Who Is a "Nepo Baby" in Hollywood? Unpacking the Phrase of the Year
By Anna GarrisonDec. 21 2022, Updated 12:27 p.m. ET
Judd Apatow and daughter Maude Apatow.
Have you ever watched a movie or TV show and questioned why an "up-and-coming" actor appears to be like so familiar? Have you ever listened to an album and questioned why the musician feels like you might have heard them earlier than? Part of this phenomenon may also be explained in a single phrase: "nepo baby."
The time period "nepo baby" spawned a thousand Twitter memes, but now, the conversation has made a resurgence following the New York Magazine December 2022-January 2023 cover reveal about the phenomenon.
What does "nepo baby" in fact mean? And who qualifies as a "nepo baby"? Keep studying for what you need to understand.
Dakota Johnson and mother Melanie Griffith.
What does "nepo baby" mean? It's quick for "nepotism baby."
Arguably, the phrase "nepo baby" used to be coined after internet fans of Euphoria actress Maude Apatow discovered she is the daughter of actress Leslie Mann and director Judd Apatow. Her character on the display, Lexi, is known for guiding theatrically, one thing that Maude also appears to be pursuing in her father's footsteps. Since then, tweets of every kind have sprung up, noting celebrities and their famous connections.
The phrase "nepotism baby" refers to an actor, actress, or musician who arguably received a get started in the leisure industry in response to who their parents are. Actor Ben Stiller went on a Twitter tirade in 2021 arguing that he earned his way into the business, despite having now not one however two well-known folks.
Zoë Kravitz and mother Lisa Bonet.
Following the release of the New York Magazine quilt and article, which varieties "nepo babies" into categories in response to their stage of nepotism, a new series of Twitter memes have sprung up: The first, to ridicule the ridiculousness of the nepotism classes (corresponding to regarding Phoebe Bridgers as a "nepo baby" for having a suite designer dad or mum), and the second, to quantify fictional characters into the nepo baby classes created by means of the mag.
The magazine's categories are as follows: On the Come Up (newly minted nepo small children), Booked and Busy (second-gen stars with large careers already), Almost Famous (have created or starred in a single primary challenge), Platinum-Grade (created/starred in a couple of works on their very own), Nepo-Baby Graduates (extraordinarily well-known in their own proper/no one cares who their parents are anymore), and the Extended Universe, where multiple branches of the circle of relatives tree are famous.
the realest nepo baby is london tipton pic.twitter.com/so0chuRQIJ
— NOSTALGIA (@notgwendalupe) December 20, 2022While memes are most commonly for hilarity and lighthearted fun, a bigger conversation about who has earned their way into the entertainment business is unfolding. Being a "nepo baby" is normally appeared with a adverse connotation, excluding for actors or musicians who recognize and settle for their privilege (and, expectantly, use their privilege to make a transformation in the industry).
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of actress Janet Leigh and actor Tony Curtis, advised The New Yorker in 2019 that she absolutely attributes her early luck to her privilege as the kid of two very famous actors.
Jamie Lee Curtis dressed as her mom Janet Leigh's 'Psycho' persona.
Discussing Halloween, she stated, "I auditioned many, many, many times ... I’m sure the fact that I was Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis’s daughter, and that my mother had been in Psycho — if you’re going to choose between this one and this one, choose the one whose mother was in Psycho. I’m never going to pretend that I just got that on my own, like I’m just a little girl from nowhere getting it. Clearly, I had a leg up."
Can nepotism within the entertainment business be a just right thing? Or will the recent consideration to the phenomenon lead to a decline? Only time will tell.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXSramam6Ses7p6wqikaKhfrLWiwIydpp6rXaOysbuMm5ibsV2isqK6