History Main / DearJohnLetter

* Being a 10+ hour war film about a unit of World War Two soldiers, this naturally crops up a couple of times in ''Series/BandOfBrothers''. There's even a bit of a spectrum of responses:

* ''Series/{{Titus}}'': It initially seems as if Dave is trying to kill himself after finding a Dear John letter from his girlfriend, Nancy. Titus shows up to stop him, [[MistakenForSuicidal only to discover he has instead joined the army]]. Nancy arrives to clarify that the letter wasn't to him but to her ex named ''John.''

* ''Literature/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'': Jilk, one of the five capture targets of the OtomeGame, ended his relationship with his former fiancée, Clarice, this way. She's devastated by this and suffers a mental breakdown, even trying to get revenge until Leon intervenes and forces Jilk to apologize to her face to face.

* ''[[ComicBook/MightyMorphinPowerRangersBoomStudios Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Pink]]'' ends with a flash-forward to Kimberly writing the infamous letter during ''Zeo''. It's all but stated that there ''isn't'' a new guy, but she thinks it's kinder than the truth: that she's ready to move on from being a Ranger, and knows that Tommy isn't.

* ''ComicBook/SensationComics'': One of Dr. Pat's schoolmates received a letter from his fiancée informing him that she couldn't wait for him to be out of med school and their relationship was over. She eventually changed her mind, but the experience left him permanently bitter and mistrustful.
* Ramona Flowers from ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'' writes one to [[spoiler: Gideon, her most recent ex-lover. She never sends it, and it is later found unopened when she disappears at the end of volume 5, leaving the titular hero to ponder what it means.]]

* In ''Fanfic/TheApprenticeTheStudentAndTheCharlatan'', Clover writes one to Nova as a final goodbye.

* ''Film/DearJohn'': [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Duh]]. Bonus points for the recipient's name actually being ''[[DoubleMeaningTitle John]]''. He ends up burning the letter and all the previous ones he received from his now ex-girlfriend.
* ''Film/StarshipTroopers''. While in MI boot camp, Johnny Rico gets a literal Dear John video from his girlfriend Carmen Ibanez, who's in training to join the Fleet (space navy), which of course he is watching on a big-screen TV in the barracks with his entire squad watching and making commentary... [[ThatsGottaHurt Until they realize what the message is about and make themselves scarce.]]
-->'''Ace:''' Funny how they always wanna be friends after they rip your guts out.
* What drove the villain insane in ''Film/TheProwler''.

* In ''Film/TheThinRedLine'' (1998), one of the protagonists (Private Bell) tells anyone around him how he really loves his wife (and so won't cheat on her with the local Ladies of Negotiable Virtue). In a (possibly unintentional) hilarious moment, about halfway through the film, he then receives a Dear John letter from his wife about how she's found a new love.
%% * Literally in ''Film/DearJohn'' %% Zero Context Example
* Micheal in ''Film/SiegeOfTheDead'' gets one of these just before the start of the movie and is hoping to patch things up. Things don't turn out quite as planned.
* ''Film/LegendsOfTheFall'': "Susanna, all we had is dead. As I am dead. Marry another."
* Humorously referenced in ''Film/DrStrangelove'', where one of the nukes about to be dropped on the Soviet Union has "Dear John" written on the front.

* ''Film/TheGoodbyeGirl'' opens with Paula coming home to the apartment she shares with Tony and finding out that, instead of them moving together to California as they'd planned, he is breaking up with her and has left to Europe to film a Creator/BernardoBertolucci movie. What he fails to mention is that he's sublet their apartment to a man she doesn't know, fellow actor Elliot, which kicks off the plot as Paula and Elliot wind up rooming together.
* ''Film/ACuriousConjunctionOfCoincidences'': Erich’s rough day starts with him receiving one of these from his fiancée. Apparently, she met a stronger, smarter, and funnier man.
* ''Film/{{The Circle|1925}}'': Honestly, pinning your Dear John letter to the pajamas of your toddler child is a poor choice.

* In ''Film/BramStokersDracula'', Mina sends one of these to Drac when she decides to stay faithful to Johnathan and go see him in Budapest. The news is so devastating to Dracula that he undergoes GlamorFailure while weeping before deciding to take his rage out on Lucy and finish feeding on her.
* ''Film/TheOddAngryShot'': While in Vietnam, Bill receives a thinly-disguised break-up letter from his girlfriend back home.

* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/IfThisGoesOn'', John Lyle gets a literal Dear John letter. It's briefly depressing before he realizes that he can't remember her that well anyway.
* A literal example with [[spoiler:John Bell]] in ''The Thin Red Line''.
* Played with in the novel ''Literature/StarshipTroopers''. When at OCS, Johnny claims he and Carmen were dating, but she sent him a "Dear John". This is technically true, since he and Carmen went on a few dates, nothing serious, and she always begins her (occasional) letters with "Dear John". Essentially, Johnny is playing up the trope to gain some street cred.

* In one short story in the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' universe [[{{Commissar}} Commissar Yuri Radamacher]] comments that he spends more time helping heartbroken naval personnel deal with "Dear John" or "Dear Jane" letters than he does actively trying to seek out disloyalty.

* A double-subversion in ''The Winds of War''. Rhoda writes this to Victor but after hearing of Pearl Harbor writes a second letter asking him to forget it. However, she later goes through with it, leaving Victor feeling free to remarry a woman he had developed feelings for but [[IGaveMyWord had just barely forced himself to turn down]].
* Vivienne's first boyfriend in ''Literature/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' broke up with her with a letter that revealed that he was "semi-engaged" to someone else, essentially telling her that she was just a summer fling.
* Marianne gets one from Willoughby in ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility'' the day after they run into each other at a ball in London, after he's made assiduous efforts to avoid her in town. He tries to play it off that the feelings were all on Marianne's end and he was very sorry but he'd long been in love with Miss Grey (a very wealthy heiress). Nobody buys it.
* ''Literature/VattasWar'': After being forced to leave the Slotter Key Military Academy in disgrace due to events beyond her control, Kylara's classmate and boyfriend sends her an extremely harsh one, essentially telling her that she is only one step up from a traitor and unfit to be romantically involved with a loyal officer like him. As a rotten cherry on top, he encloses her class ring, which she gave him, but with the academy insignia defaced.
* ''Literature/TheCatWhoSeries'': In book #29 (''The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers''), a few weeks into Polly's visit to Paris, she sends one to Qwill, announcing that she's taken a three-year contract working for a local bookstore, and is having all her belongings sold to benefit the church while her cats are given up for adoption. Qwill himself recognizes it for what it is, and is most dismayed, but accepts it.

* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', [[spoiler:Whitney]] gets a video Dear John letter from [[spoiler:Lana]] so that [[spoiler: she can pursue Clark]].[[note]]A [[CharacterDevelopment now-understanding Whitney]] wrote back to her that he accepts her choice. Sadly, Whitney died before he can sent it, and a devastated Lana believes Whitney think she doesn't want him back.[[/note]] Ironically, [[spoiler: Lana later pulls a repeat performance of this on Clark at the end of Season 7]]. This time it's not to pursue another person, she just believes that their relationship is holding him back from his true potential to be a hero. [[spoiler: Except not. She was forced the make the video at gunpoint, and actually wanted to continue the relationship.]]

* Happens a '''bunch''' of times on ''[[Series/{{Mash}} M*A*S*H]]''.

* During the seventh season of ''Series/FamilyMatters'', Maxine receives a poorly-written and poorly-addressed "Dear John" letter from Waldo.
* Peyton does this to Mac on ''Series/{{CSINY}}''. She didn't think they could work out the distance issues since he was working in New York but her home was in London, and likely figured Mac was still mourning his late wife. [[TheBusCameBack She did return]] for one episode later on and apologized, saying he deserved better than a note.
** Yeah, but ''3 YEARS'' later...AND she had sent the note to the Crime Lab instead of his home address, so it's no wonder he rebuffed her obvious hint that she wanted to kiss and make up.
* The storyline in the ''Series/{{Porridge}}'' episode "Heartbreak Hotel" is Godber getting a letter from his girlfriend Denise.
-->'''Fletcher''': A "Dear John" letter?\\
'''Godber''': [[LiteralMinded No, a "Dear Lenny" letter]].
* On a ''Saved By the Bell: The New Class'' episode, Screech receives one of these. The kids set him up with another girl to help get him over it.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Hunters," Janeway gets one from her (former) fiancée, telling her that he got married. {{Justified}}, though, as she and her crew had been declared dead after disappearing from the Alpha Quadrant and had only recently reestablished contact with Earth after four years.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' episode "Silent Enemy," Trip gets one from his girlfriend Natalie, allowing him to [[{{Lampshaded}} lampshade]] the difficulties of a LongDistanceRelationship. 100 light-years is as long-distance as it gets in that era.
* ''Series/TheFlash2014'':
** In Season 3, Jesse and Wally become an item, although they end up in different worlds (literally), with Jesse first going to Earth-3 to protect that world's Central City in the absence of Jay Garrick and then returns to her native Earth-2, as that version of Central City is lacking a speedster champion. While being in separate universes would normally constitute a LongDistanceRelationship, being speedsters, they're able to pop back and forth between Earths at will. Then Harry arrives with a strange-looking device, which projects Jesse's holo-image and then sputters (crappy Atlantean plastic). Harry is forced to explain to Wally that the device is a "breakup cube", which is the Earth-2 version of this trope. The cube even dispenses tissues in the event of tears. Wally does end up going to Earth-2 to talk it out with Jesse. It's heavily implied that Wally becoming a speedster put a damper on their relationship, as Jesse was expecting him to move with her to Earth-2, but the Central City of Earth-1 needs a Flash, after Barry's disappearance.
** After [[spoiler:Barry fires and exiles his daughter Nora without even consulting Iris first]], [[spoiler:Iris]] starts to consider estranging herself from [[spoiler:Barry]], which would make things much worse than they already are. When she is intending to write the letter, Ralph and Cecille dissuade her from resuming it.
* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'':
** Suffering a case of cold feet, and thinking about starting something with Rebecca, Frasier writes one of these to Lilith, only to realize Rebecca's apparent flirting was Norm and Cliff messing with him, making him rush back to his house, where Lilith apparently hasn't seen it. That is, until she tosses her drink in his face.
--->'''Frasier:''' So... you've read the letter?\\
'''Lilith:''' Of course I read the letter, you licentious QUACK! And what facile tripe it is! "I need freedom". I'll give you freedom, alright! Freedom from your ''teeth''!
** In season 11, Frasier himself is on the receiving end when he and Lilith are going through a trial separation. When Lilith suddenly reappears, she mentions she hadn't written any such letter. Turns out her new romantic partner is a major {{Yandere}} and wrote it himself.
* ''Series/DeadMansGun'': Robert Cosgrove receives one at the end of "The Highwayman", and learns that all of the acts he has been performing that he thought were drawing his wife closer to him (and the crimes he committed to be able to afford them) have actually driven her away, to the point where she leaves him.
* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'': Depending on how it you look at it, Laurel and Oliver's relationship in Season 1 ended either at the very end of that season, or the beginning of the next. Regardless, it was a mutual decision made due to the traumatic events of the Season 1 Finale. This was {{Retcon}}ned in Season 4, [[spoiler:the episode after Laurel's death no less]], which instead changed it to her wanting to continue their relationship, only for him to pull this on her and then run back to Lian Yu for several months, in a rather large KickTheDog move. This went...poorly with the fandom.
* ''Series/TourOfDuty''. Averted when the wife concerned flies over to Vietnam to break up with him, saying that [[AmicableExes he deserves something better]] than just a Dear John letter.

* ''Theater/OnTheTown'': Ivy leaves Gabey a letter at a nightclub, claiming she has to attend a "high society affair". [[spoiler: In reality, she took a job as a hooch dancer on Coney Island to pay for her dance lessons, and her teacher threatened to write to her folks about what she's been doing if she didn't make her 11:30 shift.]]

* In ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'', main character Hisao receives one from his old sort-of girlfriend Iwanako part way through the story. The way he reacts to it is different in each route depending on how he's changed through his current relationship, though in all of them it causes a barrel full of mixed feelings and introspection on his part.
* ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheOldBlood'' has an example, but rather than being given to an Allied soldier, it's given to a German soldier.
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' a human woman ponders to do this to her serving husband, leaving him for her Asari mistress. And then begins to get second thoughts when the Asari starts backpedaling at the thought of them being in a serious long-term relationship.[[note]] Of course "long term" for an Asari is [[MayFlyDecemberRomance totally different from "long term" for a human.]][[/note]]

* Jason Hudson from ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'' received one at some point before the game. Players that can figure out the password to his account on the terminal hidden in the main menu can read it themselves.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWWII''. Daniels gets a letter from [[MyGirlBackHome his girlfriend Hazel, who's back in the States]], which Stiles comments is probably one of these. It turns out Hazel wrote informing Daniels that she's pregnant.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', the Inquisitor can receive one of these from a dying soldier, who asks that it be left in the hollow tree where her sweetheart looks for her letters; instead of telling him she's dying, she makes it sound like she's breaking up with him, [[BreakHisHeartToSaveHim so he can move on faster]]. Meanwhile, in Skyhold, the Inquisitor can find one which was apparently sent to an Inquisition soldier, telling him that his girlfriend is dumping him for another woman (because she won't go off to war).

* In Webcomic/GeneralProtectionFault, [[spoiler: Nick is abducted by Ki's EvilCounterpart from a parallel universe the night before he is to marry her, and his counterpart leaves behind a letter saying he can't marry her, but Ki refuses to believe it and eventually enters the dimension on a rescue mission]]. The letter is even called a DearJohnLetter
* In Webcomic/KevinAndKell, getting one of these causes one prey species to be DrivenToSuicide.
* Parodied in Webcomic/TerminalLance: [[http://terminallance.com/2012/07/10/terminal-lance-213-john-dear/ Abe gets one]] only a ''week'' into his deployment.
** That's when he ''got'' it. It was ''written'' only a few hours after he left.
* Seen in [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=269#comic this]] ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' strip as the motivation for contemplating whether to kill the kids or drive a Civic.
* In ''Webcomic/SplitScreen''. Jan assumes this is what Jeremy gave her when he snuck out on her. Stubborn pride caused her to not read the letter for a whole year, where she found out [[spoiler: it was a love confession and an explanation as to why he did what he did. ItMakesSenseInContext.]]

* Referenced in Website/TheOnion: [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/us-quietly-slips-out-of-afghanistan-in-dead-of-nig,20957/ U.S. Quietly Slips Out Of Afghanistan In Dead Of Night]]
* ''Website/NotAlwaysRomantic'' has [[https://notalwaysright.com/time-to-bite-the-bullet/214091/ two]] [[https://notalwaysright.com/time-to-bite-the-bullet-part-2/217111/ stories]] (so far) about "Potong Jalan" -- the Singlish (Singaporean-English) version of this trope.

* Spoofed with [[Website/TFWikiDotNet the TFWiki’s]] [[https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Molecule_breaking-up_weapon page]] for Rescue Force 2's (yes, that's his actual canonical name) Molecule Breaking-Up Weapon.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** At a meeting of {{Caustic Critic}}s, the Farm Supplies Critic mentions his favorite recent quip in a review of a tractor:
--->"We see John Deere has a new line of roto-tillers. Surprise, surprise; they're green! I'd say it's about time someone sent John Deere a Dear John!"
** Homer receives a videotaped Dear John from Marge in TheMovie. For an extra punch to his (and the audience's) gut, she [[TapedOverTurmoil taped it over their wedding video]], so immediately after she's done, it cuts to them dancing at their wedding. ''Ouch''.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' movie "I Yabba-Dabba-Do!", Pebbles thought she was getting one of these from Bamm-Bamm after she had been listening to one of her more cynical friends about relationships, but it was really a love letter ending with him proposing.
* In the Season 2 ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'' Episode, "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Bluster", King K. Rool has a fake one written out to DK from Candy as an attempt to strip him of his motivation in protecting the Crystal Coconut. When received, Diddy even explains this trope to DK, who doesn't take it well, but Diddy manages to cheer him up almost instantly by proposing the idea of calling Candy out on it.

* Non-romantic version in ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman''. Near the end of the final season, [[spoiler:Bojack has been trying to get in contact with his half-sister, Hollyhock, after it was revealed how he was involved in Sarah Lynn’s death. Eventually he finds out she changed the number on her phone and sent him a letter which he reads while at a frat party. We never find out what it said, but Bojack is devastated by the content; it's implied that she told him that she was cutting ties with him. Considering she was the only stable and living family member in his life]], it's what really pushes him over the DespairEventHorizon.

* ''Series/{{Titus}}'': It initially seems as if Dave is trying to kill himself after finding a Dear John letter from his girlfriend, Nancy. Titus shows up to stop him, [[MistakenForSuicide only to discover he has instead joined the army]]. Nancy arrives to clarify that the letter wasn't to him but to her ex named ''John.''

* ''Series/{{Titus}}'', Dave tries to kill himself after finding a Dear John letter from his girlfriend, Nancy. Titus shows up to stop him only to discover he has instead joined the army. Nancy arrives to clarify that the letter wasn't to him but to her ex named ''John.''

* ''LightNovel/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'': Jilk, one of the five capture targets of the OtomeGame, ended his relationship with his former fiancée, Clarice, this way. She's devastated by this and suffers a mental breakdown, even trying to get revenge until Leon intervenes and forces Jilk to apologize to her face to face.

* In ''WebVideo/NightmareTime'''s episode "Time Bastard": Jenny was in love with her best friend Ted, but was convinced he only viewed her platonically, so she only got up the courage to confess when she was leaving town ''to be with another man''. She sent him a letter, explaining that she had always loved him and wished him nothing but happiness, but it was simply too painful for her to be around him every day knowing her feelings would always be unrequited, so this would have to be goodbye. Except Ted ''did'' love her back, and losing Jenny in this way was the first in a series of DisasterDominoes that leads to a ''major'' TraumaCongaLine for Ted, Jenny, and the man she planned to leave town with. Had she simply had the spine to at least say goodbye to his face, ''none of it'' ever would've happened. She wasn't trying to be cruel, but she irreparably hurt several innocent parties, herself included.

* ''Theater/Don'tDrinkTheWater'': After developing cold feet Susan calls off her engagement to [[DisposableFiance Donald]] via letter. Justified in that she's trapped in a hostile country and cannot leave the US Embassy.

* ''Theater/DontDrinkTheWater: After developing cold feet Susan calls off her engagement to [[DisposableFiance Donald]] via letter. Justified in that she's trapped in a hostile country and cannot leave the US Embassy.

* Probably the original "Dear John" song: "A Dear John Letter", first recorded in the 1950s by Ferlin Husky and Jean Shepard and later covered by Pat Boone. Creator/StanFreberg parodied it as "A Dear John and Marsha Letter".

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': In "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion," Zuko writes a letter to Mai [[spoiler:about leaving her and the Fire Nation, so that he can help Aang defeat his father and end the war. She is not amused by the letter.]]

** Later, there's one from Frank's wife announcing she plans to divorce him (she'd heard about his affair with Margaret).

*** Subverted again when a pilot [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname only known as Cowboy]] abducts Colonel Blake to extort a discharge to see his wife, whom he believes is unfaithful. Cowboy clears up the first two warning flags (the Reno return address and the literal "Dear John" first line) by saying that's where he lives and his real name, respectively. They go on, revealing that the letter is her affirmation of her love for him. Cowboy lands and everything is sorted out.

[[folder:Folklore]]
* [[http://www.snopes.com/military/videobye.asp Here's]] an urban legend about them.
[[/folder]]

* Non-romantic version in ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman''. Near the end of the final season, [[spoiler:Bojack has been trying to get in contact with his half-sister, Hollyhock, after it was revealed how Sarah Lynn died. Eventually he finds out she changed the number on her phone and sent him a letter which he reads while at a frat party. We never find out what it said, but Bojack is devastated by the content; it's implied that she told him that she was cutting ties with him. Considering she was the only stable and living family member in his life]], it's what really pushes him over the DespairEventHorizon.

* In the WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail "2 years", Strong Bad predicts that the stop sign will break up with the cinder block it sits on. Cue the most generic breakup letter ever written.