We're In Our Nepo Baby Era And It's Terrible 

I'm honestly jealous of nepo babies who are good at what they do, because a big factor of how they became good in the first place is the mentorship and support from their successful parents/grandparents/relatives. A lot of people don't have parents who understand what we're trying to pursue, and arguing with them is a lot of wasted mental resources.

One example I thought was relatively positive was Jane Fonda -- in an interview where she was asked why she was famous, she said point blank "because my dad was a famous actor". Boss move.

I've always viewed unpaid interships as another way of saying only rich kids need apply.

My mother has been at NASA for 35 years and does hiring and recruiting. She said flat out that it’s basically impossible to get a summer internship if you weren’t recommended by another employee. Every resume is good and everyone with a chance of getting in has a near-perfect GPA, but the students who actually get on the list are family friends and nieces and nephews. And if we’re being completely honest, she’s gotten high school friends of mine internships, and later, real jobs. It’s indirect nepotism, but I see it first hand.

I think it's important for Non-Nepo aspiring artists to acknowledge that their peers/role models/heros are Nepo babies. I think people can get downtrodden comparing where their own careers are with these very accomplished Nepo babies. Billie Eilish is an example of that. When she rose to fame at 15 years old people would joke about "well I'm a failure." Billie Eilish had success at 15 because she was a 2nd/3rd generation musician. She may not have lived in a giant mansion but she had parents that were already in the arts. She learned song writing from her mom. Her brother had started a music career before her. Her mom was Melissa Mcarthy's improv teacher. I love her music but I'm not going to compare my accomplishments with hers. The hand I've been dealt is very different than hers.

As a performing artist specifically, it’s such a hard industry where you have to RISK so much financial stability to get opportunities/take classes etc. So it hurts more when it comes to artistic opportunities! Two artists could have the same work ethic but one may take 15+ more years to make a full-time living vs someone who’s dad is a producer. The industry loses a lot of stories, unique actors writers and musicians…who eventually give up due to the lack of stability.

Nepo babies play their connections down, because, in their mind, they still audition, take acting and singing classes, etc. Along with the actual set work. So they (most of them) are "working", but they ignore the fact that their privilege gave them a headstart on a lot of the effort they have to put in, and they usually don't have to worry about homelessness while doing it. They think people mean that they just "show up" and get handed success, so they deny that. But no one is saying that, that's absurd.

It’s actually kinda refreshing for me to realize I never had a chance. Every time I see someone pop up seemingly out of nowhere who is relatively young and suddenly in EVERY movie and TV show, also owning a small business, in commercials, with tons of sponsors blah blah blah, I simply have to look them up on Wikipedia to see they they have not one, but two, famous parents who are super connected. Cool. I can beat myself up for getting a C in Geometry which kept me out of the university of my choice, but I can’t beat myself up for being born to nobodies 🤷‍♀️

I totally get the systematic issues of having wealthy and/or famous parents vs someone like Sydney Sweeny who didn't have that. But she's still insane wealthy at a very young age, when she's just started out and then was complaining about not making enough money AFTER buying a 3 million dollar house, 7 vintage cars and tonnes of designer and luxury items. She doesn't have money because she lives above her current means not because she isn't being paid enough

The other frustrating thing I've seen is that the media is so incentivized to feature nepo babies because they get more clicks. They can lean on their lineage and last name to get attention which is just catnip to the media. I looked at a top 30 under 30 list the other day and I recognized about half of the names on there as coming from well know families. The local media just fawns over every (often failed) project they can dream up.

You should straight up do an episode on unpaid internships. I went back to school for a career switch in my late 20s, thereby becoming entry level again in my industry at 30. I was basically walled off entirely from huge swaths of companies because they had school-credit internships and tended to hire from within. No knock to hardworking students starting their careers but considering that people go into abusive debt even for state schools, the cost of entry is astronomical. It literally felt like the system was ransoming my career. I just paid for school TWICE and it still wasn’t enough to get in the door?? Like, my training isn’t enough now Im being extorted another (insert cost of tuition) to even be glanced at? And I’m a white, highly educated, financially well off individual. What are the odds for a single mom with systemic privileges against her?? And they’re surprised when there’s controversies about lack of diversity in the workplace. The alternative, volunteering, is rightfully illegal, but tying internships exclusively to school credit was a massive mistake. Makes sense if you imagine schools being free, like in Germany, for an internship to be connected to your education, but if the only legal internship is one you have to pay tuition for, it’s now a cover charge, poors need not apply. Bring back the apprenticeship, and if there has to be an unpaid form of labor in companies allowed, have it run by the labor department so everyone gets a chance to prove themselves. Sorry, touchy topic for me! 😅

And can we talk about EVERY SINGLE ACTRESS on Lena Dunham’s show Girls? And how Lena Dunham refuses to acknowledge that her friends all have famous and wealthy parents, and the role that this played in her being handed so much control at such a young age? It’s infuriating

You could also add Léa Seydoux to the list who says her family never helped her. The Seydoux family in France owns the movie studio Gaumont (older than any studios in Hollywood) and the movie theaters Pathé. In the little world of French cinema everybody knew her name before she started acting… and she keeps on saying her success is only the result of her hard work 🤔

I see this with the children of doctors who become doctors too. Not only do they have a built in mentor and connections to help them get into school, they have highly paid parents who can help them with the cost of the expensive schooling while others may have to work, find time to study, and get to the same point with 0 connections.

I was sooo confused as to how Chamalet happened? He just popped out of nowhere and was in EVERYTHING.

Dan Levy’s comments only show how out of touch he is with the reality of many people. I have worked in Corporate America in the finance space since graduating. The amount of times my colleagues and I rolled our eyes at some Boomer’s finance bro of a son or I’m pretty but not smart daughter getting an undeserved internship or starting as a senior all while not knowing the difference between a debit and a credit was staggering. So yes nepotism exists in other industries and we hate it in every one not just entertainment. 🌚

Jamie Lee Curtis has always maintained that nepotism played a huge roll in getting her the lead role in Halloween. They were pretty much like hey someone may come to see if Tony Curtis daughter can act 🤷🏽‍♀️. I love that about her

The Gwenneth Paltrow / Hailey Beiber interview where Paltrow says like "its harder being a nepotism baby because you have to work harder because everyone will doubt your skills and your right to be there" I'm sorry I still don't feel sorry for you?

What’s shocking is just how many nepo babies DIDN’T make the list.

I was an intern in Hollywood and met and worked with nepo babies. There are so many of them that it is actively competitive for them (amongst themselves) for work and roles, even just office jobs.

at this point it's hard to find celebrities that weren't born rich or famous. can't beat our goop queen saying she had to work twice as hard because of nepotism

My sister is a working actress and whenever she gets asked how she can afford to do what she does at her age, and has zero issues going: "Dead Mommy Money," and making everyone around her uncomfortable. xD

The sheer number of nepotism babies in Hollywood is staggering. When I started to list Nepo babies over 40 I was amazed as how long this has been going on. The other day I found out that Chris Pine was a Nepo baby. Even him?? I’m showing my age but so many Nepo babies over 30 benefit because younger fans don’t remember their parents. I literally remember watching entertainment shows showcase “new” actresses like Gweneth Paltrow, Angelina Joile, Mira Sorvino and Jennifer Aniston and they would highlight their (at the time) their more famous parents

Surprised you didn’t mention the Deschanel sisters, the Fanning sisters (Elle and Dakota), or the Mara sisters. I know there are more, but it runs so deep it’s hard to keep track of them all.

My cousin taught math in an international high school in Dominican Republic. It's a tax haven for the wealthy. He said all the kids had corporations as last names lol

Dan Levy's sister and Eugene's daughter also plays in Schitt's Creek as Twyla. Annie, who plays Alexis actually went to the audition with $10 to her name and her home burned to the ground before she got the audition. I love the show, but I agree Dan got lucky because of his dad's association with the show.

All the current "It" models are the babies of famous 1980s models. Technically their moms got there bc of their socially praised genetics and their daughters now fit the minimum requirement i.e. size 0. However, how could they not become rich and command top dollar when they walk for top designers for their debut runway? When they became ambassadors for the biggest fashion and beauty companies? When they don't have to suffer through bad management contracts (since they all want them on their roster) and all the pitfalls of being vulnerable young models? You can't tell me they put in more work than the talented unknown girl who shares her 2 bedroom Paris apartment with 4 girls, and has to walk the runways she booked during fashion week like rent is due because it literally is?

Here's what I want: a MET Gala theme of "Self-Made" showcasing the fashions from before the Industrial Revolution, when people were expected to make their own clothes. ANDDDD for only self-made people to be allowed on the red carpet. Anna Wintour herself would have to stay home while Andre Léon Talley's ghost presides over the festivities.

Dakota Johnson is second gen nepo baby. Her maternal grandma is Tippi Hedron of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.

I finally had it when an interviewer asked me if I was planning on living at home while working because they simply didn’t pay enough and said “why should I subsidize the cost of your work.”

Your conclusion about the quantifiable consequences of nepotism is spot on and widely applicable. I wanted to be a history professor but the pay for adjuncts (and even prestigious research fellowships) is so laughably low that nobody can do it without a trust fund or a high-earning spouse. Pretty much every competitive/ desirable career is flooded with these people who as you say, literally don't need the money, and it's rapidly creating a caste system wherein only the current in crowd gets to work in a given discipline.

I stan Sydney Sweeny for saying that as well. Her parents aren't rich and basically had to move their lives to support them. No, she doesn't *owe* them...but... non-rich people take care of our families! She's a working actress. Just a VERY famous one! Meaning like...the direct income from a movie she makes goes into her living expenses and not into a trust fund, savings, or buying a property like a Maude might. That's why Syd is working her ass off and I commend her for it. It must be annoying being surrounded by already-rich young people that have more of a choice on what projects to take. Maude prob doesn't HAVE to do a film if she doesn't want to. That risks your career as well.

I grew up going to a good school in my area with a renowned musical theatre program, but the same cluster of kids were always getting the same roles. They had incredible voices, training. I learned they all attended the same prestigious summer camp. Even though I was there in the class with them, I always felt so behind. I was raised by a single mom where so many of these kids were born into money and had parents who could drive them everywhere, or got them a car and phone early, had connections, had money to join boutique dance classes and work with the best private vocal trainers. Now they’re all living lives in the arts and I’m not. I realize that I probably could have pursued by dream too, but I didn’t realize their privileges until much later - I just thought they were more talented. The reality is that when you have more money, you feel more secure to take risks and you really take for granted how accessible your dreams are. I never felt like I had a fall back plan if something were to go wrong.

When I was younger, I remember reading that Hilary Duff's family took her to LA from Texas to go to auditions and they moved there for her once she booked a job. As the second oldest of four within a one-income family, I was so shocked by this. My parents could never have afforded for me to audition halfway across the country for a chance at acting, and they sure as hell couldn't have afforded moving our entire family if I booked a role. Not to mention, what about my other siblings and their lives that they'd have to uproot? No hate to Hilary, I love her, but there is so much privilege in the success of the arts.

Man I love Chelsea rants. Brighten my Tuesdays.

Let's not forget Angelina Jolie, who is the daughter of sucessful actor John Voight. I know she's talented in her own right, but would it really be possible for an unknown actress, with no connections in Hollywood, to be as controversial as she was in the beginning of her career while still being very sucessful? Would this hypothetical actress, in a very mysoginistic era of pop culture, be able to win an oscar in her 20's?

Hearing Sydney Sweeney’s story compared to Jennifer Anniston’s, it is deeply depressing that even now famous successful people, generationally speaking, are often experiencing the downward mobility that the rest of us are experiencing. Anyway, here for the dragging of Rich Kids of Hollywood Redux.

When I signed a record deal contract, i had to quit my day job to be available to record, and I got into serious debt because the pay was not enough to support me, and the shows the label promised never came, just a few gigs in festivals, which pay very little. so to live my dream i had to give up my financial stability, and of course, I had to move back to my home town to pay my debts after the contract was over. my wealthy nepo-baby peers never had to choose, they were able to just go on with their lives after that, getting bigger and better deals and contracts bc they have lots more headspace to negotiate, today i am still struggling to make ends meet, and have to accept jobs under my qualifications, i can't afford to say no to jobs, even though I'm "famous" in my niche...

Dan Levy thinking only entertainment is a place where nepotism is given the side eye shows you he's never worked anywhere else. We are all giving the boss's child the side eye when they get a promotion, don't care the industry

You're definitely right that wage stagnation/depression is becoming ubiquitous even beyond the media industry - it's even happening in healthcare. In the recent past, many physicians easily built and owned their own practices or commanded high salaries from their hospital employers, resulting in high pay and a greater ability to take in more passive types of income at a time when their student loan burdens were relatively low. Nowadays, many private practices are being bought out by investment firms and many hospitals are being consolidated similarly - it's becoming increasingly expensive and difficult for physicians to then buy into practices / start their own practices unless they have an “in” with their physician parent’s practice, or negotiate competitive salaries from employers. And this is all while student loans for medical school are skyrocketing. And of course medical school has always been difficult to get into & make it through if you're coming from a low-income family or are without any family members who are already in the healthcare profession, to begin with.

Dakota Johnson's epic moment with Ellen lives in my mind rent-free. I am glad I had the privilege to witness her privilege grant me that privileged moment!

Let's not forget nepotism at the college level. The same people who scream the loudest about Affirmative Action, usually have children who never met a class they didn't fail and somehow managed to get into the best universities - because they are a "Legacy". Their father built a library or is the head of the alumni association. I think it's the American way, honestly. Keep the money in the family. Keep the success within the upper class.

Wow I was today years old when I realized Cage was a Coppola 😮 The way this video was executed and articulated was chefs kiss. Once again absolutely incredible. Thank you, Chelsea ❤

Also I stan Space Mom Carrie Fisher, my most beloved Nepo Baby. (Take your meds)

Point of fact: Jennifer Anniston was also a Hollywood nepo baby with a soap star father. Shocked but not surprised that actors don’t receive residuals from streaming. Gives producers even more control/money over the creative players. 🙁

There are the: 1.) nepo babies 2.) the ones whose families are rich (not famous) but paid their way in and 3.) the child stars who had their parents pay for everything and got them in the door before they were adults and had to stand on their own. Sorry, but not every parent can take time off work to take their child to auditions and pay for their acting/music classes- I'm looking at you Selena Gomez and Zendaya. JLo was the only person I can think of who did the dirty work and started from ground zero as an adult on her own.

Is the problem that nepotism exists in entertainment or that people pretend it doesn’t exist? When it comes to the entertainment industry, I understand people wanting to make their art with the people they love. I can, at least to an extent, forgive that. I think expecting every actor or director to have gained success purely on hard work alone is unrealistic (in any industry, really), and I find it hard to fault the nepo babies for using the resources they have, for playing the cards they’re dealt, ya know? But certainly let’s just call it what it is rather than pretend you got here only by your own efforts.

Very good point! Don’t know how it is in the USA, but here in Central Europe I notice more and more Nepo babies in politics. And that’s even worse than in entertainment, because it’s kind of reverting back to monarchies. (And also: don’t these kids have any dreams of their own to follow?)

And Dan Levy has totally contradicted himself. In the documentary that is advertised after you finish Schitt's Creek he literally says: I had an idea and went straight to my dad with it. That's not to say that the show is bad, it's a wonderful, lovely show full of amazing acting, writing and story. But it would never have gotten on the air without a famous actor willing to star in it getting other famous actors to star in it.

The nepo babies like Jamie Lee Curtis and Drew Barrymore who A. Have talent, B. most importantly, acknowledge that they had / have an advantage as nepo babies, totally get a pass in my book.

Had a good laugh on Jack Quaid when you referenced his uncle instead of his incredibly famous parents. I've literally never heard of Randy Quaid. Also I loved Lily Collins in To the Bone.

Like Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Carrie Fisher aren’t in the same category? 🙄 This isn’t new

bollywoods been having this problem for a while too. it is such a pain in the ass because what suffers is true artistry.

TOTALLY AGREE. As inequality gets worse so will the nepo baby issue and the media landscape will be so much worse off for it. The industry is already so insular and nepotism 100% affects the type of art and performances that are made.

Nepo baby era is the default in the industry. It is the norm. But good to know how many were so privileged in this video 😵‍💫

I'm an editor/writer (with poor, estranged parents lol) rethinking my career, and the media part of this video punched me in the stomach. Nothing I didn't know but oof. what am I DOING Also I need a lot more of the descent into lightly petty chaos that happened toward the end. GO OFF CHELSEEEEEA

Even if nepotism *only* got someone in the Door, (the meeting, the audition, etc), even just getting to the door will be extremely difficult if not impossible for most people

Zoë Kravitz, Willow and Jaden, Diana Ross’s kids and grandkids, The Smolletts, etc….

you may have heard of him... or seen his eyebrows. Sincerely love you - this was filled with absolutely golden sarcastic one liners. If only your parents were famous 😀

Chelsea, when has there not in a nepo baby era in Hollywood?

Ok it all makes sense now. I was wondering how Maya got that part in “do revenge” I saw clips and I thought “this girl doesn’t have the *it* factor, weird that she got this part” now I see she’s the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke

I think Dennis Quaid is well known enough without the mention of his brother🤣

This video was hilarious and a good time! But on a more serious note: This is the classic old money vs new money debate. And while we're busy defending the new money, with an unconscious hope that it might be us one day, the wealthy have convinced us that things like student loan forgiveness will hurt the working class. They want us to dream that we could all be wealthy one day but not give us the tools to actually get there. Instead of "eat the rich", it's "being rich is okay, as long as you're self made".

oooooh, I would love to see you talking about forced nepotism such as parents that are successful in a career and forcing their kids to get into the trade [to keep the class status of the family]. I know of families where I'm from where the people have been dentists for over 6 generations. doctors for 3 generations, architects for 3 generations...

Kimora Lee's daughters also. I've ACCEPTED the unfairness of life .. that helped my mental health greatly. This video helps me understand how pursuing Hollywood can be possible because you kyou need a large cushion to pursue acting and having that financial cushion is not realistic for most people including middle class.. It's just not sustainable. It's super chaotic also

You called Lily a bilingual queen of mediocrity I'm *gagging* 🤣 I'm surprised you didn't mention any reality show children though, Chelsea (e.g. Bella + Gigi Hadid).

I looked up timothee’s mom cuz I was curious but it looks like she barely had any lasting credits , she looks like she was mostly an out of work actress that didn’t have any prestige so how could he be result of nepotism ? Alexa demie is also a giant nepo baby , just look up her grandfather

Depressed wages is so on point. I have been a hairstylist since 1986. Back then, I paid for my own apartment, car, utilities, food, and entertainment on my wages. Now? Lolololol! I needed a roommate, and then was always scraping to get by.

Timothee Chalamet's grandpa died in the 1970s so couldn't have had much influence on his career and his mom is currently a real estate agent so I doubt she has the connections a nepo baby needs -- just looked it up because I know people who went to school with him and didn't think that was the case

Hands down the funniest line in the nepo baby line up was, “…is it fashion, or is she just skinny?”

Jameela Jamil was discovered at 22 while she was working as a schoolteacher.

I think Jamilia has a point about clowning someone and their inability to read. It’s not funny. Everything else was great. 😊

I just love a good nepo baby conversation. I didn't know Lilly Colins was one but it makes sense! She always gave me that "why is this actor in so many roles?" feeling. Heck, I saw a young female actress in a series once, sure it was somewhat of an obscure series, but I kept thinking whose kid is this? This is someones kid. So I looked it up and her dad was Barney. Yes, as in the purple dinosaur. I thought that was one of my favorite nepo connections I sniffed out. The nepo deniers (fans) are fascinating to me, although I know a lot of them are young, like fans of Euphoria who haven't realized Hollywood and the rest of the world functions by hoarding power. Actually the first time I realized the entertainment industry was rigged was in 6th grade when at the end of the spring musical, the drama department thanked someone for their donation and it ended up being the leads mother. But back to the young fans who haven't realized Maude Apatow was the best choice to play their loveable theater kid favorite character because the power that choice holds in a corrupted environment, not her ability. In time it will all come to light, and I think its important we keep taking about it. HBO's Girls is the only project I fully support when it comes to the nepotism cast because the characters are meant to be the iconic spoiled millennials living in NYC with uselss degrees, family money, and zero self awareness. They played those roles flawlessly, and the show defines that culture in its satire of it, making it an artifact perfectly encapsulating the era it was produced in.

That opening jingle definitely needs to stay

A saying of mine goes like this: "Too little competition makes people lazy. Too much makes them desperate." We are at a point in our history that some call late capitalism. It is a time in which a handful of companies dominate every industry. And a time when many of these companies have been around for a long time. This causes a very real lack of opportunity. So, if one is wealthy, he/she wants to hoard this limited opportunity for his/her children. This is understandable. One way of hoarding such opportunity is to raise the bar high enough that most can't jump over it. College degree requirements, where they are really not justified, is a classic way of doing this. Requiring work experience through low or zero pay internships is nothing more than a new version of an old strategy. Anyone today who says anyone can become anything they want to is either a liar or a fool, and always has been. It's just that they are an even bigger one than ever, if they make this claim today.

I’m surprised Cara Delevigne did the acting in Only Murderers. Her terrible acting completely took away her cool mystique for me! Now I see she’s fallible and not effortlessly cool, which I never would’ve known if she’d stick to modeling. Funny, because she’s a powerhouse model. But she watered down her brand by doing something she’s not good at. Good video

You make some good points, but a lot of your comments come across as downright mean spirited.

One of my favourite hobbies is discovering famous people are related to one another. It's like getting a glimpse at something I not necessarily should lol.

Okay, but then how about a video where we talk about how arts and entertainment have been completely taken over by how big your social media following is. Published authors can't get a book deal these days - but anyone with a million followers can.

Nepo babies have taken over modeling too. And unless you are rich you cannot do social work, activism, humanities, major in art history to work at an art gallery, and so many other majors and professions.

I do get the frustration with nepo baby and some of them are trashy but at the same time I try to think about if I was in their shoes, and I genuinely loved acting or performing in some way or another, why wouldn't I take the opportunities thrown my way? So I have a bit of sympathy for them and some of them are really good!

In love with the intro jingle 😂💗

I'm laughing so hard about the Louisa Jacobson shade. Loved the show but she definitely took that role from someone WAY more talented and deserving.

I had to move across the country to get a job thanks to the 2008 recession. I had $200 and lived with family (who I paid rent to while on unemployment) and even with that I will never make a bootstraps argument because it feels so dismissive. This is why I roll my eyes hard when I see any bootstraps argument made by someone who wouldn't have jack 💩 if it weren't for their parents. If that makes me a bad person, I guess I'm a bad person.

Honestly, entertainment is the one industry where I’m okay with nepo babies. Yeah, I’d rather they be straight up with us and say, “Yeah, my dad’s famous,” but if you’re gonna hire someone unqualified for any job, you’d hope it would be starring in a TV show and not heart surgeon.

I kind of feel like the standard for being a nepo baby is so low that it's kind of meaningless. I looked up Timothée Chalamet's actress mom. She's a real estate agent who's one movie credit is playing "Customer in Bathroom" in an erotic thriller from 1992 that I guarantee you've never heard of. Is that enough to get your kid in the door? He's grouped with Dakota Johnson (who's first credit is from a movie staring her mother and directed by her step father) as if they had comparable advantages in the industry but there's no way that was the case. I feel like, if you're going to be repo baby, shouldn't your industry parent have actually been successful in the industry?

I found out at 19-20 years old that the "American Dream" is a lie. In the early 00's I graduated college early and through a stroke of luck was able to get an internship at the WHO in DC through a classmate. By the time I met the other interns, I found out they ALL had nepo backgrounds (a wing at a sister Development Bank was named after someone's grandfather). I felt so small in many ways, but I was able to succeed in my international career. I was the only one working multiple part-time jobs to have the "honor" of an unpaid internship and/or contract at a prestigious institution.

When a nepo person says, “Other industries have families doing the same career” I want to tell them that sometimes those careers have less of a barrier for entry for those who are not nepos. Making it more fair. Meanwhile, when you are an actor, you almost have to be rich or a nepo to make it in the first place.

It's kind of depressing (and hilarious) to see the USA get consumed by problems that I've been desensitized to because I'm from an African country.

I hadn't heard the term "nepo baby" before, but I had recognized the concept in Hollywood for most of my life. For some reason, we even have it in the world of politics. Even though, as you pointed out, we don't have actual heretical aristocracy. For some reason we like to elect relatives of politicians into office. The Kennedys, Bushes, Clintons, etc. Talk about that in a followup video please.

I graduated in a law school class of 10 people who’s parents weren’t lawyers or doctors. Nepotism is definitely prevalent and discussed in legal services.

I benefited from nepotism, not because I have famous (or anywhere near rich) parents but because I got a job in the same place my mom worked. Because it was a government job, even my hourly rate at the time (late 90s) was higher than the US federal minimum wage is today. Was I the best person for the job? Probably not. But I really do appreciate the training and experience it gave me because I’ve been able to leverage it for over 20 years to progress in my career. The advantages of being a nepo baby are real and definitely help maintain the status quo. I will say this - my mom would never have let me stay there if I didn’t deliver high quality on the work I was supposed to do. She wasn’t going to put up with me taking advantage that way.

I love that no one is safe from her. Even generally liked people are on the chopping block lol

As a Canadian who watched Dan Levy barely hold down jobs in Canadian television for 15 years I don’t mind his nepo status as much. Like he finally in his mid 30s wrote and created show that somehow made it past being just CanCon and gained success in America too. Sure it helped having his dad be on the show and his friendship with Catherine to bring her in, but Dan had been working in the industry for over a decade in the bottom of Eugene’s relevancy. He was a C list nepo baby. The worst are the A list nepo babies who start acting at 18 and gain huge success overnight and it’s based mostly off being young and hot, not any real talent.

This reminds me of those rumors that Taylor Swift's dad paid the record labels to take her on rather than them paying her to be talented

Love your take on the performances btw, but the whole video was so so good like the BEST video I've watched in Months. Thank you!!

Timothée Chalamet is not a nepo kid. His mother is now a realtor in NYC, so unless he’s selling multimillion dollar townhouses on the UES using his mom’s listings, he doesn’t rely on family members with power and influence for his success. That’s all just hard work and pure talent. While he does come from a show business family, no one is giving him juicy roles specifically because his grandfather wrote Paris Blues in the 50s or because his mom and grandmother worked on Broadway back in the day. TikTok is not a reliable source for accurate information, especially for information that can easily be found in a simple Google search. Let’s give the young man credit where credit is due and not disparage his dedication to his craft simply because someone called him a nepo kid on TikTok.

This bleeds down into the less glamorous parts of the industry, too. There has been more than one occasion where, as a young unpaid intern (obviously a whole 'nother can of worms) I was working with other interns who were relatives of producers/directors/famous actors that basically just needed to be babysat. As if getting a job in the industry wasn't hard enough, you have people "working" for free as literal placeholders while people who actually want to succeed can't find work.

I love TSwift and I think she is very talented, but her story doesn't exist without her well off parents who were able to move cities for her career ambitions. And her father (allegedly) invested in Big Machine records. Average folks can't do this.

In a similar vein: how do you feel about celebrities (nepo babies or not) career-hopping? The immense privilege that allows successful celebrities to suddenly pursue a completely different passion and immediately achieve in it just boggles my mind!