Thanks to TikTok, the topic of “nepotism” went mainstream.
This is when a child follows in their parents’ well-established footsteps by becoming an actor, model, [insert desired career interest here].
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While it’s a sensitive topic — you try accusing someone of using Daddy’s influence to land a job — many nepotism babies have addressed this, and not well.
We’ll discuss that here, in addition to highlighting the nepotism babies who get it. They aren’t trying to hide the fact that they are privileged. They work even harder to prove the naysayers wrong.
Gwyneth Paltrow
The actress is an OG when it comes to nepotism babies. Her mother is actress Blythe Danner and her late father is director/producer Bruce Paltrow. Coming from a world of privilege, the Shallow Hall actress has a habit of saying things that anger “regular” people.
Like when she said that celebrity mothers have it harder than regular mothers.
Or when she touched on nepotism on Hailey Bieber’s YouTube show, Who’s In My Bathroom? “I really do feel that once your foot is in the door, which you unfairly got in, then you almost have to work twice as hard and be twice as good,” she said.
Hailey Bieber
Speaking of Hailey, she’s also the daughter of Stephen Baldwin and the niece of actors Alec, Daniel, and William Baldwin. When she spoke to Gwyneth about nepotism, she said that she “need[ed] to hear” the actor’s advice.
“It shouldn’t limit you,” the wife of Justin Bieber said.
“Because what I definitely believe is that nobody in the world, especially anybody that doesn’t know you, should have a negative impact on your path or the decision that you make.”
Ireland Baldwin
Ireland is Hailey’s cousin and the daughter of Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin. As a model, she’s always been honest about her parent’s impact on her career. “I don’t think I ever would’ve been scouted as a model if it weren’t for who my parents are,” she said on Red Table Talk.
This does come with strings, though, such as always being compared to her parents.
“You have a lot more to prove because you’re always going to have that comparison to your parents,” she said. She would feel this pressure even more if she pursued acting.
Tori Spelling
Tori is the daughter of the late Aaron Spelling, a Hollywood producer behind many successful TV shows, such as Charlie’s Angels, The Love Boat , Dynasty , and more.
Being born to Hollywood royalty came with special privileges, such as landing roles.
That’s how she got her breakout role on ‘Beverly Hills, 90210.’
In her memoir, she admitted that this came with less glamourous downsides , such as growing up too fast and not needing her parents, as she was making her own income at a young age.
Natasha Bure
Natasha is the daughter of Candace Cameron Bure, of Full House and Fuller House fame. She’s witnessed the downsides of fame recently when Jojo Siwa called out her mom for being “the rudest celebrity.” Natasha ended up clapping back.
“Respectfully, someone saying ‘no’ to taking a photo with you is not a ‘rough experience,” Natasha wrote in a since-deleted post on Instagram Stories.
She’s been outspoken about other things, too, like nepotism. She once said that it’s frustrating that people assume that she doesn’t work hard.
Ben Stiller
The Meet the Parents actor is the son of the late actors, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. As a result, this made him the wrong person to speak out about the nepotism controversy surrounding the short film, The Rightway .
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The lead actor, director, and writer slots were all filled by children of very famous people.
Film producer Franklin Leonard tweeted out against this, writing “Hollywood’s a meritocracy, right?” Ben tweeted back, “People, working, creating. Everyone has their path. Wish them all the best.”
Kendall Jenner
The supermodel knows that her career was no accident. The family’s reality TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians even showed her getting opportunities other young models weren’t getting, like getting to interview people for big magazines.
Despite this, Kendall has maintained that she worked just as hard as everyone else.
She has also said that, if anything, modeling castings were hesitant to hire a “reality star.” Of course, these comments have been met with a lot of people disagreeing.
Lily Collins
The Emily in Paris star is the daughter of musical legend, Phil Collins. In an interview with Marie Claire UK , she admitted that being Phil’s daughter was the most interesting thing about her at the start of her career.
Working hard and landing career-defining roles has defined her, not her last name.
“Now I’ve done eight films, it’s an afterthought. I get kids who say, ‘Oh, I love your movie, but my mum loves your dad.’ It’s really nice to be able to share that with him, but it doesn’t define who I am career-wise.”
Lily-Rose Depp
Lily-Rose Depp has hit the DNA jackpot with actor Johnny Depp as her father and model Vanessa Paradis as her mom.
She’s followed more in her mom’s footsteps by becoming a model and a Chanel brand ambassador.
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But the notion of being a nepotism baby is something she’s rejected.
She told Australia Vogue , “I’ve always been under the impression that I have to work twice as hard to prove to people that I’m not just here because it’s easy for me.”
“I feel like you’re not what your name is,” she continued.
“If you’re not right for something, they’re not just going to hire you because your name looks good on the post.”
Self-awareness looks good on her! It would do a lot of good for some other nepotism babies out there.
