History Main / ToiletSeatDivorce

Situation where a marriage is threatened to be broken up over a [[DisproportionateRetribution suspiciously minor]] setback or argument, sometimes venting complaints about [[CompressedVice behavior which just surfaced]]. This can occur even after the spouses have jumped numerous hurdles in the relationship to be together, and usually smells of the [[TrueLoveIsBoring inability of writers to do other plots or as cheap extension]]. From more capable writers, it's more of a RantInducingSlight, the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back and unloaded years worth of pent-up frustration.

* Ross and Rachel from ''Series/{{Friends}}''. Since the series depended on them being separated in order to work, their break up was quick and difficult to understand. Ross cheated on Rachel (read cheat as: slept with someone else after Rachel suggested they should take some time), and even after Rachel forgave him, she couldn't be with him because ''"she would know that he cheated on her with that other woman"''. This doesn't stop her from wanting him back, which makes all this pretext more useless.

* Literature/BookOfEsther starts with a party, where a king '''simply''' asks for his wife to make an appearance... and she says ''no''.

See also MinorFlawMajorBreakup, RantInducingSlight, DisproportionateRetribution, SexChangesEverything, DerailingLoveInterests. This trope is not about a divorce threat to somebody who by chance [[IThoughtItMeant happens to be in the john]].

* Not a divorce, but Gazpacho in ''{{Chowder}}'' had a falling-out with his mother over proper tooth-brushing technique.

[[AC:Comic Books]]

[[AC:Film]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:{{Music}}]]

[[AC:{{Radio}}]]

[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* A sketch in ''ThatMitchellAndWebbSound'' has a woman and her husband half-heartedly arguing about his having an affair. Turns out she's really just itching to pick a fight because she hasn't got over the far worse trauma caused by him leaving the fridge door open a week earlier. She had to throw out almost a whole quiche!

See also MinorFlawMajorBreakup, RantInducingSlight, DisproportionateRetribution, SexChangesEverything. This trope is not about a divorce threat to somebody who by chance [[IThoughtItMeant happens to be in the john]].

* In the ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' parody of ''MrsDoubtfire'', the judge grants the main character's wife a divorce because he left the toilet seat up.

* An episode of ''TheDickVanDykeShow'' had the main couple almost divorcing for some silly reason. They go so far as to get a divorce attorney, who hands them a form to fill out. When they try to put their reason on paper, they both find it so ridiculous that they make up. Apparently, that paper goes on to save their marriage many a time, always by making them realize how trivial their complaints are.

* In ''MaryMary'', Mary makes her ex-husband Bob recall that he started packing his bags one night when he got into bed with her and she said, "Okay, let's get those colored lights going." His excuse for having divorced her over this "very small straw" is that he had been having a bad day.

* Due to the completely random nature of ''Videogame/TomodachiLife'', a player's Mii couple can wind up suddenly erupting in to a battle against each other for no reason other then the RandomNumberGod declaring the Miis should fight. Even if a Mii's relationship with their spouse is at maximum, they will still fight.

* In ''SpinCity'', Mayor Winston and an ex-girlfriend from his college days had apparently been driven apart by an overly competitive tennis match.
* Played with ''HowIMetYourMother'': Ted, Barney and Robin come home to discover telltale signs of a fight between Lily and Marshall. While Robin makes the correct guess that the fight was over Lily's terrible spending habits preventing them from getting a decent loan for the couple's new apartment (which Marshall only found out about when they went in to get the loan), Ted and Barney assume it was because Lily left the lid off of the peanut butter jar. Which makes all the more hilarious when Ted hits redial on the house phone and discovers that the last person called was a divorce attorney. [[spoiler: Subverted in that neither Lily nor Marshall want to get divorced: Lily only wanted to get divorced legally so that they could put the loan in Marshall's name and get a better rate; neither of them even considered breaking up their relationship. Marshall eventually nixes the plan, saying that even "divorce on paper" is too much for him; he treasures their marriage too much.]]

** The same sketch was later adapted to television for ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' (it doesn't go as far as a divorce -- the man makes a heartfelt apology for leaving the fridge door open, and they make up. Then they joke about what a scamp he is for having an affair with a younger, sexier woman).

* Due to the completely random nature of ''[[Videogame/TomodachiLife]]'', a player's Mii couple can wind up suddenly erupting in to a battle against each other for no reason other then the RandomNumberGod declaring the Miis should fight. Even if a Mii's relationship with their spouse is at maximum, they will still fight.

-->--'''Plutarch''' in the first century AD, making this OlderThanFeudalism

* Played with ''HowIMetYourMother'': Ted, Barney and Robin come home to discover telltale signs of a fight between Lily and Marshall. While Robin makes the correct guess that the fight was over Lily's terrible spending habits preventing them from getting a decent loan for the couple's new apartment (which Marshall only found out about when they went in to get the loan), Ted and Barney assume it was because Lily left the lid off of the peanut butter jar. Which makes all the more hilarious when Ted hits redial on the house phone and discovers that the last person called was a divorce attorney. [[spoiler: Subverted in that neither Lily or Marshall want to get divorced: Lily only wanted to get divorced legally so that they could put the loan in Marshall's name and get a better rate; neither of them even considered breaking up their relationship. Marshall eventually nixes the plan, saying that even "divorce on paper" is too much for him; he treasures their marriage too much.]]

* A sketch in ''ThatMitchellAndWebbSound'' has a woman and her husband half-heartedly arguing about his having an affair. Turns out she's really just itching to pick a fight because she hasn't gotten over the far worse trauma caused by him leaving the fridge door open a week earlier. She had to throw out almost a whole quiche!

* Played with ''HowIMetYourMother'': Ted, Barney and Robin come home to discover telltale signs of a fight between Lilly and Marshall. While Robin makes the correct guess that the fight was over Lilly's terrible spending habits preventing them from getting a decent loan for the couple's new apartment (which Marshall only found out about when they went in to get the loan), Ted and Barney assume it was because Lilly left the lid off of the peanut butter jar. Which makes all the more hilarious when Ted hits redial on the house phone and discovers that the last person called was a divorce attorney. [[spoiler: Subverted in that neither Lilly or Marshall want to get divorced: Lilly only wanted to get divorced legally so that they could put the loan in Marshall's name and get a better rate; neither of them even considered breaking up their relationship. Marshall eventually nixes the plan, saying that even "divorce on paper" is too much for him; he treasures their marriage too much.]]
** This also pops up in season nine. Marshall makes a very big decision without consulting Lilly but it is clearly something that a loving couple can work through. Then we find out that Marshall still has deep resentment and trust issues from seven years previously when Lilly broke off their engagement and left for San Francisco to pursue an art career. They never really addressed it after Lilly came back and they got back together. Over time it has festered with Marshall not trusting Lilly and subconsciously trying to "win" in their marriage to punish Lilly. It's lampshaded that if they do not deal with this properly, it will wreck their marriage sooner or later.

* PlayedForLaughs Music/WeirdAlYankovic's "Albuquerque": After getting married and having kids, one random night, his wife says to him, "Sweetie pumpkin, do you want to join the Columbia Record Club?" Not ready for that kind of commitment, they broke up and he never saw her again. But that's just the way things go in Aaaaaaaaaaalbuquerque.

See also MinorFlawMajorBreakup, RantInducingSlight, DisproportionateRetribution, SexChangesEverything.