Hollywood stars are divided over the latest buzzword: “Nepo baby.”
Short for nepotism or the practice of favoring friends and family for jobs,the phrase has gained traction among social media users as they’ve used theterm with both fascination and repulsion after learning up-and-coming starsmight’ve had a helping hand in entering show business.
The discourse was sparked once again in Vulture’s cover story, “The Year ofthe Nepo Baby,” earlier this month.
Famous offspring like Kate Hudson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dan Levy responded tothe controversial label, with some celebrities criticizing claims offavoritism and others acknowledging their unique upbringing.
Allison Williams admits nepotism baby ‘privilege’
Williams, the daughter of former NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams,acknowledged her identity as a “nepotism baby,” saying it “doesn’t feel like aloss to admit it.”
“There’s no conversation about my career without talking about the ways inwhich I have been fortunate,” the actress, 34, who starred in 2017’s “Get Out”and the upcoming horror film “M3GAN” said in a Wired interview publishedThursday.
“I was concerned with making sure people understood I was a hard worker as ifsomehow that would absolve me of the privilege.”
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Kate Hudson weighs in: ‘If you work hard… it doesn’t matter’
When it comes to the nepotism baby debate, Hudson says she “doesn’t care.”
“I don’t care where you come from, or what your relationship to the businessis,” Hudson, who was raised by her mother Goldie Hawn and her longtime partnerKurt Russell , said in an interview with The Independent publishedSaturday. “If you work hard and you kill it, it doesn’t matter.”
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O’Shea Jackson Jr. ‘grateful’ for father Ice Cube’s support
Joining the nepo baby discourse, Jackson Jr. took to social media to detailhis work ethic and persistence, noting that his father, rapper Ice Cube,”couldn’t hold my hand through my career.”
“I had to get my (expletive) up and make it work,” Jackson Jr., who played hisdad in 2015’s “Straight Outta Compton,”tweeted this month. “From the roles I chose. The work ethic I putinto them. My professionalism on sets and promo tours. Even leaving HIS agencyand goin (sic) to find a team of my own. Once the door was opened it was up tome to walk through it and thrive.”
But he also credited the love and support from his father for where he istoday.
“The work (Ice Cube) put in to get us to a place of opportunity. And for me toignore that or not accept and use as a guide would be foolish anddisrespectful. I am grateful and I use his teachings daily.”
Jamie Lee Curtis says label is designed to ‘diminish’ and ‘hurt’
Curtis, the daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, took to Instagram lastweek to defend herself from false assumptions that all nepotism babies areautomatically untalented or undeserving of their fame.
“The current conversation about nepo babies is just designed to try todiminish and denigrate and hurt,” the “Halloween Ends” star wrote at the time.
“I have navigated 44 years with the advantages my associated and reflectedfame brought me, I don’t pretend there aren’t any, that try to tell me that Ihave no value on my own. It’s curious how we immediately make assumptions andsnide remarks that someone related to someone else who is famous in theirfield for their art, would somehow have no talent whatsoever.”
Fighting back against the stigma, she also described having “suited up andshown up for all different kinds of work with thousands of thousands of peopleand every day I’ve tried to bring integrity and professionalism and love andcommunity and art to my work. “
‘ OG Nepo Baby’: Jamie Lee Curtis says the label is designed to ‘diminish’and ‘hurt’
Dan Levy ‘never really turned’ to Eugene Levy for acting help
Dan Levy rose to fame when starring alongside his father, Eugene Levy(“American Pie”) in the Emmy Award-winning series “Schitt’s Creek.” In hisacting career, he said he “never really turned to my dad for anything” out offear of the label of nepotism.
“Entertainment seems to be the only arena where children who pursue the workof their parents, which is an inherently natural thing to do, is met with alot 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 tomyself, that I could do it,” Levy told Page Six in 2018 .
Eugene and Dan Levy both won Emmy Awards for their performances in “Schitt’sCreek.”
Lily-Rose Depp talks nepotism criticism: ‘Doesn’t make any sense’
In November, Depp opened up about her experiences as the daughter of JohnnyDepp and Vanessa Paradis.
“People are going to have preconceived ideas about you or how you got there,and I can definitely say that nothing is going to get you the part except forbeing right for the part,” Depp, who is starring in HBO Max’s “The Idol ,”said at the time.
Lily-Rose Depp will be starring in “The Idol” alongside The Weeknd, comingsoon to HBO Max.
“Maybe you get your foot in the door, but you still just have your foot in thedoor. There’s a lot of work that comes after that.”
Depp also criticized the concept of the label, saying it’s “weird” to “reducesomebody to the idea that they’re only there because it’s a generationalthing. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Zoë Kravitz: ‘It’s completely normal for people to be in the familybusiness’
When discussing the topic in November, Kravitz, who is the daughter of LennyKravitz and Lisa Bonet, said it’s “completely normal for people to be in thefamily business”.
“It’s literally where last names came from. You were a blacksmith if yourfamily was, like, the Black family,” the “Batman” star, 34, told GQ at thetime.
Jack Quaid didn’t want people thinking ‘I’m just riding my parents’coattails’
Jack Quaid, best known for his role in “The Boys, previously talked aboutwanting to distance himself from his parents, actors Meg Ryan and DennisQuaid, even considering changing his last name.
“I think in the beginning, I was like, ‘Oh, do people like me? Do they thinkthat I’m just riding my parents’ coattails?’ and all this stuff,” Quaid, 30,said in a June interview with Thrillist. “I’ve been making an effort to focuson that less and just really trying to embrace this.”
Jack Quaid with his father, actor Dennis Quaid.
‘Devastated’: Bono’s daughter Eve Hewson jokes about not being featured onnepotism baby list
Though she was not included in Vulture’s list of nepotism babies, actress EveHewson, daughter of Bono, decided to weigh in on the debate with humor.
“Actually pretty devastated i’m not featured in the nepo baby article likehaven’t they seen my hit show Bad Sisters??? The NERVE,” shetweeted this month.
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Contributing: Elise Brisco
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kate Hudson, Jamie Lee Curtis,more stars on nepotism baby debate