These 13 Celebs Are Refusing To Let People Believe That Nepotism Is The Only Reason They're Famous, And They're Not Holding Back

    "Guess what... Life isn't fair."

    Elizabeth Cotton
    by Elizabeth Cotton

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Recently, actor Zooey Deschanel denied claims that being a "nepo baby" helped to further her career.

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    Zooey's father is Caleb Deschanel, a six-times Academy Award nominated cinematographer, and Mary Jo Deschanel, an actor who starred in Twin Peaks. 

    While being interviewed on The School of Greatness podcast, Zooey commented: "It’s funny because people be like, ‘Oh, nepotism’, I’m like no. My dad’s a DP [director of photography]. No one’s getting jobs because their dad’s a DP. It’s definitely not." The actor did admit, however, that her parents offered her "creative help" with reading lines and giving direction.

    Here are some other actors who have also denied these claims:

    1. Rashida Jones

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    Rashida Jones is the daughter of record producer Quincy Jones and actor Peggy Lipton. She told NBC: "Listen, I went to college, I had a great upbringing, I'm privileged, I wanted for nothing my entire life, but I definitely did not get career handouts. It took fifteen years to build a career which is what it should take", before adding, "Because my parents are in entertainment, people were like, 'Well, obviously, people are just giving her jobs. She's using her connections.' It's followed me since the beginning."

    2. Patrick Schwarzenegger

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    With his dad being Arnold Schwarzenegger (AKA The Terminator), Patrick has insisted that he is "not trying to follow in my dad's footsteps. He has offered me roles in his movies, but I'm not interested in accepting stuff in his big action movies or not earning my way up."

    3. Rumer Willis

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    Rumer is the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, and believes that "everyone has opportunities and different doors that are opened to them in different ways." She commented: "In the end, if you're talented you'll get work, if you're not, you won't, so it doesn't really matter who you know."

    4. Lily Collins

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    With her father being musician Phil Collins, Lily admitted in an interview with Vogue France that she wanted to make her own way as an actor: "I played in a few musicals because it's the only setting in which I allow myself to sing. Frankly, I would be too afraid of comparisons!" The actor also added, "It was out of the question that people would think that I use a free pass thanks to my name. I'm proud of my dad, but I wanted to be me, not just his daughter. For that, I was ready to wait to break through."

    5. Zoë Kravitz

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    On the topic of "nepo babies" during an interview with GQ, the actor whose parents are Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, dismissed the idea that actors with famous parents are different: "It's completely normal for people to be in the family business. It's literally where last names came from. You were a blacksmith if your family was, like, the Black family." Zoë also admitted that it was one of her "deepest insecurities" about being in the entertainment industry.

    6. Dakota Johnson

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    Dakota received some online criticism after discussing nepotism on The Today Show earlier this year: “When that first started I found it to be incredibly annoying and boring. If you’re a journalist, then write about something else. That’s just lame.” However, the actor did poke fun at being a nepo baby in her skit for SNL, but has made it clear that she received no help from her parents, Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith.

    7. Lily Rose-Depp

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    Daughter of Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp has said that although her parents names may have got her the audition, nepotism isn't responsible for her getting the role: "The internet cares a lot more about who your family is than the people who are casting you in things. Maybe you get your foot in the door, but you still just have your foot in the door. There’s a lot of work that comes after that.” She alleges that "nothing is going to get you the part except for being right for the part."

    8. Dan Levy

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    Although his father, Eugene Levy, is well-known for his role in American Pie, Dan Levy has expressed that he never really turned to his dad for anything: "I think out of fear of the label of nepotism. Entertainment seems to be the only arena where children who pursue the work of their parents, which is an inherently natural thing to do, is met with a lot of skepticism. And so for my whole life, leading up to Schitt’s Creek, I’ve always tried to do everything on my own, I guess to prove, mainly to myself, that I could do it." Of course, the pair have since acted together on Schitt's Creek, but the actor says he needed to prove to himself that he could stand on his own first.

    9. Kate Hudson

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    After the New York Magazine cover on nepo babies was published, Kate Hudson (daughter of Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson) criticised the backlash: "The nepotism thing, I mean… I don’t really care. I look at my kids and we’re a storytelling family. It’s definitely in our blood. People can call it whatever they want, but it’s not going to change it." The actor goes on to say that she sees nepotism in business way more than in Hollywood, "Sometimes I’ve been in business meetings where I’m like, ‘Wait, whose child is this? Like, this person knows nothing!'", before adding, "I don’t care where you come from, or what your relationship to the business is—if you work hard and you kill it, it doesn’t matter."

    10. Lottie Moss

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    With being the half-sister of Kate Moss, the model has received a lot of criticism on how she started her career. She tweeted: "I’m so sick of people blaming nepotism for why they aren’t rich and famous or successful," before adding, "Obviously it’s not fair that people who come from famous families are getting a leg up because of that but guess what? Life isn’t fair." In an Instagram post from January 2023, Lottie also admitted that she understands that she comes from a very privileged background, but that Kate Moss has "never really supported her" professionally, and that she received no extra help.

    11. Matty Healy

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    Although the frontman of The 1975, the singer spoke about having famous parents (Tim Healy and Denise Welch): "I made a joke that I drew the short straw at the nepotism baby nursery because there's so many famous kids out there. The nepotism baby concept is interesting though, isn't it? Because it seems to be something that people talk about when they're a little bit jealous."

    He then continues with, "People grow up in cultures. Right? I grew up around artists. So when I was a kid I was, like, 'What does he do for job?' He makes art. 'What does he do?' He's an actor. Right, okay? You just subconsciously take it in. If you grow up in a family of doctors, there's not many nepotism doctors. Right? A lot of the time, if your dad's a doctor, you're a doctor because you grow up in the culture. You know what I mean? So it's like that happens across the board. I grew up in art, so I made art. It is not that complicated."

    12. Gwyneth Paltrow

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    The actor has called the term "nepo baby" an "ugly moniker", before adding, "I just hope that my children always feel free to pursue exactly what they want to do, irrespective of what anybody's going to think or say." Gwyneth has also said that her daughter Apple "just wants to be a kid and be at school and learn."

    Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comments below!