The 'Nepo Baby' Is Here To Stay
‘Nepo babies’ are having a culture moment. For the past few months, the topic of nepotism and what it means in entertainment and media has dominated various conversations. The conversations about nepotism have taken new heights, and it seems like everyone and their mother, cousin, sister, and friend are talking about how nepotism is everywhere and is changing (some may say ‘ruining’) Hollywood. But what’s the real truth?
In simple terms, nepotism is defined as children inheriting the advantages and benefits of being the daughter or son of a prominent person, such as a celebrity, politician, or even royalty. Nepotism is nothing new. Drew Barrymore is a ‘nepo baby’. Kate Hudson is a ‘nepo baby’. Emma Roberts is a ‘nepo baby’. And that doesn’t even scratch the surface of all the nepotism that flits in and out of Hollywood.
You can go back generations in any field, industry, or recognizable area and find a plethora of cases of nepotism or well-connected people who got their way or found their way in a particular industry because of who they know or who they are related to. Hollywood may be the most notorious for seeing nepotism in plain sight, but it is far from the only industry. The publishing and media industries are filled with nepotism. Tech has a handful of these so-called ‘nepo-babies’. Politics is crawling with nepotism. Fashion has nepotism galore.
‘Nepo-babies’ are a simple fact of life when working in many industries, especially ones that are proximate to glitz and glamour. So why does this make people get into a tizzy? ‘Nepo baby’ has become a soft-charged word and a topic for conversation. Some people might call it downright "derogatory," but the jury is out on that. It is a charged word because we, as a society, have embraced meritocracy and don’t like at least knowing or seeing the appearance of someone getting ahead due to ‘unearned’ advantages. Meritocracy has dominated the conversation because, as a cohort and as a whole, we want to be able to prove ourselves and earn our own advantages. We want to know that we can succeed by ourselves and based on our own merits. But in reality, that’s not really how the world works. Most people get jobs because of their network and net worth. Most people get jobs because their uncle or aunt so-and-so put in a good word for them, and the person was able to capitalize on that connection. Most people used their propensity for privilege, luck, and opportunity to get ahead. And the birth lottery is the most glaring example of that in action—I mean, you can’t choose who you were born to or who your parents are.
But the thing does become complex because most people also internally associate the word ‘nepo baby’ with laziness. They associated themselves with people who are privileged—which is another almost ‘derogatory’ word in certain circles—and those who get opportunities that others could only dream of just because they won the birth lottery.
And these opportunities can range in size. For some, it could be the opportunity to perform on the biggest stages, access to small roles in movies, interviews in the hottest magazine, connections to influential people, business owners, directors, producers, and more. For others, it can be as simple as getting a foot in the door in an exclusive industry, a first-round interview with a prominent start-up owner, access to capital to fund your own venture, etc. The list goes on and on, and well, you get the picture. These are things that, for the everyday person, it would be unfathomable luck to access, but for those who are considered ‘nepo-babies," these encounters can be an everyday or ordinary occurrence.
And the thing is, multiple things can be true at once. ‘Nepo-babies’ are given advantages that everyday people do not get, but there are those who work hard to maintain or keep the advantages that they have. There are ‘nepo-babies’ that are very talented and good at their craft, and those who do take their advantages seriously and make sure to say where they came from. On the other hand, does talent not beget talent? For example, if you are given access to the best resources—singing coaches, acting coaches, media training, and more—are you destined to also cultivate your talent? Can we pluck a person from obscurity, invest heavily in them, and get returns as well? That is a question that does not have a clear-cut answer. It is also an interesting dynamic that some people say that raw talent might be genetic—more nature than nurture. If musical talent runs in families and groups, it might be possible that children of musicians might have a better inclination for singing or an ear for music and sound. But even if they didn’t, they probably would have at least some industry connections so that they could at least make their way to the business side of things or find another avenue that is adjacent and worth pursuing.
In some regards, it is easy to say that we are in the new age of nepotism.
The thing is, there is a new crop of ‘nepo-babies’ waiting in the wings. The stars we grew up with and have grown to love are starting to have families of their own and have been in some capacity for years. Youngsters like North West and Blue Ivy are making their grand debuts and introductions in the entertainment industry. North West, Blue Ivy, and others are going to be the future ‘it girls’ for younger Gen Z and soon-to-be Gen Alpha. And that’s the half of it. Max and Emme Muiz are the kids of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. Monroe and Moroccan are the kids of Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey. Most of these celeb kids are still preteens or teens, but they are already making an impact on celebrity culture and have showcased their singing ability, acting ability, or some version of the two.
And then there are the emerging stars. There are older stars like Maude Aptow, who is the child of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann and has her own starring role on various cult favorites like Euphoria. She is a popular household name and an influence among Gen Z and younger millennials alike. There is Aoki Simmons, who is the daughter of Kimora Lee Simons and Russell Simons, who also just graduated from Harvard. Lila Moss, the daughter of Kate Moss, has walked several runways and made her debut at the Met Gala. Lily-Rose Depp, the daughter of Jonny Depp, is starring in a lead role on The Idol. In some circles, people know more about these young adults than they do about their parents. They are the next inheritors of cool, fun, and all-around influence. Yes, their parents may have given them a leg up, but they have also capitalized on it and created their own traction in addition to that.
The downside is that it might be less common to see someone who is relatively unknown reach or break into Hollywood. The unspoken truth is that a lot of these industries, especially ones like the entertainment and media industries, need nepotism to survive. Most executives, especially in Hollywood and the like, aren’t taking chances on relatively unknown people. They need emerging stars and celebrity kids as front-facing marketers to keep customers and consumers invested. Most consumers would rather stick to what they know, and it is expensive to keep up with the Joneses, so the people really benefiting are people related to other famous people. A person is more likely to see a movie if they know so-and-so's daughter or son is in it than a person who has yet to be discovered.
Additionally, trying to make it in the entertainment and media industry might mean a huge investment for the everyday person without the return just in general. You need a significant amount of capital to break in and stay in. Yes, some people are finding out how to do that via social media (TikTok and Youtube), but you have to cut through a lot of noise to get your platform seen and to develop that platform intentionally. Most unknown or yet-to-be discovered stars aren’t always able to keep up with the pressures and demands of Hollywood, and kids of celebrities already have that leg up from seeing a family member in the industry and navigating the industry. They also have the capital to rely on while they build and grow their talent and roster.
But on the flip side, another caveat to note is that in a world where everyone is connected or knows someone who knows someone, ‘nepo-babies’ will need talent to stand out and sustain. It won’t be enough to get coveted roles or the like without some type of star power and momentum to sustain it. A person might get in the door knowing so-and-so, but unless you are related to a bona fide superstar (i.e., Beyonce), the connection won’t be enough to sustain a career for the long-term, and I suspect that many ‘nepo-babies’ know that already, which is why you already see them trying to stretch themselves thin in a variety of ways while also building up both social media and Hollywood capital to reach and engage different audiences.
To be honest, in an ideal world, it would be nice to see ‘nepo-babies’ use their relative privilege to help others who don't have a leg up in any shape or form. It would be nice to see someone with obvious connections promote someone who does not have any at all. But that is more of an elusive dream (that maybe one day might happen) instead of what traditionally happens in actuality.
All in all, this is to say we are all going to have to get more comfortable seeing nepotism babies because they are the legacies of the superstars we are used to seeing now. The advantages of being related to a celebrity really aren’t going anywhere; if anything, they will remain a ubiquitous and ultimate currency. The star power of celebrity kids will not only continue to rise and grow, but will dominate conversation for years to come. They will be the tastemakers, whether we like it or not. And they probably won’t play by the traditional rules of meritocracy the way we are used to. These emerging stars will make and leave their mark in so many industries and use their connections to elevate their stardom and influence in their personal circles as well as the general public. They are going to take the place of the legends that we see now, who are about to retire. They are going to be the ones that the younger generations are going to celebrate. And we are all going to be along for the ride as it happens.
Because these emerging stars aren’t just the Hollywood A-listers of the future, they are the A-listers of the now.