Nepotism in Hollywood
February 6, 2023
With the release of New York Magazine’s nepotism baby issue, social media has gone wild and there has been a light shined on just how many of these individuals there are in Hollywood. The internet is raging, claiming that it is unfair that some of these celebrities have advantages over many of their peers just because of their family or who they know. The publication of the article has brought up a very important question; do these nepotism babies deserve their fame?
There are many nepotism babies in Hollywood and how they respond to people pointing out their privilege varies from celebrity to celebrity. Zoe Kravitz, who is the daughter of actress Lisa Bonet and singer song writer Lenny Kravitz, commented on her famous parents in an interview with GQ. The actress said she feels “insecure about the fact that her parent’s names helped propel her into stardom.” Kravitz goes on to admit that she understands the anger against nepotism babies but defends herself saying she worked hard for her roles.
Lily-Rose Depp, on the other hand, claimed that her nepotism did not help her career. “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,” Depp goes on to say. Users on the internet were quick to point out that her modeling career would not exist without her parents as she is below the typical height of a model, standing at 5’2.
Some people say there is nothing wrong with using the resources one is given while others argue that is unfair to those who don’t have such connections and have to work hard to even get to the point that a nepotism baby starts at. Actor Lilly Allen, daughter of an actor and film producer, 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, if we’re talking about real world consequences and robbing people of opportunity.” Allen goes on to mention that she is not rooting for an industry full of children of nepotism, but to remember that they also have feelings.
The public’s attention has recently been focused on the amount of nepotism in Hollywood. People have begun to realize just how many well-known celebrities had a head start because of their famous bloodline. While some celebrities acknowledge their privilege, others are clearly ignorant about it, leading to debates over whether or not they deserve their fame. As a whole, much of the internet finds it important that celebrities with these benefits are aware of how lucky they are and how they got there.