Is being famous at birth a blessing or a curse? In Hollywood, the argument has raged on and on and the term “nepo baby” has been both a badge of honor and an wounding put-down. Such celebrity offspring find themselves stuck in between relishing their privilege and proving that they’ve earned it hard enough.
Over the past few years, the conversation broke out, assisted by viral interviews, dramatic social media tweets, and a couple of groan-inducing refusals to speak. Some of the celebrities welcome the moniker with humor or honesty, while others take umbrage at the notion. What is guaranteed? This is one debate that isn’t disappearing anytime soon.
Here are 11 moments these illustrious sons and daughters made it absolutely clear they were not here for the “nepo baby” discourse.
1. Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Name Game
Patrick Schwarzenegger, son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, admitted he used to wish he didn’t have the storied last name in an effort to avoid being noticed. In a Times interview, he complained about assumptions his positions were given to him, emphasizing his ten years of acting school and hundreds of rejected auditions. His dad later reproached him on Variety’s Actors on Actors, declaring, “To me, the name Schwarzenegger always meant a big plus.” Patrick pushed back that having successful parents can constrain you, even if you wouldn’t swap your life for anything.
2. Zooey Deschanel’s Cinematographer Defense
Zooey Deschanel, who is the daughter of Oscar-nominated director of photography Caleb Deschanel and actress Mary Jo Deschanel, has always maintained that her parents helped her in her work. On The School of Greatness podcast, she chuckled, “No one’s getting jobs because their dad’s a DP.” But she did confess that her family gave “creative assistance” in reading lines and directing. Internet commentators found her dismissive of industry relationships hard to swallow, with the observation that humility would have watered down the criticism.
3. Zoë Kravitz’s Philosophy on Family Business
Zoë Kravitz, Lenny Kravitz’s and Lisa Bonet’s daughter, told GQ that taking over the family business was “completely normal,” likening it to the beginning of last names based on occupations. She admitted a “profound insecurity” that her work would be devalued because she was related to her family but also took pride in continuing her grandmother’s family legacy, Roxie Roker. Her strategy reversed nepotism as cultural tradition rather than undue privilege.
4. Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘Twice as Hard’ Theory
Gwyneth Paltrow, daughter of Blythe Danner and Bruce Paltrow, called “nepo baby” an “ugly label” but also appropriated the entry it offers. Talking to Hailey Bieber, she argued that now that they had gotten past the door, celebrity children must work “twice as hard” because “people are willing to tear you down.” Her advice: don’t let the label hold you back. The mix of frankness and self-knowledge earned her a more gracious reception than might otherwise have been the case.
5. Ben Platt’s Awkward No-Comment
Ben Platt, son of Dear Evan Hansen producer Marc Platt, had the leading role in the film version and it was directed by his dad. Rolling Stone asked him about nepotism and he immediately closed down the topic: “We’re going to skip right over that if we can.” His publicist jumped in and the interview was cut short. The avoidance merely fueled more criticism, with most observing that evading privilege questions tends to put you further in the trouble you’re in than speaking the truth.
6. Jackson White’s Secret Connection
Jackson White, Katey Sagal’s son, apparently “abhors” being called a nepo baby. His mother posted that he uses a different last name and is happy that no one knows they’re related. The strategy seems to be a bid to short-circuit assumptions, though it has not fully quashed the controversy.
7. Lily-Rose Depp’s Foot-in-the-Door Argument
Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis’s model daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, told Elle that her name might bring her to an audition, “nothing is going to get you the part except for being right for the part.” She’s repeated that there’s “a lot of work that comes after” whatever benefit she has. Critics accused her tone as aloof, especially in the wake of her ambassadorship with Chanel and her early pairing with Karl Lagerfeld.
8. Dakota Johnson’s ‘Boring’ Interpretation
Don Johnson’s daughter, Melanie Griffith’s daughter, Dakota Johnson, called nepotism gossip “incredibly boring and annoying.” She’s also disclosed that when her dad cut her off financially, she even had to borrow money from her mom to buy food. Although she frames these events as privation, many people on the Internet disagreed and called her words entitled in relation to peers who did not have fat cushions of wealth to fall back upon.
9. O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s Embracing Legacy
O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ice Cube’s son, played his father in Straight Outta Compton after trying out for two years. On Twitter, he challenged other second- or third-generation creatives to “embrace that sh*t” and be proud of their heritage. He credits his father’s work ethic for creating opportunities, but insists that how long a career spans is up to them.
10. Jamie Lee Curtis’s OG Nepo Baby Pride
Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, declared herself an “OG Nepo Baby” on Instagram. She asserted that today’s conversation was designed to “diminish and denigrate,” but she has behaved professionally and with dignity throughout her career. She is proud of her lineage and refuses to believe that fame by association equals not having talent.
11. Lottie Moss’s ‘Life Isn’t Fair’ Tweet
Half-sister to model Kate Moss, Lottie tweeted that she was “so sick of people blaming nepotism” for not achieving their goals. Having admitted her own privilege, she challenged others to focus on their goals: “Life isn’t fair… if you put your mind to something you can accomplish anything!” Her blunt approach caused furore, with some hailing her frankness and others branding it as offhand.
The “nepo baby” debate isn’t fading away every new comment just fuels the fire. Whether stars deflect, deflect, or outright take on the term, what they say frames how privilege works in Hollywood. And for pop culture watchers, these little scenes are more rumor than rumor they’re observations on how fame, family, and sense of self overlap in the public eye.
