What Is A Nepo Baby? Being the offspring of a famous and successful individual is a great way to make it in the entertainment industry. These offspring are known as “nepo babies” (nepo = nepotism), and they have subtly infiltrated many well-liked works of popular culture.
For those of you who have seen “Stranger Things,” who was your favorite character and why? The name Robin comes to mind. In other words, a Nepo infant. Who is your favorite feline anti-hero in “The Batman”? A nepotism offspring, yes.
Some bad news for fans of the Riddler from that movie: his real-life love interest is also a nepotistic offspring. It’s not surprising that many well-known people were themselves the children or relatives of other famous people.
For example, Maya Hawke and Zo Kravitz look just like their famous parents. The term “nepo baby,” however, is relatively new and has generated feelings of shame and dread among its targets.
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In its most recent issue, New York Magazine featured dozens of nepo children, including dressing some in diapers and placing them in a celebrity-filled maternity ward. The problem went off like a bomb, as it revealed the family trees of several famous people, including a few unexpected nepotism pregnancies.
Some cheered the magazine for having the nerve to risk offending many celebrities by publishing the article, while others defended their heroes. Some of the famous people you named spoke out. Award-winning streaming shows starring newborn Nepo babies have become fan favorites.
They have been the faces of major fashion campaigns and Broadway productions. Some are very well-liked by the public. Some of them are Chet Hanks impersonators. Simply put, “a nepo baby is physical proof that meritocracy is a lie,” as New York’s Nate Jones put it.
What Is A Nepo Baby?
The term “nepo baby” describes the offspring of influential people given preferential treatment in fields such as show business (fashion and media are two of the other big ones).
While nepo babies may have an early foot up on bootstrappers and naturally gifted “nobodies,” many later complain that their parents’ influence held them back from forging their path.
This year’s nepo baby rumors began spreading after the second season of HBO’s controversial hit “Euphoria” premiered. Many kids were surprised to learn that Maude Apatow is the daughter of Knocked Up and This Is 40 director Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann.
What Is a Nepotism Baby, Anyway? How a ‘Nepo Baby’ Is Born https://t.co/WdjnvWm1LR
— Fábio Monteiro (@fabioj_monteiro) December 19, 2022
The director of “Euphoria,” Sam Levinson, is a “nepo-baby” in his own right, being the son of the similarly successful director Barry Levinson, with whom he co-wrote the HBO film “The Wizard of Lies” before taking the helm on “Euphoria.”
Why Everyone’s Talking About Nepo Baby?
Some young TikTok users were taken aback by the extent of these ties, prompting them to look into additional, less publicized cases of nepotism. (Many of the most famous nepotism offspring reached their zenith before Generation Z was born.) With the help of these videos, the term “nepo baby” became widely used.
In an interview with Elle published in November, Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, rejected the term “nephew baby” to describe herself. Those casting you in things don’t care as much as the internet does about your family history.
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You might be able to get your foot in the door, but that’s all it is: a foot. After that, there’s a tonne of work to be done. Up-and-coming supermodel Vittoria Ceretti, who has walked the runway for Chanel, was among those who quickly jumped to judgment (and for whom Depp has modeled since her teens).
I have many nepo baby friends I respect, but I can’t stand listening to you compare yourself to me,” Ceretti said in an Instagram story. It’s not like I was born on a soft, sexy pillow overlooking the ocean. It’s not your fault, but remember where you came from and be thankful for it.
In response, New York’s pop culture vertical Vulture published a year-end series on nepo babies that included a comprehensive taxonomy of famous children (and less famous children of über-famous parents).
The article in Vulture demonstrated how vast and potentially infinite the world of nepo babies is. Maya Hawke is Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke’s daughter, and indie darling Riley Keough is the granddaughter of Elvis Presley.
Long-standing examples of nepotism include Gwyneth Paltrow, the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, and Kate Hudson, the daughter of Goldie Hawn and stepfather Kurt Russell (Blythe Danner, director Bruce Paltrow).
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There were a few unexpected names on the list: Please Don’t Destroy is a group of three NYU grads who make digital shorts for “Saturday Night Live.” Two of the members are the sons of “SNL” producers. Rooney and Kate Mara are sisters and come from two original NFL families.
Actress Katherine Waterston of “Fantastic Beasts” is the British-accented daughter of “Grace and Frankie” star Sam Waterston. Some people are so skilled and well-established that the stereotype their relatives raised them doesn’t apply to them. The daughter of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis is Jamie Lee Curtis.
In addition to being the daughter of “Working Girl” star Melanie Griffith and “Miami Vice” actor Don Johnson, Dakota Johnson is also the granddaughter of “The Birds” icon Tippi Hedren. Also, Laura Dern’s parents, Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern were nominated for an Academy Award, and she went on to win one for herself.
Vulture also uncovered some unusual patterns regarding nepo baby booms: The article states that eight actors were featured in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” by Quentin Tarantino. Meryl Streep’s three daughters have all had acting roles on HBO.
HBO’s “Big Little Lies,” which also starred Alexander Skarsgard of the Skarsgard’s, featured several other nepo babies. (HBO, like CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, is rumored to have many nepotistic hires.)
