The following article contains discussions of sexual harassment and sexual assault

Television kisses are known to be quite memorable. Whether as part of a series-long “will they or won’t they?” subplot culminating in a kiss that was worth the wait or a sudden peck that creates conflict for characters, kisses pull a lot of emotion out of both television audiences — and the actors performing them. However, these oftentimes uncomfortable scenes to film can lead to problems for cast and crew, be it a negative reaction from audiences or behind-the-scenes turmoil that threatened the show’s very existence.

In some cases, TV kisses have been known to stir up controversy for pushing the limits of what was acceptable on television at any given point in history. In other cases, an actor’s admission of what it was really like on set while filming said scene has created problems for co-stars, directors, and producers. Particularly in an entertainment industry before on-set experts and itimacy coordinators changed Hollywood forever, romantic moments could often be a minefield for professionals.

These 12 TV smooches, for one reason or another, caused a lot of issues for actors, directors, and producers off-camera. More often than not, these issues led to people getting fired, cancelled, or other heaps of trouble. 

“Little House on the Prairie” was one of the most iconic television shows of the 1970s, though some moments during filming aren’t exactly fond memories for certain cast members. This was particularly the case for Melissa Gilbert, who broke out on the show playing Laura Ingalls, the daughter of Michael Landon’s Charles Ingalls. At 15 years old, Gilbert had her first kiss, both on-screen and in real-life, in the episode “Sweet Sixteen,” though there was some on-set turmoil that nearly prevented it from happening.

The turmoil came from Gilbert’s mother, who was upset that Gilbert’s first kiss at 15 was with her TV husband, played by Dean Butler, who was 23 at the time. However, years later, Gilbert herself revealed she was also uncomfortable with the kiss, writing in her memoir (via Daily Mail), “Today that eight-year-difference between us is a tiny gap, but 45 years ago, it was the Grand Canyon.”

Nevertheless, Butler has defended the kiss, saying it was an important moment for the characters, though not everyone who watched “Little House on the Prairie” agreed. The episode received complaints from viewers who felt the relationship between a teenager and an adult man depicted on the show was inappropriate.

In a similar vein to the history-making kiss between Kirk and Uhura on “Star Trek,” the ABC sitcom “Roseanne” also broke new ground for TV audiences. In the Season 6 episode “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which aired in 1994, Roseanne goes to a gay bar in order to prove her coolness, until she attracts the attention of Sharon (Mariel Hemingway). When Sharon unexpectedly kisses Roseanne, problems not only rose on screen for the characters, but behind the scenes for the showrunners as well. 

Upon learning of the kiss, ABC executives threatened to pull the episode from their schedule in an act of censorship. Nevertheless, thanks to Barr’s threat to move “Roseanne” to another network, as well as producer Tom Arnold spilling the beans about the controversy prior to airing, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” aired in its original form, albeit with a warning label and the loss of a few sponsors. 

The episode was praised by many for tackling the issue of homophobia, but the mixed to negative reactions from conservatives actually made it harder for future shows, like “Friends,” to portray same-sex relationships. Nevertheless, “Roseanne” poked fun at the controversy in later episodes, while Hemingway also made reference to it in her 1995 “Saturday Night Live” monologue, kissing several of the show’s female cast members backstage. 

Sometimes, the most troublesome on-screen kisses aren’t just the ones that are unscripted, but the ones that happen to real people, not characters. The 75th Academy Awards, which aired on ABC in 2003, is a notable example of this, as it was the year Adrien Brody won best actor for “The Pianist.” In one of the more memorable moments from the night, Brody forcibly kissed presenter Halle Berry, who had won best actress the previous year for “Monster’s Ball,” before accepting his award.

Given that it was one of the most jaw-dropping Oscars moments of all time, there have been mixed feelings about it in retrospect from all sides. In a series of reactions from the Chicago Tribune, one reader wrote, “When I watched the event, it made me extremely uncomfortable–the same way I’d feel if I saw any other total stranger force a kiss on someone else. What [Brody] did goes beyond the realm of polite or impolite. It was abusive.”

To make matters worse, it seems Brody and Berry have different recollections of the moment itself. Brody cited the kiss as memorable enough to make it feel as if “time slowed down,” while Berry expressed a much different reaction on “Watch What Happens Live”: “I was like, ‘What the f**k is happening right now?’ That was what was going through my mind.”

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

It’s not surprising that a show like “Once Upon a Time,” which takes place in a world where fairy tales are real, would inspire some fairy tale love stories of its own. At least, that’s what seemed to be the cast between co-stars Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas, who played Snow White and Prince Charming on the show, respectively. The only thing that seemed to prove problematic for this romance was that, at the time they began filming the show, Dallas was married to Lara Pulver of “Sherlock” fame, and Goodwin was engaged to Joey Kern.

It seems like their characters’ on-screen love affair may have inspired an off-screen one as well, considering Dallas told Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest on “Live with Kelly and Ryan” when asked if they had to resist falling in love on set, “We didn’t fight it, we went straight for it.” They eventually went public with their romance only a few months after Dallas’ divorce, which suggests these co-stars must’ve really enjoyed kissing each other as Snow White and Prince Charming.

While there’s no confirmation that Goodwin and Dallas’ on-screen smooching may have started in bad faith, it’s safe to say that the simultaneous end of Goodwin’s engagement and Dallas’ marriage may be connected. At the very least, it seems like the two have built a loving life together, as they got married in 2014 and have had two kids together. 

It’s always difficult to navigate when a TV show has kissing scenes taking place between minors. In the case of “Stranger Things,” it’s even more problematic if the kisses aren’t planned. The second season finale, “The Gate,” ends with the annual Snow Ball at the teens’ school, where Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) dance and smooch together. However, the scene also features the first kiss for Max (Sadie Sink) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) — a kiss that wasn’t supposed to happen when the actors showed up on set.

As Sink revealed in the “Beyond Stranger Things” after-show on Netflix, she was told by co-creator Ross Duffer that she was going to have to kiss McLaughlin, which caused her to freak out. As Duffer explained (via IndieWire), “I was just joking — and you were so freaked out that I was like, ‘Well, I gotta make her do it now.’ … That’s what happened, that’s why I’m saying it’s your fault.”

The admission resulted in some vitriol from fans online, who suggested that the Duffer Brothers coaxing the two child actors into kissing on-camera when they weren’t prepared for it, with the caveat of it being McLaughlin’s first kiss, was highly inappropriate. At the very least, Sink has a good attitude looking back at the incredibly cringeworthy TV moment.

“Riverdale” is no stranger to over-indulgent make-out scenes, but the final season really kicked things up a notch. In the episode “Sex Education,” most the main cast experience a simultaneous dream sequence with quite a lot of kissing among the cast, though one cast member was especially uncomfortable on the day of filming. Not because of backlash from fans or celebrities or because of behind-the-scenes drama … because of allergies.

Lili Reinhart, who plays Betty, has by her own admission kissed almost every character on “Riverdale,” but for this dream sequence, she mostly locked lips with KJ Apa, who plays Archie. However, some of the precautions the set decorators took to make the scene more enchanting were inconvenient, as Reinhart told Entertainment Weekly: “We had these little things floating in the air to try to make it look romantic … But I was fully allergic to it. So I had to keep stepping off of set in between takes because my whole body was itching.”

It’s always a helpful reminder that oftentimes, scenes with heavy kissing between co-stars are rarely as comfortable as they seem, especially when actors are risking their health for it. That being said, this kissing montage is far from the craziest things to happen in “Riverdale.”