History Main / EmbarrassingAlibi

* ''Literature/XWingSeries'': The Rogues are infiltrating Coruscant, but teenager Gavin gets himself into a difficult situation at a bar when he declines to dance with Bothan woman Asyr Seilar (because he's completely inexperienced with females of any species). One of her companions turns out to be TheEmpath and could sense that she made him uncomfortable -- from which [[DramaticIrony they conclude that he's an Imperial racist]] and [[MakeAnExampleOfThem his body will send the message that their group wants]]. Nawara tries to defend him by focusing on how naturally intimidating Asyr is and how that would explain it, but doesn't make much headway, and considers revealing more since these are [[EnemyMine the Empire's enemies]], but Gavin subtly indicates that he shouldn't, since there are too many ears in such a place.

* ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'': In Chapter 1, [[spoiler:Peko Pekoyama's alibi for the Ultimate Imposter's murder is that she was stricken with terrible stomach cramps and as such, had been on the toilet the entire time. This is initially met with suspicion, until Nekomaru -- who was outside waiting to use the stall himself the entire time -- confirms it.]] The others sheepishly admit there's no way someone would lie about such a thing, and [[spoiler:Peko]] is off the hook.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'': In "The Trial," Spinelli is FalselyAccused of throwing a rock at Randall, but refuses to reveal what she was doing when Randall was hit, because it would ruin her tough reputation. As it turns out, she was rescuing Miss Finster's cat from a tree.

** Subverted in [[Recap/CastleS2E5WhenTheBoughBreaks "When the Bough Breaks"]]. Eliska Sokal is found murdered, and one of the suspects is Dr. Cameron Talbot, who was seen arguing with the woman. She had worked at his apartment complex, and she had been let go after Talbot's wife complained to the staff that Eliska had shown an unhealthy interest in her son Zane. Dr. Talbot claimed that he had had an affair with Eliska that the argument was about him trying to offer her money to keep it silent, and that at the time of the murder, he'd been in his office. The truth is far more terrible; [[spoiler: Talbot had stolen Eliska's newborn son when his own was diagnosed with an incurable genetic disorder, swapping the two children. Eliska had figured it out and was trying to prove that Zane Talbot was, in fact, her own child. There had been no affair. Talbot had lied about that to make it seem like he had an embarrassing secret to keep from his wife that might keep the police from looking in the right direction.]]

* ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'': In Chapter 1, [[spoiler: Peko Pekoyama's alibi for the Ultimate Imposter's murder is that she was stricken with terrible stomach cramps and as such, had been on the toilet the entire time. This is initially met with suspicion, until Nekomaru - who was outside waiting to use the stall himself the entire time - confirms it.]] The others sheepishly admit there's no way someone would lie about such a thing, and [[spoiler: Peko]] is off the hook.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** In [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E1WhoShotMrBurnsPartTwo "Who Shot Mr. Burns, Part Two"]], while being subjected to (and repeatedly failing) a lie detector test, Moe Szyslak's alibi for the titular shooting gets progressively more embarrassing until he finally admits that he was "[[PoorMansPorn ogling the ladies in the Sears catalog]]".
--->'''Moe:''' Can I go now? I don't deserve this kinda shabby treatment! [''the lie detector goes off'']
** Seymour Skinner's alibi from the same episode is that he was setting out to shoot Burns and was applying warpaint in the school bathroom when Burns was shot. The embarrassing part is that he had mistakenly applied his mother's makeup, and Superintendent Chalmers happened to walk in. Skinner tells the police that Chalmers can vouch for his whereabouts, but "everything else he says is a filthy lie."

* ''Series/{{Elementary}}'': One murder suspect is only cleared when the sex slave he kept in his basement is uncovered while he was being interrogated.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' episode [[Recap/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnitS9E13Unorthodox "Unorthodox"]], the initial suspect in the rape of a young Orthodox boy is his tutor, because he keeps evading questions about why he keeps having "private lessons" with the boy. It later turns out that the private lessons are a cover; he's been seeing a young woman without her parents' approval and feared the scandal that would ensue if it ever got out.

'''Peter:''' What? It's a ladder. He can't use it. It's like taking a watch off a dead guy.

* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'': In Chapter 2, [[spoiler:Miu Iruma's alibi for Ryoma's murder is that Gonta saw her in her underwear while trying to kidnap her for the Insect Meet and Greet. She herself is thoroughly embarrassed by this, which is why she refrains from saying it until the cast infer it from Kokichi's alibi.]]

* ''Film/LegallyBlonde'': Brooke is on trial for killing her husband. She has a perfect alibi: at the time of the murder, she was getting liposuction. Unfortunately, she can't admit that because it would destroy her fitness empire.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In “Headhunters”, Dipper and Mabel are trying to find out who decapitated a wax statue of Stan. When the evidence seems to point to down-on-his-luck reporter Toby Determined, he proves his innocence by showing video evidence that at the time of the crime, he was in his office making out with a cardboard cutout of another reporter.

[[folder:Films -— Live-Action]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

[[folder:Film — Live Action]]

-->'''Angelo''': But for this man, I'd have gone to prison.
-->'''Sherlock''': You ''did'' go to prison.

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Visual Novels]]

-->'''Peter''': I couldn't have stolen it. Last night I was stealing Joe's ladder so I could steal the trophy tonight.\\

-> ''"Let me, let me get this straight. You—your alibi for killing your friend is you were... doing his, his wife?"''

-> ''"Let me, let me get this straight. You-your alibi for killing your friend is you were...doing his, his wife?"''

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/XWingSeries'': The Rogues are infiltrating Coruscant, but teenager Gavin gets himself into a difficult situation at a bar when he declines to dance with Bothan woman Asyr Seilar (because he's completely inexperienced with females of any species). One of her companions turns out to be TheEmpath and could sense that she made him uncomfortable -- from which [[DramaticIrony they conclude that he's an Imperial racist]] and [[MakeAnExampleOfThem his body will send the message that their group wants]]. Nawara tries to defend him by focusing on how naturally intimidating Asyr is and how that would explain it, but doesn't make much headway, and considers revealing more since these are [[EnemyMine the Empire's enemies]], but Gavin subtly indicates that he shouldn't, since there are too many ears in such a place.
[[/folder]]

** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E9MrPlow Mr. Plow]]", Homer crashes his car during a snowstorm, and afterwards is talking with an insurance agent:
--->'''Insurance agent:''' This place "Moe's" you left just before the accident, this is a business of some kind?
--->'''Homer's brain:''' Don't tell him you were at a bar! (''gasp'') But what else is open at night?
--->'''Homer:''' It's a pornography store. I was buying pornography.
--->'''Homer's brain:''' Heh heh heh... I would've never thought of that.

--->'''Homer's brain:''' ''Don't tell him you were at a bar!'' (''gasp'') ''But what else is open at night?''

--->'''Homer's brain:''' ''Heh heh heh... I would've never thought of that.''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E1WhoShotMrBurnsPartTwo "Who Shot Mr. Burns, Part Two"]], while being subjected to (and repeatedly failing) a lie detector test, Moe Szyslak's alibi for the titular shooting gets progressively more embarrassing until he finally admits that he was "[[PoorMansPorn ogling the ladies in the Sears catalog]]".
-->'''Moe:''' Can I go now? I don't deserve this kinda shabby treatment! [''the lie detector goes off'']

-->'''Insurance agent:''' This place "Moe's" you left just before the accident, this is a business of some kind?
-->'''Homer's brain:''' *Don't tell him you were at a bar!* (*gasp*) *But what else is open at night?*
-->'''Homer:''' It's a pornography store. I was buying pornography.
-->'''Homer's brain:''' *Heh heh heh... I would've never thought of that.*

** Seymore Skinner's alibi from the same episode is that he was setting out to shoot Burns and was applying warpaint in the school bathroom when Burns was shot. The embarrassing part is that he had mistakenly applied his mother's makeup, and Superintendent Chalmers happened to walk in. Skinner tells the police that Chalmers can vouch for his whereabouts, but "everything else he says is a filthy lie."

* ''Literature/XWingSeries'': The Rogues are infiltrating Coruscant, but teenager Gavin gets himself into a difficult situation at a bar when he declines to dance with Bothan woman Asyr Seilar (because he's completely inexperioenced with women of any species). One of her companions turns out to be TheEmpath and could sense that she made him uncomfortable -- from which [[DramaticIrony they conclude that he's an Imperial racist]] and [[MakeAnExampleOfThem his body will send the message that their group wants]]. Nawara tries to defend him by focusing on how naturally intimidating Asyr is and how that would explain it, but doesn't make much headway, and considers revealing more since these are [[EnemyMine the Empire's enemies]], but Gavin subtly indicates that he shouldn't, since there are too many ears in such a place.

* ''Literature/XWingSeries'': The Rogues are infiltrating Coruscant, but teenager Gavin gets himself into a difficult situation at a bar when he declines to dance with Bothan woman Asyr Seilar (being focused on their mission). One of her companions turns out to be TheEmpath and could sense that she made him uncomfortable -- from which [[DramaticIrony they conclude that he's an Imperial racist]] and [[MakeAnExampleOfThem his body will send the message that their group wants]]. Nawara tries to defend him by focusing on how naturally intimidating Asyr is and how that would explain it, but doesn't make much headway, and considers revealing more since these are [[EnemyMine the Empire's enemies]], but Gavin subtly indicates that he shouldn't, since there are too many ears in such a place.

-> ''"Let me, let me get this straight. You-your alibi for killing your friend is you were... doing his, his wife?"''

* ''Film/LegallyBlonde'': Brooke is on trial for killing her husband. She has a perfect alibi, at the time of the murder she was getting liposuction. Unfortunately, she can't admit that because it would destroy her fitness empire.

** Subverted in [[Recap/CastleS2E5WhenTheBoughBreaks "When the Bough Breaks"]]. Eliska Sokal is found murdered, and one of the suspects is Dr. Cameron Talbot, who was seen arguing with the woman. She had worked at his apartment complex, and she had been let go after Talbot's wife complained to the staff that Eliska had shown unhealthy interest in her son, Zane. Dr. Talbot claimed that he had had an affair with Eliska and that the argument was about him trying to offer her money to keep it silent, and that at the time of the murder, he'd been in his office. The truth is far more terrible; [[spoiler: Talbot had stolen Eliska's newborn son when his own was diagnosed with an incurable genetic disorder, swapping the two children. Eliska had figured it out, and was trying to prove that Zane Talbot was, in fact, her own child. There had been no affair. Talbot had lied about that to make it seem like he had an embarrassing secret to keep from his wife that might keep the police from looking in the right direction.]]

* ''Series/{{Yellowjackets}}'': In "[[Recap/YellowjacketsS2E6Qui Qui]]" when questioned by the police about Adam Martin's disappearance [[spoiler: (whom she killed)]], Bad Liar Shauna simply confesses that they are right, she's a bored housewife who had an affair with an exciting young artist like Adam to put some spice into her life. That's not a crime, is it?

* ''Literature/XWingSeries'': The Rogues are infiltrating Coruscant, but teenager Gavin gets himself into a difficult situation at a bar when he declines to dance with Bothan woman Asyr Seilar (being focused on their mission). One of her companions turns out to be TheEmpath, and could sense that she made him uncomfortable -- from which [[DramaticIrony they conclude that he's an Imperial racist]] and [[MakeAnExampleOfThem his body will send the message that their group wants]]. Nawara tries to defend him by focusing on how naturally intimidating Asyr is and how that would explain it, but doesn't make much headway, and considers revealing more since these are [[EnemyMine the Empire's enemies]], but Gavin subtly indicates that he shouldn't, since there are too many ears in such a place.

* Music/LeftyFrizzell: Inverted in the song "Long Black Veil". The narrator is executed for a murder he didn't commit, because he refused to say where he was during the crime. He'd been in the arms of his best friend's wife.
* Music/GaryMoore: Inverted in "Over The Hills And Far Away" (also CoveredUp by Music/{{Nightwish}}). The protagonist is convicted of armed robbery because his pistol was found at the crime scene and he had no alibi, because he didn't want to admit he'd been sleeping with his best friend's wife at the time.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': [[Recap/FamilyGuyS2E5LoveThyTrophy "Love Thy Trophy"]] sees the neighborhood at each other's throat when they collectively win first place in the Quahog Harvest Festival Parade. When they discover the trophy has been stolen, Peter is quick to be accused, but he has an alibi.

[[/folder]]

May involve ValuesDissonance , where one culture sees the alibi as a FelonyMisdemeanor at worst, while another views it as a strict and sacred taboo.

-->'''Peter''': I couldn't have stolen it. Last night I was stealing Joe's ladder so I could steal the trophy tonight.
[[{{Beat}} (Everyone stares in disapproval)]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Who Shot Mr. Burns, Part Two", while being subjected to (and repeatedly failing) a lie detector test, Moe Szyslak's alibi for the titular shooting gets progressively more embarrassing until he finally admits that he was "[[PoorMansPorn ogling the ladies in the Sears catalog]]".