By now you're probably somewhat familiar with the conversation that has been floating around the internet for months surrounding Hollywood nepo babies.
The nepo baby conversation at its core is about privilege and who already has a foot in the door. Nepotism isn't just exclusive to Hollywood. In fact, it can take place in almost every industry. The conversation is larger than Hollywood and has more to do with the general lack of upward mobility we have in this country.
Some people have easy access to big opportunities, while others aren't given the opportunities to prove themselves. This, in turn, also plays a big part in the lack of diversity seen in certain spaces.
Some celebrities have taken offense by the term:
1. Kate Hudson
Some people believed Hudson's comments lacked recognition of her privilege and a sense of apathy about bringing any change to the industry.
please know i'm being so so brave for not commenting on kate hudson's nepo baby take solely because she gave us the cinematic masterpiece, how to lose a guy in 10 days
@Variety Of course she doesn't care, poor people have been passed over while she's raking in millions.
A lot of people clapped back at Lily-Rose after the comments she made in the interview, believing they were extremely dismissive of the advantages that come with having parents in the business:
lily rose depp’s comparison of doctors and being a nepo baby is especially funny because nepo babies absolutely exist in the healthcare world
Lily-Rose Depp is complaining abt people calling her a nepotism kid when she’s 5’2” and walking for Chanel lmao GIRL
3. Ben Stiller
Stiller responded to Leonard's criticism as "too easy."
@franklinleonard Too easy @franklinleonard. People, working, creating. Everyone has their path. Wish them all the best.
Leonard assured Stiller that he did "wish them the best," but there was a larger issue at hand that needed to be recognized. Stiller did not quite recognize this larger issue and instead claimed that show business is, indeed, a meritocracy.
@franklinleonard Yes. Just speaking from experience, and I don’t know any of them, I would bet they all have faced challenges. Different than those with no access to the industry. Show biz as we all know is pretty rough, and ultimately is a meritocracy.
4. Jamie Lee Curtis
jamie lee curtis complaining about her nepo baby label while winning an oscar over 3 poc who objectively turned in better performances is fucking rich #oscars
nepo baby discourse peaked when jamie lee curtis got shirty about it on instagram like a facebook mum!
5. Lily Allen
Instead, she said that we should be worried about people who work in law, finance, and politics. Very true, but still, she gave little acknowledgment of the upper hand she was given.
The nepo babies y’all should be worrying about are the ones working for legal firms,the ones working for banks,and the ones working in politics, If we’re talking about real world consequences and robbing people of opportunity. BUT that’s none of my business.
Someone responded by saying:
@lilyallen I think most people are fine with nepo babies as long they are self aware, not ignorant and willing to admit that they are privileged but a lot of them are not that way tho.
Which led to Lily Allen...still not recognizing her privilege.
@adoredetails and entertainment business is not parent friendly eg.. Touring/ months away shooting. It can be hard to see one’s own privilege when you’re still processing childhood trauma, and a lot of these kids haven’t figured that out yet.
6. O'Shea Jackson Jr.
I had to get my ass up and make it work. From the roles I chose. The work ethic I put into them. My professionalism on sets and promo tours. Even leaving HIS agency and goin to find a team of my own. Once the door was opened it was up to me to walk through it and thrive.
7. Zoë Kravitz
zoe kravitz another dense nepo baby unfortunately :/
8. Matt Healy
9. Drew Barrymore
Now, Drew Barrymore has been through and seen some shit due to her being a star from a very young age. She's openly discussed the negative impacts of early childhood stardom. Nobody should have to go through what she went through.
10. Gwyneth Paltrow
View this video on YouTube
She was so close, but then she went on to say:
“However, I really do feel that once your foot is in the door — which you unfairly got in — then you have to work almost twice as hard and be twice as good because people are ready to pull you down and say you don’t belong there, and you’re only there because of your dad or your mom or whatever the case may be. And it shouldn’t limit you because what I definitely believe is that nobody in the world — especially anybody that doesn’t know you — should have a negative impact on your path or the decisions that you make.”
On top of that, after seeing Hailey Bieber's infamous nepo baby T-shirt on Instyle's Instagram post, she commented saying, "I might need a few of those."
11. Willow Smith
@DIORSVISION Can we stop calling things Nepotism just because they’re celebrities children. It’s different when untalented nepo babies get careers (Kardashians, Trumps kids, etc) but Willow Smith is actually talented.
@PopBase Stop asking nepo babies what their opinion is of us ‘thinking’ whatever tf about them because nepotism is a fact. It’s not disputable if your success is accredited to your father ITS A FACT. We don’t care what you personally think about it
BUT, there were a few nepo babies who have been very real about their privilege:
12. Maya Hawke
13. Miley Cyrus
14. Elizabeth Olsen
15. Gigi Hadid
16. Lastly, Allison Williams
