paid actor
Professional screen presence
A paid actor is someone allegedly hired to pose as an ordinary person—a protester, grieving parent, or witness—to stage fake events or manufacture public sentiment.
The phrase is most common as a conspiracy-theory accusation, suggesting that news coverage or demonstrations are fabricated: Crisis actors are just paid actors.
The term can also refer straightforwardly to professional actors receiving compensation for their work, though this literal sense rarely needs stating.
- hiredGiven employment
- performerOne who entertains audiences
- shillFraudster's fake customer
- bit playerMinor role performer
- fakeNot the real thing
scripted · crisis · false flag · staged · conspiracy · plant · decoy · stooge · puppet · fraud · imposter · commercial · extra · stand-in · casting call · spokesperson · endorsement · infomercial