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These Hollywood Nepo Babies Denied Their Privilege

Darren August 25, 2024

Nepo babies have come under the microscope in the last couple of years. Their haters say that they have unfair advantages because of their parents and connections. Maybe that’s life but it doesn’t make it easy for those baristas and waiters in L.A. waiting for their big break.

To a certain degree, we respect nepo babies like Maya Hawke and Gigi Hadid who have self-awareness and acknowledge their privilege. But there’s nothing more annoying than young stars who refuse to accept their industry advantages. Check out the following nepo babies who denied this.

Lily-Rose Depp

Rose-Depp is one of the most infamous nepo babies on the planet today. She’s the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis so there’s no denying that she has incredible genes. But she has also received amazing opportunities and industry access that she refuses to acknowledge.

Depp told Elle: “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.” Many people think she should have put more work into her garbage TV show, The Idol.

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Brooklyn Beckham

Nobody will say that Beckham is a bad person but it’s very difficult to take him seriously. David and Victoria Beckham’s oldest son doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life. Instead of trying to find some way to be constructive, he indulges in whatever pasttime captures his fancy.

He flirted with being a professional soccer player but the problem was that he had no talent. Then he released a photography book and critics roundly slammed it. Beckham receives hate because he shares his decadent behavior with no self-awareness. That’s typical of nepo babies (via The Daily Beast).

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Natasha Bure

Candace Cameron Bure’s daughter Natasha is another nepo baby in denial. She denied that her mother helped her get roles. Candace said: “A lot of people will kind of assume that if I get any job or work at all it’s from her. Or it’s given to me or it’s handed to me, and it’s honestly quite literally the opposite.”

It may be true that Candace didn’t directly beg a casting director to choose her daughter. But there’s no pretending that her name and industry connections didn’t give her a headstart. That’s what so many nepo babies don’t understand because they don’t realize that ordinary people don’t have this (via New York Post).

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Clairo

If there’s one thing that people hate, it’s dishonesty. Clairo discovered this the hard way after an interview with Rolling Stone. She said: “I signed with Fader because I’ve known Jon Cohen my whole life. There was a sense of accountability and protection. I definitely am not blind to the fact that things have been easier for me than other people’s experiences.”

On the face of it, it seems like this is fine. But the problem is that her father is a marketing executive and had a music label too. She directly received help from him when she started her career and this infuriated her haters. Yes, she has talent but she also had a ridiculously easy ride (via Indy 100).

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Lily Allen

If there’s one thing that nepo babies hate, it’s having people doubt their talent. Pop star Allen has acknowledged her privilege in the past. But the nepo baby discourse infuriated her and sparked a furious online response. She provoked a social media firestorm after she shared a controversial opinion.

Allen infamously tweeted: “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 (via Forbes).” She’s not wrong but this isn’t what people want to hear. There’s no denying that nepo babies receive incredible industry advantages.

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Ireland Baldwin

Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger gave birth to Ireland who is enjoying a strong career too. She is also Hailey Bieber’s cousin so there’s an entire clan of A-listers. Ireland acknowledges that she received opportunities because of her name. But she argues that she must work twice as hard to prove herself.

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Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Janet Bextor is a famous TV personality in the U.K. These days her daughter Sophie is a popular singer and is enjoying a strong musical career. However, Janet took umbrage with the term ‘nepo baby’ and said that her daughter didn’t enjoy any advantages. She had a crazy argument because she said she didn’t know the industry.

The proud mother said: “When she first started as a singer, and she was only 18, and people said to me, “Oh, that’s great, she’s doing something you can understand”, I thought, “I don’t know the music industry at all.” Later, she admitted that Sophie may have had an easier ride because of her mother (via Metro).

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Emma Roberts

It won’t shock anybody that being Julia Roberts’ niece is a good foundation to be an actress. Everybody realizes this except for Emma because she doesn’t see the advantage. She disgusted the masses when she tried to say that she didn’t get all the parts she wanted. However, we’re guessing she never worked in a Starbucks while trying to land auditions.

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Truman Hanks

Tom Hanks also tried to use the ‘family business’ line as an explanation for helping his sons into Hollywood. He faced questions about industry nepotism after his son Truman starred alongside him in A Man Called Otto. However, the elder Hanks defended himself and his family.

He said (via Unilad): “If we were a plumbing supply business or if we ran the florist shop down the street, the whole family would be putting in time at some point, even if it was just inventory at the end of the year.” Most people agree there’s a huge difference between a business and individual hunting fame.

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Lottie Moss

Most people reading this probably won’t know who Moss is. But they’ll know her more famous sister, Kate. Lottie is unusual on this list of nepo babies because Kate’s success gave her attention. She received modeling opportunities after Kate became a fashion icon in the 2000s.

Meanwhile, Lottie has no shame about the way she achieved her career opportunities. She infamously tweeted and deleted: “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.” This was tone-deaf and didn’t go down well (via Paper Bag).

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Carys Douglas

Any child of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas will have incredible genetics. But they’ll also have amazing connections because their parents are two of Hollywood’s biggest hitters. That’s the situation their daughter Carys is in, however, she refuses to accept this. She insists that she works very hard for everything she does.

She said: “I think what bothers me the most is that people think I don’t work hard for it, that I don’t need to work hard for it. That anything I do gets handed to me. When, honestly, I feel like it’s the opposite. I feel I need to constantly prove myself to people – that I am not just my parents’ daughter (via Nicki Swift).”

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Hailey Bieber

Hailey is a member of a clan of nepo babies thanks to her father, Stephen Baldwin. He is a successful director, producer, and actor who gave his children an amazing start in life. However, some people think that Hailey takes her fame for granted. She once referred to it as a family business and doesn’t see it as nepotism.

Bieber made the following controversial statement in an interview with Grazia Daily. She said: “Kids that already have a famous background are just following in their families’ footsteps. My dad and all of his brothers have done this. This is my family business.” This went down like a lead balloon.

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Kate Hudson

Hudson is a member of a Hollywood dynasty thanks to her father Kurt Russell and mother Goldie Hawn. However, she doesn’t care what anybody thinks about her rise to fame. Furthermore, she refuses to accept that privilege and connections have anything to do with her family’s success.

She said (via Movie Web): “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.” Imagine being an aspiring actor and reading this. Just quit now because there’s no point trying to compete.

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Kendall Jenner

Jenner is arguably the most recognizable supermodel in the world today. However, she says that her rise to the top wasn’t easy because of her platform. She argued that because she came from a reality TV background people didn’t take her seriously. But nepo babies have money and influence behind them, unlike ordinary folks.

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Alia Bhatt

Bhatt is a massive Bollywood star but she’s also a nepo baby. She says that she is painfully aware of her privilege but on the other hand, it doesn’t prevent her from doing what she loves. “Of course, I felt bad,” Bhatt said (via Lifestyle Asia). “But feeling bad is a small price to pay for the work that you are respected and loved for. I shut up, went home, and did my work.”

This is a common theme amongst many nepo babies. Many of the few who admit their birthright advantage don’t care that much. In Bhatt’s case fame and glory is more important. A twinge of guilt doesn’t bother her because she’s living the life that she wants. Some people will resent this but it’s a tricky one to judge.

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Daniel Levy

Schitt’s Creek star Levy stars and writes the series with his father Eugene. However, he says that he avoided asking the American Pie star for help during the early days of his career. He hates the nepo baby tag and refuses to embrace it. It doesn’t matter that it gave him a massive advantage.

Levy told Page Six: “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.”

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Lourdes Leon

Madonna’s daughter Lourdes is an in-demand model and singer. However, she has a tense relationship with fame. Lourdes told Vogue: “People think I’m this talentless rich kid who’s had everything given to her, but I’m not.” She also claimed that she paid for her college tuition by herself.

This is all very well but having a billionaire mother no doubt helps. Madonna has decades of industry experience and is one of pop’s biggest icons. It’s laughable that Lourdes thinks that this hasn’t helped her. We’re not saying that she doesn’t have talent but she had help.

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Hayley Hasselhoff

David Hasselhoff’s daughter is another one of those nepo babies who insist that they worked hard. Hayley said: “I had to get my own agent. I got my own agent at 14 and I auditioned for it like everybody else… I actually didn’t do theater in school because of the relationship to my family.”

We’re not sure what argument she’s making here. Some people would say that she skipped a formative acting experience because of her insecurity. But it also proves that she didn’t work as hard and create a foundation for herself. Nepo babies twist themselves in circles when they should own their place in life (via Us Magazine).

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Jaden Smith

The Smith children have had one of the most eccentric upbringings in Hollywood. Allegedly, their parents Will and Jada bought them separate houses and allowed them to explore what they wanted. Jaden is one of the most notorious nepo babies because he blatantly enjoyed favoritism.

His father tried to create movie franchises for him like After Earth and The Karate Kid reboot. One insider told The New York Post: “Jada and Will have raised both kids to believe they are super-creative geniuses. They treat them that way, and the children believe that the world should also fall into line.”

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Ben Stiller

We forget that some older actors are nepo babies because it’s a modern term. However, there are plenty of veterans like Stiller who joined the industry because of their parents. Stiller, the son of comics Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, defended nepo babies. He attracted strong criticism for being out of touch.

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Zoe Kravitz

Lenny Kravitz’s daughter Zoe is one of the most in-demand actresses on the planet right now. It’s easy to see why because she is a captivating presence with a haunting beauty. She recently played Catwoman in The Batman and also starred in the Mad Max franchise. However, she has controversial views about nepotism in the celebrity world.

“It’s completely normal for people to be in the family business,” she told GQ. “It’s literally where last names came from. You were a blacksmith if your family was, like, the Black family.” The big difference is that most ordinary family businesses are about job security and ensuring survival.

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Willow Smith

Many fans think that Willow is one of the most talented nepo babies in the world today. She is a brilliant entertainer with multiple albums and won acclaim for her SNL performance. However, she refuses to express any shame about her privilege or even to acknowledge her industry advantages.

Smith told Rolling Stone: “If you love me, amazing. If you hate me, fantastic. That’s none of my business. I was put on this planet to be someone who uplifts the lives of people with my art and my words and that’s it. That’s pretty much how I feel. Anyone can feel how they feel, and I don’t mind.”

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Lilly Collins

Phil Collins is one of the most iconic musicians of the twentieth century. It’s no shock that his daughter Lily used his profile to build a career for herself. However, the Emily in Paris star tried to say that she didn’t exploit this. There were instant eye-rolls around the world because everybody knew this was garbage.

“It was out of the question that people would think that I use a free pass thanks to my name,” she told Vogue France. “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.” Maybe she can argue that she became an actress, not a musician but it’s still ridiculous.

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Maude Apatow

Nepo babies are in a strange position because they receive opportunities from their connections. That’s why it takes a long time for them to find fulfillment. Euphoria’s breakthrough star Apatow is a great example. She’s the daughter of Judd Apatow and her comments about nepotism were interesting.

First, Apatow told Net-A-Porter that the nepotism remarks made her feel sad. Then she said: “A lot of people have proven themselves over the years, so I’ve got to keep going and make good work. It’s so early in my career, I don’t have much to show yet, but hopefully one day I’ll be really proud of the stuff I’ve done by myself.”

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Gwyneth Paltrow

One common nepo baby narrative is that they get opportunities but have to work harder to maintain respect. It won’t shock anybody that Paltrow tried to push this narrative. After all, Paltrow is the founder of Goop and reportedly despises interaction with ordinary people (via E! Online).