What makes a good Nepo baby?
By KELLY O’HARE
‘Nepo Baby’, a phrase familiar to those who frequent TikTok, is short for nepotism baby. The term spiralled into a widespread phenomenon after being coined in a Twitter post last year. It refers to the children of celebrities and esteemed relatives who have used their industry connections to build their careers; the select few born into a life of fame and fortune, who take their first steps on a red carpet wearing a designer bib alongside their playdates, Hollywood’s upper echelon.
Following the release of HBO’s season 2 of Euphoria, a tweet surfaced — a user expressed disbelief upon discovering that Maude Apatow, a cast member, was the daughter of actress Leslie Mann and director Judd Apatow. This moment marked the inception of the ‘Nepo Baby’
Wait I just found out that the actress that plays Lexie is a nepotism baby omg 😭 her mom is Leslie Mann and her dad is a movie director lol pic.twitter.com/s3Mh5QERgC
— girl idk… (@MeriemIsTired) February 21, 2022
This discovery initiated a chain reaction among Generation Z Tiktokers who launched into their own investigations, intent on uncovering well-known stars who had, up until this point, managed to keep their family ties under wraps. This unearthed a pandora’s box of nepo baby discourse, amplifying the already widespread online ridicule towards celebrities. Still, some nepo babies copped it more than others.
In a since-deleted viral TikTok video hailed a cinematic masterpiece, Romy Mars, the daughter of filmmaker Sofia Coppola and musician Thomas Mars, and granddaughter to Francis Ford Coppola, made her first Tiktok debut chaotically confessing to being “grounded” because she “tried to charter a helicopter from New York to Maryland on my dad’s credit card, because I wanted to have dinner with my camp friend.” Romy’s viral video was devoid of the usual flood of hostile comments. The comment section instead applauded her for her self-awareness and authenticity.
Francis Ford Coppola: The Godfather
Sofia Coppola: Marie Antoinette
Romy Coppola Mars: Make a vodka sauce pasta with me because I'm grounded for trying to charter a helicopter using my dad's credit card and visit my friendThe Coppola dynasty continues to produce greatness https://t.co/0SmXlFqeNp
— Noelle (@NoelleFaen) March 21, 2023
Kendall Jenner, on the other hand, is no stranger to criticism in the media. While she initially gained recognition through her family’s reality TV show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kendall, the daughter of Kris Jenner and Caitlyn Jenner, grew to become the world’s highest-paid model, holding the title from 2018. Nevertheless, people claim that Kendall distances herself from her Kardashian name and identity. She’s also been called out for downplaying the benefits from her privileged well-connected family, despite documented instances of her mother securing modelling gigs through her connections.
Instagram repost/Kris getting model gig
Defining what makes a ‘good’ nepo baby is a complex endeavour but a clear lesson emerges: honesty and embracing one’s privilege has the power to command respect and we appreciate when those from privileged backgrounds are transparent and acknowledge their advantages openly.
