Mae "Maeby" Funke is the teenage daughter of Lindsay and Tobias. She does not demonstrate much of a scholarly acumen and has a penchant for acting out. She is played by Alia Shawkat.
Maeby was purchased by her parents for US$150,000. The F�nkes were unable to conceive due to Tobias' prolonged difficulties regarding heterosexual congress with Lindsay; whether this implies that she is adopted or a test-tube baby has not been fully revealed, although her grandmother Lucille informed George Michael that Maeby was "made in a cup, like soup." Maeby was sent to a progressive school called the Sunshine Academy by her parents. She wasn't graded, but rather received crocodiles and Elvii instead. Once she entered the public school system, she was not able to compete. So, she lost interest in grades and started creating new opportunities to get into trouble, where she "always gets caught".
Maeby has created a pseudo-twin, Surely, who is suffering from the rare, debilitating illness, B.S. She conspires to draw attention to her condition and has fabricated a fake charity that preys on the sympathy of others. She is discovered on stage by George Michael, at a charity fund raiser held in Surely's honor.
As Surely, Maeby draws attention to the fact that there are no ramps going up to the bleachers at school. She fabricates a tremendous amount of support and respect by pretending to be terminally ill. She has made quite a lot of money from her false charities without punishment for her deception.
By accident, Maeby acquired a job as a movie executive, although she is having increasing difficulties deflecting questions about her youthful appearance. She has frequently used the studio's readers to do her homework, assigning them classic novels to read and write up. More recently, she was involved in the American remake of the French movie "Les Cousins Dangereux," which she was forced to cut down to 52 minutes. Thanks in part to George Michael, who was half-heartedly protesting the movie with Ann Veal, it became a hit -- the protest drew people's attention.
Maeby also has a crush on the boy Steve Holt, who is discovered near the end of Season Two of the show to be the son of GOB. Maeby is told by George Michael at the beginning of Season Three that Steve Holt is also her cousin.