Mad Men: The 10 Most Shameless Things Pete Has Ever Done

While Mad Men doesn’t really have an outright ‘evil’ character throughout the entire series, Pete Campbell is certainly the main character who can be most associated with that role. While he does have some good qualities, there are many moments when he really does get under the skin of the audience.

Everything Pete does seems to be from a good place in his own head. However, the vast majority of his decisions are incredibly selfish and with his rise in business in mind, no matter how much hurt it costs other people around him.

Over the course of the show, Pete does some despicable things to both his colleagues and his family, which made him a very unpopular character at times. Here are the 10 most shameful things that Pete Campbell has ever done.

10 Reading Don’s Post

One of the most shameful things that Pete Campbell does happen in season one of Mad Men when he learns about Don Draper’s history. While that secret is all down to Don, the manner of how Pete finds out is why it is shameful, taking a package that Don’s brother sent to his office.

He steals it and then reads all of his private information, which is totally a violation of his privacy. He then attempts to use the information to blackmail Don and then Bert into giving him a raise. Ultimately, things don’t go his way, but it proves that he is willing to sacrifice anything just to get some more money.

9 “Homo”

The working relationship between Pete and Lane is one that is certainly very strained throughout the show. The two of them simply do not get along at all, both having very different ideas of how they want business to be done. They come to blows on many occasions, including one moment where they literally fight during a meeting.

However, one shameful moment after the two of them end up in a high-class brothel, Pete slanders him by calling him a “homo.” Moments like this occasionally pop up on the show, as sadly that is how homosexuality was viewed at that time, but Pete is normally not like that, making this a shameful moment.

8 Treatment Of His Mother

Not all of Pete Campbell’s shameful moments come courtesy of work. Some of them happen through his personal life as well, with one example being his relationship with his mother. After her husband (Pete’s father) passes away, she begins to struggle living alone, and later in the show ends up being brought to his apartment by Pete’s brother.

He is supposed to be looking after her, but instead of being a caring son who wants to give back to his mother for a few days, he goes the totally opposite way. He shows her no respect, consistently treating her poorly which is a shameful moment to see as he desperately just wants to get rid of her.

7 Belittling Peggy

No part of the situation between Pete and Peggy shines him in a good light. He has an affair with her while in a relationship with Trudy, and unknowingly gets her pregnant. However, one moment, in particular, showed how little he cares for her when the entire staff is enjoying a night out.

Peggy, clearly trying to impress Pete begins to dance around, doing the twist with her coworkers. However, Pete simply belittles her and says “I don’t like you like this.” Clearly showing he wants to be in control of a timid woman, which rocks Peggy’s confidence.

6 Pete’s Gun

During his wedding with Trudy, they accidentally end up with not just one, but two Chip n’ Dip’s, so Trudy leaves him with the responsibility of going to the store to exchange it for something. He does that, but can only get store credit and he spends that credit immediately.

Instead of getting something for the home or for Trudy, he instead purchases a gun, which lives in his office. It’s a moment that leaves Trudy furious as her Auntie got them the original gift. It shows that Pete just doesn’t really care about her, right from the start.

5 Sleeping With His Friends Wife

Pete Campbell sleeps with several different characters throughout Mad Men, but one of the most shameful moments comes through his affair with Beth Dawes. He becomes friends with her husband during his commutes into the city and finds out they’re not happy together.

However, instead of acting like a proper friend, Pete takes advantage of the situation as best as he can. He ends up sleeping with Beth several times, kicking off with her husband in the middle of the train where they end up having a fight.

4 Brothel Visits

Pete Campbell isn’t the only character who pays a visit to a brothel throughout Mad Men, however, he does so more consistently than anyone else (at least on-screen). He is also the only one who ends up bumping into his father-in-law after they have both paid a visit to different women.

This obviously creates huge tension between them and is a shameful moment for both men. However, Pete manages to make the situation even worse when he decides to try and use the situation to blackmail him into keeping his business, which doesn’t work out.

3 Cheating On Trudy

Pete really did strike gold with Trudy. Right from the start, it was clear she was out of his league, not only by her appearance but also her kindness, humor, and overall personality. However, Pete chooses to cheat on her at every turn he gets.

Whether it is at work, in a brothel, or even with one of their local neighbors, Pete seemingly cannot help himself and just needs to continue this slippery path. He treats his wife with little to no respect, despite all she puts up with, proving he is just a shameful man in general.

2 The Au Pair

Another of Pete Campbell’s most shameful moments comes when he forces himself upon his German neighbour. While it isn’t clear how much consent the woman gives, what is obvious is that she isn’t comfortable with him forcing himself upon her to have sex.

The girl is only young and Pete takes advantage of the opportunity, claiming that he deserves a reward for helping her damage a gown. Instead of taking a simple hint for an answer, Pete continues with his behavior to the point where she isn’t happy, forcing her to actually leave the job.

1 Selling Joan

Without a doubt, the worst thing that Pete Campbell does is when he makes the decision to agree to the terms with Jaguar in order to land the account. The problem is, that what those terms are is a Jaguar executive getting to be with Joan Holloway for the evening.

While several other partners do agree (minus Don Draper), none of them is happy with it. However, at no point does Pete seem to have an issue, and he pushes to make it happen simply for the sake of landing an account. It shows he has no care for Joan or her body and just highlights how low he will stoop.

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