History Main / BasementDweller

* ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' episode "Substitutes" has Porcupine Pete, who not only has his mom drive him and the other audition rejects around, but also has the best moment of his life ruined by his mother arriving and saying it's his ''nap time''. Although technically Pete and the rest of the Subs are still teenagers so him living with his mom makes more sense, and this may count as a subversion.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Comic Book Guy is subject to GeographicFlexibility. Apparently someone thought this would make a worthy gag to have him living in his parents' basement after they'd ''already established'' that he lives above his shop (it's one of those business-on-the-first-floor-home-on-the-second-floor buildings common in small-town USA).

* ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'': The main character Dudley Puppy and leader of D.O.O.M. Verminious Snaptrap are both shown to still live with their mothers (Dudley eventually does get his own place, but it's a treehouse in his mother's backyard, so there isn't much distinction).

* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'':
** In the ''WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail'' "road trip" Strong Bad mocks the sender, reading his signature of "That Guy From That Place" as "Pete From Pete's Parents' Basement".

* ''Film/{{Fanboys}}'': Hutch is a man in his mid-20s who resides in his mom's garage ([[InsistentTerminology or "carriage house," as he likes to call it]]).

* On ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'', Earl tries to make up for poking a hole in his crush/babysitter's condom. He finds the girl, who has married the guy who got her pregnant, and they have an unemployed adult son who dropped out of high school and leeches off his parents. Earl decides to help him truly become an adult. HilarityEnsues.

* Played for laughs in Music/NinjaSexParty's "Welcome to my Parents' House", where a still-at-home Danny tries to make his parents' house sound like the sickest crash pad ever to his date. (Free pizza rolls! Can you believe it?) Interestingly, in the music video, his date is only briefly surprised, then just rolls with it.

* In the Franchise/SpiderMan story ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'', Peter Parker is now an unmarried, perpetually unemployed man who lives with his aunt. Hilariously, Screwball accused him of living by his momma. Spidey shouted "No", mentally adding "auntie, not momma". Thankfully, he eventually moves out.

* [[TheSlacker Lazy and unwilling to earn a living]] for himself. (May be a {{NEET}}.) If he ''does'' have a job, it'll likely either be something on the lower end of the earning ladder (i.e. a BurgerFool, SoulSuckingRetailJob, or something else along those lines), or he works from home on the computer and so he doesn't need to leave the house, especially if he doesn't have to work from home. Even then, he’ll still be lazy to help around the house even with a job.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI_f7qMGVH8 This British Dulux paint advert]] wherein a couple get their thirty something rocker son to move out by... painting his room yellow?
* An irate man is gathering signatures against an upcoming ''Franchise/StarTrek'' marathon on [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci Fi Channel]], ranting how only losers who live in their mother's basements watch this stuff. The old lady he's talking to suggests her son might be interested. "I'll just get him. He's in the basement." [[MuggingTheMonster Cue an enormous cosplayer dressed as a Klingon warrior emerging from the basement and knocking the man unconscious]].

* Creator/MarkWaid once tweeted that he stopped using this as an insult when he realized that "thirty-year old who lives in his parent's basement" also applies to ''Franchise/{{Batman}}''. (Although it must be added that [[DeathByOriginStory said parents]] [[MemeticMutation are dead]].)

* ''Film/BabyBoy'': Jody's mom calls him out for being a grown man living at home, until he points out that ''she'' never moved out and simply inherited her house from her own mother.

* The movie ''Film/FailureToLaunch'' deals with a group of grown men living with their parents who exhibit stereotypical nerd behavior. Subverted though, in that the "nerdiest" of the group actually owns the home he lives in, and took in his mother because that's what you do when your mother has nowhere else to go. In fact everyone in the group but the main character has some sort of technicality which makes them not ''really'' live with their parents, which is used to explain why only said main character is [[AnimalsHateHim attacked by chipmunks and dolphins]].

* ''Film/TheHangover'': {{Manchild}} Alan films refers to himself as a stay at home son. Even his dad thinks it's ridiculous that his 42-year old son is still living home. He gets his meals served to him in his room by his mother.
* Subverted early into ''Theatre/{{Harvey}}''. Myrtle Mae complains to her mother how her uncle Elwood does nothing but lounge around the house all day and still lives with his older sister. Veta promptly corrects her that Elwood inherited the entire family fortune so ''they're'' the ones living with ''him.''
* In the beginning of ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine'', Jacob lives in his uncle Adam's basement and refuses to get a job or do anything with his life.

* ''Film/{{Mallrats}}'': Comic loving slacker Brodie lives in his mother's basement. [[spoiler: His girlfriend dumps him for this reason.]]

* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': Bill Walter is a 30+ something man who still lives with his parents (later his grandmother).

* Beryl Bainbridge's comic novel ''Literature/YoungAdolf'' expands on the not unproven story that sometime around 1911 or 1912, the young Adolf Hitler travelled to Liverpool, England, and stayed here with his sister and brother-in-law.[[note]]Who are known to have lived in Liverpool prior to UsefulNotes/WW1; Hitler may well have lived with them for a short period, although this is not conclusively proven.[[/note]] Hitler is expected to stop being an idle waster, get a job, knuckle down and take advantage of the opportunity to learn some English. However, the unemployed failed student carries on taking advantage of others and carries on behaving like an idle entitled drifter. The amusing idea of Hitler speaking English with a Scouse accent is explored, but the picture that emerges is of a parasitical Basement Dweller that won't go away.

* Harry from ''Literature/ScaryGodmother'' is a freeloading werewolf who lives in his mother's basement and surfs the internet all day. ''Wild About Harry'' revolves his mother kicking him out of the house. He tries to mooch off of his friends instead of finding an apartment and job.

* In an episode of ''Series/SexAndTheCity'', Carrie begins dating someone who still lives with his parents. She is uncertain about it at first, and is concerned he is too financially dependent on his parents. Regardless, the high-rise apartment he lives in is far from being a basement, and his mother is always making snacks for him and Carrie. The episode ends with the mother finding his large bag of weed in the apartment. With a hangdog expression, he lies and says its Carrie's. Instead of defending herself, Carrie goes along with the lie, and leaves the apartment with the weed.
* Jess dates a guy who still lives with his parents in an episode of ''Series/NewGirl''. She is hesitant to it at first, but quickly realises the parents are much more interesting, lively and welcoming than him.
* There was a series called ''Series/GetALife'' starring Chris Elliott that aired on Fox in the early 90's. Elliott's character was an epitome of this trope, although he lived in an apartment over his parents' garage, rather than in the basement.

* Played with in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''. When what's left of the Cardassian resistance movement are on the run on Cardassia, they end up hiding in the basement of the house Garak grew up in; complete with an overbearing mother-figure who feeds them and makes them do chores. Garak shelters there, and if it never definitely says she is his mother, she acts damn close. Still, [[MagnificentBastard he]] [[MysteriousPast certainly]] [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder is not]] a shiftless [[AffablyEvil loser]]. Eventually they realise they can't hide there forever, go out into the streets and start rousing the people to revolt.
* In ''Series/{{Girls}}'', unemployed college graduate 24-year old Hannah still gets room and board from her parents. The show begins right when they cut her off because they fear they can't afford a retirement home if they just keep funding her. Hannah already quits looking for a job after only one failed interview (she did seem rude in the interview to say the least) and instead runs back to her parents asking for money again, which only makes them laugh then get angry and shoo her away. Hannah walks out with $40 her parents left in cash on the table.

** Xander Harris, who does not enroll in college during the fourth season and lives in his parents' basement, where he pays rent. He gets his own place in season five, about the time he's shown to take charge of his life by getting a permanent job and a steady girlfriend. By season seven, everyone seems to be living in the Summers household, but that's for mutual protection.

** Spike in parts of Season 4 and 7. ("I'm chained in a bathtub, drinking pig's blood from a novelty mug!")

** In one episode, Tony and Ziva interview the web master of a porn site who lives in his mother's basement. He also collects ''Franchise/StarWars'' toys as "investments" and met the site's owner/performer on his paper route. When Tony asks if his mother knows he's being interviewed by federal agents, the man looks down and admits he told her it's a job interview. Tony doesn't bother to hide his laugh, and Ziva guffaws hysterically.

* The most extreme example of this is Ted from ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', the pathetically inept sad-sack attorney who not only lives with his mother, but [[{{Squick}} shares a bed with her.]]

** Robert Barone is forced to move in with his parents -- even though he bought their house from them, and ends up having to give it back to them after he loses his apartment, he's cast as the "loser" because he's a man in his mid-40's living with his parents. The first time he moves out, he ends up in an apartment above the garage of the Jewish versions of Frank and Marie. They even cook his dinner, boss him, and ignore him in order to pay attention to Ray.
** Then there is Amy's brother Peter, who when first introduced is running a failing comic shop in Pennsylvania but still living in his parents' basement. When Amy and Robert marry, Peter is a ManChild living in the basement and the despair of his parents. They take advantage of his staying in New York as an effective Basement-Dweller first with Robert and Amy, and briefly with Ray and Debra, to clear the basement, emphatically hinting it's time for him to move out. This makes him a problem for the extended Barone family. [[note]]he begins to shape up and accept responsibilities when he takes Robert's old apartment. And then he meets the sympathetic Peggy.[[/note]]

** Kelly herself is also a Basement Dweller of sorts. Several gags imply that [[DumbBlonde she's too stupid]] [[BrainlessBeauty to take care of herself]] and she'll always be dependent on Al and Peg. She also turns into a ButtMonkey after she graduates from high school, as she's stuck in a series of dead-end jobs, largely fails to make it as an actress and never succeeds at being a GoldDigger.

* Double-subversion on ''Series/GoodEats''. There's a 32-year-old and unemployed man who's having trouble cooking for himself. He lives on his own in a small apartment, but has his mother come by every morning to fix breakfast (and presumably other meals) for him. Alton and an assistant by the name of Clarence teach him how to make coffee, bacon, eggs, and hash browns. It's also revealed that his mom still does his laundry.

* ''Series/BobHeartsAbishola'' has Chukwuemeka, the RomanticFalseLead competing with Bob for Abishola. He's a handsome pharmacist, but a sexist mama's boy. In fact, his mother Ogeche is the one who introduced Abishola to her son. When Abishola choses Bob, Chukwuemeka tries dating Kemi instead. The first date went awful and Abishola tells Kemi that "There's a reason why a man that handsome still lives with his mother." Kemi keeps seeing Chukwuemeka however, even though Ogeche is doing everything she can to mess things up.

** Nora Dershlit returns in the following episode and is revealed to still be living with her parents. Freddie starts to laugh, until he notices the hypocrisy.

* ''Series/WeirdScience'': Chett Donnelly doesn't live in the basement and is aggressively macho instead of nerdy, but he otherwise ticks a lot of the boxes. The first episode has him moving back in after giving up being in the Marines, claiming they lost their way but clearly just wanting to mooch off the folks. He only worked a handful of paying jobs throughout the entire series (often under threat of being kicked out) and, for the most part, was content to goof around all day watching TV. He does have something of a social life, dating fairly regularly and having his own hangouts, but even his friends[[note]]one of whom, as a contrast, is married, has kids, and owns his own house[[/note]] don't particularly like him. Despite his age, he's far more immature than Wyatt and often acts as a BigBrotherBully towards him out of frustration for having been TheUnfavorite for years. It's implied the folks would've kicked Chett out early on if not for the fact that Wyatt is still a minor and they're always away because of work.

** Bradley, who is the brother of Milton, still lives with his NervousWreck of a mother despite appearing to be in his late 20s, although it's never stated whether he lives in the basement or not. As opposed to going outside, he spends a majority of his time creating board games, with his newest one, ''Swamps N' Gators'', having the capability to put players in the game as pawns.

-->Ain't had a job in about a year. Living down in my parents basement.

* Toni Cipriani in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto III'' is a Mafia boss who still lives with his mom and frequently gets yelled at by her. Not that he's always lived with her; three years before the game he'd been living alone (and far away from Mama) for a while. He just had to move back in at her insistence - she can be very... persuasive. This is also part of the [[NationalStereotypes Italian]] stereotype of men, no matter how independent, tough or respected outside of the home, still are [[MyBelovedSmother dominated by their mothers]].

** Jimmy De Santa from ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV GTA V]]'' is a far better example of this trope since all former examples were not of Anglo-American descent & earning their own living, therefore they get less stigma associated with this trope. He constantly sits up in his room, masturbates, smokes pot and plays video games without making an attempt to get a job or move out.

* The console versions of ''VideoGame/TheSims1'' have a mission mode called "Get a Life". The very first level has your adult player character living in their mother's house, with the objectives centered around gaining life skills, money and a job so they can move out.

* In ''Webcomic/RealLifeComics'', while camping out in front of a store for a game, a guy, Greg's age, came by to sit in line. He didn't have anything else to do since his Mom's basement was being bug bombed and then he offered to play ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' cards with him.

* ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'': Linkara hasn't moved out of his parent's house in 30 years, as [[http://atopthefourthwall.com/superman-vs-the-terminator-1/ his review of Superman v. Terminator]] reveals. As of the 100th episode, he's finally moved out with his girlfriend Iron Liz to an apartment, and rigged his old home to blow on unauthorized entry.

* ''WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment'': Until fairly recently, Spoony lived in his parents's basement. He ended one review on an explosive cliffhanger in case the circumstances of his move out rendered him unable to continue filming.

* Website/{{Update}} is told from the perspective of an unemployed 31-year old man who lives in his parents' trailer.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' episode "Big Superhero Wish": The middle-aged writer of the [[ColorCharacter Crimson Chin]] lives his with his mother and receives a magazine called "Geeks Who Live With Their Mothers Monthly". Not that [[SadistTeacher Denzel Crocker]] is any better...

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Comic Book Guy is subject to GeographicFlexibility. Apparently someone thought this would make a worthy gag to have him living in his parent's basement after they'd ''already established'' that he lives above his shop (it's one of those business-on-the-first-floor-home-on-the-second-floor buildings common in smalltown USA).

* Oz from ''WesternAnimation/FanboyAndChumChum'' fits this trope to a T. He's an adult, action figure-collecting, obese comic book nerd who lives with his mother. They technically run a comic book shop together, although in "The Hard Sell" it's revealed they're unable to sell anything due to Oz's infatuation towards the items.
* In ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' "The Witches of East Arlen", Bobby joins a group of "wizards" who appear to be basement dwellers as the leader Ward who looks middle aged lives in his mother's house.
* Wade from ''WesternAnimation/KickButtowskiSuburbanDaredevil'', while not a nerd but a severe slacker, tells Kick and Gunther that he lived in his step-mom's basement but she kicked him out... Turns out she lived in a trailer and the basement was just a hole in the ground underneath it.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Zephyr Breeze, the younger brother of Fluttershy, tries to reintegrate his parents' home at the beginning of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E12FlutterBrutter Flutter Brutter]]", because he can't find a job. His mom and dad aren't exactly pleased (since he's wholly insufferable) but are too meek to straight-out refuse.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'': Dennis, Ludo's brother is a grown man who still lives in his parents’ home, and they often complain that he’s not doing anything good with his life, blowing stuff up, and thus becoming a deadbeat like Ludo. Dennis eventually moves out of his parents' home.

* Trent from ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' is in his early 20s and living in his parents' house with no job, and no formal education (he's not even entirely sure if he graduated high school), has no motive to go and find a job, and if he isn't sleeping, he's rehearsing with his band, Mystik Spyral. Daria, who had a crush on him in the earlier seasons, once expressed that she at the very least hopes his music career pans out because she can't imagine him doing much else. He's definitely a far more sympathetic depiction of this trope however.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' episode "Carpe Museum", school guidance counselor Phillip Frond reveals that he still lives with his mother. The museum director, who he's been flirting with the entire episode, ''immediately'' loses interest in him when she learns this.

* Toni Cipriani in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto III'' is a Mafia boss who still lives with his mom and frequently gets yelled at by her. Not that he's always lived with her; three years before the game he'd been living alone (and far away from Mama) for a while. He just had to move back in at her insistence - she can be very... persuasive. This is also part of the [[NationalStereotypes Italian]] stereotype of men, no matter how independent, tough or respected outside of the home, still are dominated by their mothers.

* Similarly, Wiki/{{Uncyclopedia}} articles assume that all the [[SelfDeprecation editors]] and [[TakeThatAudience readers]] must be basement-dwellers.

* In ''Film/EightMM'', [[spoiler:the killer]] lives with his mom, [[spoiler:who is completely oblivious to his problems]].

* Dave's cousin Toby from ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks: The Squeakel'' who lives in his grandmother's basement and plays video games all day.
* In ''Film/BabyBoy'', Jody's mom calls him out for being a grown man living at home, until he points out that ''she'' never moved out and simply inherited her house from her own mother.
* In ''Film/BadlyDrawnRoy'', Roy continues to live at home because he can't hold down a job despite being in his thirties, which causes [[spoiler:friction and arguments between him and his parents as well as [[{{Mockumentary}} running away from the camera]]. He eventually checks himself into a rehabilitation center because of his depression]].

* In ''Film/BringMeTheHeadOfTheMachineGunWoman'', Santiago lives with his mother. While he has a job as a DJ (which his mother disapproves of), the rest of his life seems to revolve around video games, with his ambition being to create the world's most awesome video game.

* {{Manchild}} Alan from ''Film/TheHangover'' films refers to himself as a stay at home son. Even his dad thinks it's ridiculous that his 42-year old son is still living home. He gets his meals served to him in his room by his mother.

* In ''Film/JaneWantsABoyfriend'', 25-year-old Jane lives with her parents. When her parents move to New Jersey, she moves in with her older sister instead.
* David from ''Film/KeepTheChange2017'' is an unemployed aspiring filmmaker who lives with his parents.

* In ''Film/LizzieBordensRevenge'', Bobby still lives with his mother, in her basement. He is very defensive about it:

* In ''Film/{{Mallrats}}'', comic loving slacker Brodie lives in his mother's basement. [[spoiler: His girlfriend dumps him for this reason.]]
* In ''Film/MenInBlackII'', Agents J and K get intel from a conspiracy theorist guy who lives in his mom's attic. They claim to be from his therapy group. [[spoiler:They end up convincing him to move out after deneuralizing him]].
* Duane from ''Film/MostLikelyToMurder2018'' lives with his mother and sister, despite working as a realtor. Lowell also lived with his mother before her death.
* Bart from ''Film/TheNightClerk2020'' lives with his mom, despite being employed.
* Subverted in ''Film/OfDiceAndMen.'' John Francis lives in his mom's basement, but he doesn't have any of the social problems normally associated with the trope, and he's about to move out in order to take a job offer in another town.
* In ''Film/ThePallbearer'', Creator/DavidSchwimmer still lives in his childhood bedroom.
* In ''Film/{{Pixels}}'', Ludlow, ConspiracyTheorist with NoSocialSkills, lives in his grandma's basement.
* In ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'', Tony lives with his parents, even though his mother wants him to move out and become a priest like his older brother Frankie. He ''does'' end up moving out eventually to live with Stephanie.
* Teddy in ''Film/SaveYourLegs'' is living in his mate Stavros' garage. Stavros' wife does not approve of this arrangement.
* Stephen in ''Film/TheScore'' lives in a HackerCave in his mother's basement.

* Jeffrey Middleton from ''Film/Snatched2017'' is a middle-aged [[TheShutIn shut in]] who lives with his mother Linda and is too terrified of germs to leave the house.
* Dale Doback and Brennan Huff from ''Film/StepBrothers'' both live with their single parents (Dale with his widowed father and Brennan with his divorced mother). The plot of the film kicks off when Dale's father marries Brennan's mother.

* The whole plot of ''Film/{{Tanguy}}'' involves exasperated parents who try to get their grown son (the title character) to move the hell out so they can have their own lives back. This French film appeared to have hit a chord with the public, as the name "Tanguy" has basically become a generic word for Basement-Dweller in French-speaking countries, where it's not uncommon to hear people complain that their son is a Tanguy.
* Subverted in ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'' by Agent Simmons. When questioned about living with his mother, he states "She lives with me. [[TruthInTelevision There's a big difference]]."

* Speaking of Tim Allen, his role as Zoom in ''Film/ZoomAcademyForSuperheroes'' has him meeting his fans and asking how many of them still live in their Mom's basement. All but Creator/ChevyChase raise their hands. This is followed by what [[http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Zoom__Academy_for_Superheroes_2006.aspx?Page=3 the movie's Agony Booth Review]] refers to as ''"Awkward Silence Which Is Supposed to Be Funny[[TradeSnark ?]]"''

* Double-subversion on ''Series/GoodEats''. There's a 32-year-old (HollywoodDateless and unemployed) man who's having trouble cooking for himself. He lives on his own in a small apartment, but has his mother come by every morning to fix breakfast (and presumably other meals) for him. Alton and an assistant by the name of Clarence teach him how to make coffee, bacon, eggs, and hash browns. It's also revealed that his mom still does his laundry.

** Doug and Rob moved out of their parents's house around the time of ''Film/TheRoom'' review. Then, they had a [[BigFancyHouse big and gorgeous]]. Now, they are married and live in different houses.

* [[TheSlacker Lazy and unwilling to earn a living]] for himself. (May be a {{NEET}}.) If he ''does'' have a job, it'll likely either be something on the lower end of the earning ladder (i.e. a BurgerFool, SoulSuckingRetailJob, or something else along those lines), or he works from home on the computer and so he doesn't need to leave the house, especially if he doesn't have to work from home.

** The first episode reveals that two divorces and a failed startup company forced Freddie to move back in with his mom.

* Lazy and unwilling to earn a living for himself. (May be a {{NEET}}.) If he ''does'' have a job, it'll likely either be something on the lower end of the earning ladder (i.e. a BurgerFool, SoulSuckingRetailJob, or something else along those lines), or he works from home and so doesn't need to leave the house, especially if he doesn't have to work from home.
* Childish and requires everything to be done for him.
* [[NerdsAreVirgins Can't get any]] and hasn't moved out to start a family.
* Technically ''unable'' to earn a living for himself (i.e. unable to get a job).
* Has NoSocialSkills.

Note that this trope only seems to apply when the character is ''introduced'' as an adult living with his parents. On most {{dom com}}s, characters who were children when the show premiered often continue to live at home after reaching adulthood, sometimes even moving into the basement to have more personal space. This is because the alternative would be either creating a whole new set for their new home/college dorm and splitting the plot between the parents' and the adult child's activities, or making them into a DropInCharacter who only occasionally appears, which can hurt ratings if the kid is a popular character. An accepted compromise is to just invent a reason why they're still living with their parents, especially since by this point, the sitcom could be in its last few seasons.

Note that living with one's parents is a stigma mainly in the USA and other Anglosphere countries, where working-age adults are expected to live on their own, so [[ValuesDissonance this trope shouldn't be applied to characters from cultures where this is the norm]]. This trope has become much less stigmatizing in RealLife, however, as problems and deficits in the economy have been sending more and more adults back to their parents' homes, and some in the newer generation don't even leave in the first place. [[https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2017/08/young-adults.html And if this article is any indication, this trope could even become discredited at some point in the future.]] [[https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2016/05/24/for-first-time-in-modern-era-living-with-parents-edges-out-other-living-arrangements-for-18-to-34-year-olds/ In fact, it may already be that "near future"]].

* Toni Cipriani in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto III'' is a Mafia boss who still lives with his mom and frequently gets yelled at by her. Not that he's always lived with her; three years before the game he'd been living alone (and far away from Mama) for a while. He just had to move back in at her insistence - she can be very... persuasive. This is also part of the [[AcceptableEthnicTargets Italian]] stereotype of men, no matter how independent, tough or respected outside of the home, still are dominated by their mothers.

Note that living with one's parents is a stigma mainly in the USA and other Anglosphere countries, where working-age adults are expected to live on their own, so [[ValuesDissonance this trope shouldn't be applied to characters from cultures where this is the norm]]. This trope has become much less stigmatizing in RealLife, however, as problems and deficits in the economy have been sending more and more adults back to their parents' homes, and some in the newer generation don't even leave in the first place. [[https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2017/08/young-adults.html And if this article is any indication, this trope could even become discredited at some point in the future.]] [[https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2016/05/24/for-first-time-in-modern-era-living-with-parents-edges-out-other-living-arrangements-for-18-to-34-year-olds/ In fact, it may already be that "near future".]]


For a more serious treatment of this as a social problem, see {{Hikikomori}}. Not to be confused with MadwomanInTheAttic. Compare TheHermit and TheThingThatWouldNotLeave. See also LoserProtagonist.

* A Burger King commercial features a [[CueTheFlyingPigs winged pig]] who ''used'' to be this, but is now finally moving out.

* ''Fanfic/Plan7Of9FromOuterSpace''. Dr Zarkendorf brings this up during his TheyCalledMeMad rant. "They called me a nerd--they said I should get out of my mother's basement and get a life!" The alien invader D'Ork of the Thorkoth turns out to have the same issues.

* ''Fanfic/ZimTheWarlordIrkenReversion'' eventually reveals that Zim has been letting former Table-Headed Service Drone Bob live in the basement of his base ever since the two of them survived the ending of the episode "Hobo 13". Skoodge likewise starts living down there when he arrives on Earth during Zim's six month coma, much to Zim's annoyance (he lets Skoodge stay, he's just irritated Bob allowed him in without Zim's permission first).

* Beryl Bainbridge's comic novel ''Literature/YoungAdolf'' expands on the not unproven story that sometime around 1911 or 1912, the young Adolf Hitler travelled to Liverpool, England, and stayed here with his sister and brother-in-law.[[note]]Who are known to have lived in Liverpool prior to UsefulNotes/WW1; Hitler may well have lived with them for a short period, although this is not conclusively proven.[[/note]].\ Hitler is expected to stop being an idle waster, get a job, knuckle down and take advantage of the opportunity to learn some English. However, the unemployed failed student carries on taking advantage of others and carries on behaving like an idle entitled drifter. The amusing idea of Hitler speaking English with a Scouse accent is explored, but the picture that emerges is of a parasitical Basement Dweller that won't go away.

* The Covid-19 pandemic caused a number of jokes to emerge involving basement dwellers pulling a WhosLaughingNow at the number of people who now had to stay inside their homes, possibly without jobs, and rely on electronic entertainment to stay occupied, or not having ''noticed'' that people were staying indoors.

A stereotypical {{Nerd}} who, [[{{Manchild}} despite being a grown adult, still behaves like an adolescent]], right down to living with his parents. While the decor of his PosterGalleryBedroom is subject to the tastes of the character, be sure there will be a computer to communicate with the outside world. It's always PlayedForLaughs. More importantly, the subject is AlwaysMale. There is much less stigma against a female character living at home - in the past, women were expected to stay with their parents until they married, men were expected to go out and earn money so they could be breadwinners while being shamed and/or shunned if they didn't do so, and these ideas still endure in many cultures today. This makes the trope a DoubleStandard against men (but see below).

Note that living with one's parents is a stigma mainly in the USA and other Anglosphere countries, where working-age adults are expected to live on their own, so [[ValuesDissonance this trope shouldn't be applied to characters from cultures where this is the norm]]. This trope has become much less stigmatizing in RealLife, however, as problems and deficits in the economy have been sending more and more adults back to their parents' homes, and some in the newer generation don't even leave in the first place. [[https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2017/08/young-adults.html And if this article is any indication, this trope could even become discredited at some point in the future.]] [[https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2016/05/24/for-first-time-in-modern-era-living-with-parents-edges-out-other-living-arrangements-for-18-to-34-year-olds/ In fact, it may already be that "near future".]] Also, with the COVID-19 pandemic, it's been here to stay for at least two years.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' episode, "Moving Bubble Bass", it's revealed that Bubble Bass lives in his mother's basement, and when he gets fed up with her interrupting his fantasy talk show and making him do chores, he tricks [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick into helping him move his belongings to his grandmother's basement across the street.

* ''WesternAnimation/KidCosmic'' has Fantos the Amassor. While styling himself as a herald and loyal supporter of Erodius the Planet Killer, he comes of as more of a big ManChild and fanboy, whose "minion" is actually his mom who he still lives with.