While the children of some famous celebrities stay out of the limelight, many choose to follow in their parents’ footsteps as actors, models, and singers. While success isn’t necessarily guaranteed for these “nepotism babies,” many of them see great success in their entertainment careers. Daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, Dakota Johnson has acted in several films including the Fifty Shades of Gray series. The daughter of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, Jamie Lee Curtis has an acting career spanning decades, starring in the Halloween series, Psycho, Some Like It Hot, Freaky Friday and several other films and television shows.
Rashida Jones, Kate Hudson, Lily Collins and several other actors also have famous parents. While it’s easy to see how parents in the entertainment industry could potentially give “nepotism babies” a career boost, many of them don’t like being cooped up by their family background. Read on to see which celebrities have fought back against their “nepotism baby” status.
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9/9 Lily Rose Depp
Model and actress Lily-Rose Depp is the child of actor Johnny Depp and French singer Vanessa Paradis. Lily-Rose was a Chanel ambassador, starred in The King and is now starring in Sam Levinson’s upcoming HBO series The Idol. When asked if she was a “Nepo baby” in an interview with Elle, Lily-Rose said, “I can definitely say that nothing will get you into the role other than being right for the role.”
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8/9 Kendall Jenner
At the Keeping Up with the Kardashians reunion in 2021, Kendall Jenner addressed whether her platform as a reality star influenced her career path to becoming one of the highest paid models in the world. She replied, “Obviously I had a platform and I never took that for granted, but that almost made my job a little bit more difficult because people didn’t want to hire me because I was on a reality show.”
7/9 Emma Roberts
Back in 2011, actress Emma Roberts spoke to PopEater about whether being Julia Roberts’ niece has impacted her acting career. She said: “A lot of people think that, and they talk about nepotism, which I find so ridiculous considering it’s obviously not true; because I auditioned for so many things and never got the part […] It’s also like, you know, maybe someone can get you one part, but they can’t really get you ten parts.
6/9 Gwyneth Paltrow
In Hailey Bieber’s YouTube series Who’s in My Bathroom? actress Gwyneth Paltrow spoke about how being the daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner has helped her in her career. Gwyneth acknowledged that while nepotism gave her some privileges, it also made her job more difficult. She said: “I really feel like once you get your foot in the door you broke in you have to work almost twice as hard and be twice as good.”
5/9 Natasha Bure
Natasha Bure, the 24-year-old daughter of Full House actress Candace Cameron Bure, has followed in her mother’s footsteps and embraced acting. In an interview with Today, Natasha explained that it was her hard work — not her mother’s connections — that propelled her career. She said, “I work hard for everything I do and I’m out there like everyone else trying to follow my dreams and make them come true.”
4/9 Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller, son of actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, caused controversy last year when he got into a Twitter debate about nepotism with Franklin Leonard. Ben wrote, “Showbiz, as we all know, is pretty rough and it’s ultimately a meritocracy.” In another tweet, he wrote, “Untalented people don’t really last when they are because of who they are or know or who they are with are related get a break.”
3/9 Lourdes Leon
Madonna’s daughter Lourdes Leon has ventured into modeling and music as she got older. In an interview with The Cut, she admitted that her parental connections have helped her career. Nevertheless, she tries to distance herself from other “nepotism babies”. She explained, “I want to feel like I deserve things […] Nepotism babies are usually pretty awful, and my mom and dad raised me to be so much smarter.”
2/9 Zoe Kravitz
Actress Zoë Kravitz, daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, doesn’t seem too fond of being called the “Nepo baby.” She told GQ last month, “It’s totally normal for people to be in the family business.” She said, “That’s literally where last names come from. You were a blacksmith if your family was anything like the Black family.”
1/9 Hailey Bieber
Hailey Bieber, daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and niece of actors Alec, Daniel and William Baldwin, admitted her last name helped her career. Still, she wants to be successful, regardless of her last name. In an interview with Grazia in 2016, she said: “I want to do everything on my own without my name being involved. I try to stay away from it.”
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