Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone. Nepo babies (or the children of celebrities) want you to know that they have it just as hard as everyone else. And anyone who disagrees with them is ‘lame.’
Inherit the Spotlight
What nepo offspring seem less keen to admit is that the creative industries undeniably have a nepotism problem. In a world where everyone else has to shout to be heard, nepo babies inherit the spotlight. For proof, consider a recent interview with Anaïs Gallagher, daughter of Oasis star Noel Gallagher:
‘I never decided I wanted to be an influencer,’ she says. ‘I posted on my Instagram […] and then, because of who my dad was, initially, I got a lot of followers.’
Most of us will have to work very hard to make even a small splash in the vast pool of celebrity and influencer wannabees. But being the child of a celebrity almost always means thousands of people will be immediately interested in you, regardless of your talent or personality, and brands are very aware of this. Companies will seek out nepo babies and attempt to profit from their enormous social media followings through sponsorships or commercials. While figures vary, brand deals can earn a celebrity’s child anywhere between £15,000 and over £45,000 per post, granting them financial security with little to no effort on their part.
Despite this, nepo babies like Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of renowned actor Johnny Depp, staunchly deny their privilege and try to claim their success as their own:
‘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,’ she says.
Without realising it, Depp hits the nail on the head. She inadvertently admits that having a famous parent is what gets you noticed in the creative industries. Think of all the insanely talented people who will never land their dream job or get the recognition they deserve, simply because they have not inherited the same visibility from birth. Of course, there will be instances where children of celebrities do their own legwork and launch their careers through talent alone. Director Wes Anderson didn’t realise that he had hired the daughter of Kate Winslet until after he cast her in the Phoenician Scheme. But such cases are exceedingly rare.
Would Brooklyn Beckham have made it as a footballer/ model/ photographer/ chef/ racing driver without his famous surname? Would Nicola Peltz have been able to raise funds for an atrocious movie without her parents’ influence? Would Lila Moss be walking the runway for the world’s greatest fashion houses if her mum were not one of the biggest supermodels of the ’90s? Would Willow or Jaden Smith have launched their music careers without their dad’s popularity? Would Angelina Jolie’s children have ever had the opportunity to work behind the scenes on a prestigious film like Maria had their mother not been cast in the lead role? I think you’ll find that the answer to all these questions is a resounding ‘nope.’
Bad Publicity is Good Publicity
On the flip side, if a nepo baby’s parents are well-known for all the wrong reasons, this could potentially ruin their prospects of launching a successful career. We don’t know how the youngest members of the Kardashian and Jenner families will navigate their relatives’ controversies, whether Gary Lineker’s sons’ jobs will be impacted by his public fallout with the BBC, or how Sean Combs’ children will be affected by his sex trafficking trial in the future. Chances are, businesses and fellow celebrities might not want to associate with them to avoid harming their brand and the sting of bad publicity.
However, as the saying goes, even bad publicity can be good. Lily-Rose Depp’s career does not appear to have been hindered in any way. Back in 2022, her father sued his ex-wife, Amber Heard, after various news outlets published articles alleging sexual and domestic violence. Despite no open mention of Depp’s name, his legal team argued that Heard implied he had been abusive. And so began one of the messiest, most notorious trials in celebrity history.
Ultimately, a US jury voted in favour of Depp (although, interestingly, a UK court found the majority of Heard’s claims of abuse to be ‘substantially true’), and the Oscar-nominated actor could make a Hollywood comeback. In a subsequent interview, Depp revealed his concerns about how ‘his kids would have to live’ with the legacy of the trial. But he needn’t have worried. One year on and Lily-Rose bagged the lead for The Idol and Nosferatu.
And what about Hailey Bieber? — The child of disgraced actor Stephen Baldwin. Just to give you a flavour of why her father is so unpopular, take a look at this interview with the Observer in 2010, in which he spoke about his disdain for gay marriage, made a rape joke, and said that if one of his daughters made a career choice that did not align with his values, ‘I’d beat her.’
You would think these controversial remarks would be enough to cast an impenetrable shadow over his offspring, impeding their ability to succeed. But no. His youngest daughter is now considered to be the ‘it girl’ (try sticking that on your CV), whose days consist of posing for her 55 million followers, buying herself a vow renewal ring worth £1.5 million and selling her beauty brand Rhode for a whopping £1 billion.
Depp and Bieber do not seem to have been impacted by their parents’ respective histories. Instead, their careers have recently shot to new heights, with the former having collaborated with her ‘bucket list’ director and Chanel, and the latter continuing to star on the covers of magazines whilst navigating her new role as a strategic advisor to e.l.f. Beauty. Once again, the saying that any publicity is good publicity seems to be eerily true — I would add: as long as you have famous relatives.
I am not saying it’s easy to be the child of a celebrity. We now know that that level of scrutiny from a young age can be devastating. But despite this and my sympathy, it is still wrong and misleading for nepo babies to deny their privilege. While they sail through life, other creatives will be floundering beneath them, wishing they had a famous surname to keep them afloat.
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