History Main / PaidForFamily

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* It's implied in ''{{Anime/Noir}}'' that the couple Kirika was living with in Japan to prior to [[EasyAmnesia losing her memories]] were one of these, but the specifics, including who they actually were and who hired them, is left ambiguous and we only see them in a photograph that she finds in the house where she wakes up, but it's likely they were agents of the AncientConspiracy that has hands in the rest of the plot. It's also never established what became of her biological family (who were probably members of the conspiracy as well).
* In ''Manga/HadesProjectZeorymer'', Masato Akitsu's parents were paid by the International Electronic Brains group to raise him until he was 15. Masato had no idea of it, obviously, and is shocked when he's locked away by the firm and instead of bailing him out, the Akitsus collect their fee and leave him there.

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* ''ComicBook/{{XIII}}'': In the comic, we learn more about the Mongoose's backstory, including that he pays prostitutes to act like women who want him to join their family for Christmas.
* ''ComicBook/{{Robin|1993}}'': After Tim's father died [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce]] offered to adopt him, only for a Jack's will to state his previously unheard of brother was Tim's godfather. It quickly turns out that this was all orchestrated by Tim, who paid an actor to act as his uncle so he could keep his freedom and because of his anger towards Bruce regarding Stephanie's death and final moments. When Batman finds out (of course he finds out, he's Batman), he tells Tim he's proud of him and shows him how to make the fake nature of his uncle even harder to uncover, because labyrinthine scheming is [[DysfunctionJunction encouraged in that household over telling people who care about you what you really feel]].[[note]] This storyline was presumably inspired by the original early Batman story where Dick Grayson's real uncle turned up and sued for custody, but only so he could force Bruce to bribe him to give it up. This was back when Alfred was a humorously incompetent fat man, and he accidentally saved the day with one of the Penguin's old umbrellas.[[/note]]

* An issue of ''Comicbook/{{Superman}}'', when they were trying to keep ComicBook/PostCrisis continuity (so Lex Luthor's parents were [[SelfMadeOrphan killed when he was a boy]]) but also trying to mimic early ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' as much as possible (so they needed a Lionel Luthor character), had Young Lex hire an actor with a [[ComicBookFantasyCasting striking resemblance]] to John Glover.

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* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' had a parent/teacher conference where Spinelli was too embarrassed to have her family come so she paid a couple of people who did a really bad job. In an unusual variation on this trope, her real parents are the "normal," loving ones, but because they're AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents she hires a pair of "cool" jerks instead.
* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'': When Zim used his Irken technology to build a replica of a human house, it also built robotic replicas of a stereotypical Fifties-style "Mom" and "Dad." Usually, they're in the background, but when Zim has to modify them and bring them to Parent-Teacher Night at his school, HilarityEnsues.
* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': "An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal" had the Belchers' landlord promise them several rent-free months if Linda, Tina, Gene, and Louise will pretend to be his family. Why? His old flame Shelby is coming to dinner and Mr. Fischoeder knows she will only be interested in him if she thinks he's taken. HilarityEnsues.

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Something like ThePaidForHarem, this is when a character pays people to act as though they were his warm and loving family. A rather extreme form of IJustWantToBeNormal, if the character in question is incapable of founding a "normal" family, or a way to show said character's FreudianExcuse. Sometimes played for laughs, such as for keeping a IWantGrandkids parent at bay. See also TheBeard, for when the character pays someone to act as his LoveInterest.

* ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]]'': After Tim's father died [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Bruce]] offered to adopt him, only for a Jack's will to state his previously unheard of brother was Tim's godfather. It quickly turns out that this was all orchestrated by Tim, who paid an actor to act as his uncle so he could keep his freedom and because of his anger towards Bruce regarding Stephanie's death and final moments. When Batman finds out (of course he finds out, he's Batman), he tells Tim he's proud of him and shows him how to make the fake nature of his uncle even harder to uncover, because labyrinthine scheming is [[DysfunctionJunction encouraged in that household over telling people who care about you what you really feel]].[[note]] This storyline was presumably inspired by the original early Batman story where Dick Grayson's real uncle turned up and sued for custody, but only so he could force Bruce to bribe him to give it up. This was back when Alfred was a humorously incompetent fat man, and he accidentally saved the day with one of the Penguin's old umbrellas.[[/note]]

* In an episode of ''Halfway Home'' where the characters' families came to visit them, drug runner Carly's family is eventually revealed (to the viewer) to be actors - her real parents pretty much act as though she never existed.

* The movie ''The Joneses'' ([[MeaningfulName as in "keeping up with the"]]) features a slight variation: a marketing firm hires some professionals to move into a wealthy neighborhood pretending to be a family to promote products by inserting them in their daily routine and hoping people will decide to mimic them.

* Shows up a couple times in the Japanese horror film ''Noriko's Dinner Table''. The main character ends up working for a group that provides people to pretend to be family or even a lover or spouse. Sometimes, they're even killed as an act of revenge against the real family member.

* In the ''Series/ThirtyRock'' episode "The Moms", ''TGS'' producer Pete hires a professional actor to play Tracy's mom on the Mother's Day special of the ShowWithinAShow since the whereabouts of Tracy's real mother are unknown.

-->'''Mr. Smith:''' [[IKnewIt I said, I said I saw your dad on]] ''Series/FantasyIsland''!

* An issue of ''{{Superman}}'', when they were trying to keep ComicBook/PostCrisis continuity (so Lex Luthor's parents were [[SelfMadeOrphan killed when he was a boy]]) but also trying to mimic early ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' as much as possible (so they needed a Lionel Luthor character), had Young Lex hire an actor with a [[ComicBookFantasyCasting striking resemblance]] to John Glover.

* In the Steve Martin movie ''Housesitter'', Goldie Hawn's character uses a local homeless couple to act as her parents at a reception.

* ''Series/PushingDaisies'' has an episode where the murder victim is a professional friend.

* In an episode of ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', Barney pays a pair of actors (for several years) to play his wife and son... so that his mother will believe he's happy and has a family.

* In the Steve Martin movie ''Housesitter'', Goldie Hawn's character uses a local homeless couple to act as her parents at a reception.

* The movie ''The Joneses'' ([[MeaningfulName as in "keeping up with the"]]) features a slight variation: a marketing firm hires some professionals to move into a wealthy neighborhood pretending to be a family to promote products by inserting them in their daily routine and hoping people will decide to mimic them.
* In ''Film/NationalLampoonsVacation'', Clark Griswold tells The Girl in the Ferrari (Christie Brinkley) that Ellen, Russ and Audrey are his brother's family and he borrows them to pose as his family when he wants to check out the hotels in his chain(s).

* In ''Film/WeAreTheMillers'', a marijuana runner offers varying amounts of compensation for two of his neighbors and a [[TheRunaway teenage runaway]] to pose as his loving, stereotypical suburban wife and children so he'll arouse less suspicion trying to run drugs over the U.S.-Mexican border.

* ''Series/TheOddCouple1970'': When Oscar's rival for City Council shows up for an appearance with his family, campaign organizer Felix hires minority actors to play Oscar's loving family.
* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'' has a very strange episode in which various women prostitute themselves, catering to various fetishes: one does domination S&M, another is a woman "caught" in a bear trap, waiting to be rescued by a passing hunter, and yet another is a smiling housewife awaiting her husband's return with a warm meal. The murder victim even tells her he'd want to marry her... for real.

* ''Series/PushingDaisies'' has an episode where the murder victim is a professional friend.
* This is the central premise of ''Series/SonsOfTucson''. The Gunderson boys hire Ron Snuffkin to pretend to be their dad.
* In an episode of ''Halfway Home'' where the characters' families came to visit them, drug runner Carly's family is eventually revealed (to the viewer) to be actors - her real parents pretty much act as though she never existed.

* ''Theatre/TheOddCouple'': When Oscar's rival for City Council shows up for an appearance with his family, campaign organizer Felix hires minority actors to play Oscar's loving family.