that they'd stay together considering he's from abroad)?
- Leni/Gavin — Is it good that Leni has finally settled down with a boyfriend, or should she just get back together with Chaz or Scott? Some people have even called Gavin a stalker, since it's never stated how he knows where Leni lives.
- The Loud siblings/their counterparts from the "One of the Boys" dimension — Would it work since they're compatible due to their near-identical personalities, or is it creepy because it's either too similar to incest, or narcissistic (since dating one's alternate universe counterpart is practically dating oneself)?
