Nepo baby

Nepo baby, short for nepotism baby, is a term referring to the children of celebrities who have succeeded in careers similar to those of their parents. The implication is that, because their parents already had connections to an industry, the child was able to use those connections to build a career in that industry.[1][2] It is usually used pejoratively to indicate a celebrity whose fame and success are perceived as unearned or undeserved.[3][4]

Origin

The term became popular in 2022 on X (then Twitter) when a user tweeted about Maude Apatow, daughter of director Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, starring in the TV show Euphoria.[5][4] This led to the term "nepo baby" trending on TikTok as users pointed out numerous other celebrity nepotism babies.[3] The term gained further popularity after New York Magazine published a list of nepo babies and called 2022 "The Year of the Nepo Baby".[6][7] They explored which celebrities were nepotism babies, how they got famous, and the schools such figures often went to.[6] Other publications that have covered the topic include The New York Times,[8] Vox,[9] Forbes,[10] and CNN.[1]

Some celebrities have commented on their status as nepotism babies such as Zoe Kravitz,[11] Lily-Rose Depp,[12] and Gwyneth Paltrow.[13] In 2023, Hailey Bieber of the Baldwin family embraced the term, wearing a shirt reading "nepo baby".[14] Hopper Penn has reportedly said that he rejects being labeled as such.[15]

Analysis

In the Vox article on the subject, Columbia University professor Shai Davidai considered the discourse around nepotism babies to be routed in the way they deconstruct the American faith in equality, even in Hollywood. He explained that the concept of nepotism babies who utilize family wealth and connections to achieve success "deprive us of that feel-good 'American dream' story".[9]

Users of the term often claim that nepotism babies (and those who came from wealth in general) are over-represented in media compared to those of working class or otherwise "normal" backgrounds, which is deemed proof that a meritocracy does not exist, and hard work alone is not always enough to be successful.[16]

Industry baby

The New York Magazine issue also used the term "industry baby" to refer to a number of other celebrities. They defined an industry baby as a celebrity who had a parent or relation that may not have been extremely wealthy or famous, but had achieved some success in the industry, often behind the scenes, which provided their children with connections and opportunities. Some have criticized this term as too loosely applying privilege to certain public figures.

Examples of industry babies cited include Billie Eilish, Meghan Markle, Lena Dunham, Chris Pine, and Daisy Edgar-Jones.[17]

See also

References
  1. Andrew, Scottie (22 December 2022). "Why everyone's talking about 'nepo babies'". CNN. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  2. Kambhampaty, Anna P.; Issawi, Danya (2 May 2022). "What Is a 'Nepotism Baby'?". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  3. Jones, Nate (2022-12-19). "How a Nepo Baby Is Born". Vulture. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  4. Gorman, Alyx (2022-12-22). "Nepo babies: what are they and why is Gen Z only just discovering them?". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  5. Franks, Josephine (30 December 2022). "What is a 'nepo baby', and what do celebrities have to say about being labelled one?". Sky News. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  6. "The Year of the Nepo Baby". Vulture. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  7. Lowe, Lindsay (23 December 2022). "What are 'nepo babies' and why is the internet talking about them?". Today. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  8. Kambhampaty, Anna P.; Issawi, Danya (2022-05-02). "What Is a 'Nepotism Baby'?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  9. Abad-Santos, Alex (2022-08-31). "One weird trick nepotism babies have for success". Vox. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  10. Placido, Dani Di. "The 'Nepo Baby' Debate, Explained". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  11. Dubey, Shivani (2022-11-21). "Batman's Zoë Kravitz Defends Being 'Nepo Baby'". ELLE. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  12. Truffaut-Wong, Olivia (2022-11-16). "Lily-Rose Depp Objects to Being Called a 'Nepo Baby'". The Cut. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  13. "Gwyneth Paltrow Says Nepotism Babies Have to Work "Twice as Hard" Once Foot Is in the Door". E! Online. 2022-07-27. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
  14. "Hailey Bieber Wades Into The Nepo Baby Discourse". British Vogue. 2023-01-07. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  15. Alter, Ethan (February 23, 2023). "Hopper Penn on acting opposite mom Robin Wright in 'Devil's Peak' and why he rejects the 'nepo baby' label: 'I don't give a s***, because I'm not one'". Yahoo!. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  16. "What are 'nepo babies' and why is the internet talking about them?". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  17. Jones, Nate (2022-12-19). "An All But Definitive Guide to the Hollywood Nepo-Verse". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
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