Welcome to 2023. We’re now entertaining the era of Hollywood nepo babies. But wait. Hollywood nepo babies have existed for decades without anyone realising it. Of course, we’re talking about Jamie Lee Curtis and Drew Barrymore, who both come from acting families. The inspiration for this article came about when we found a recent piece by Yahoo Australia highlighting some of Australia’s Nepo babies. They reference Billi Fitzsimons (daughter of journalists Lisa Wilkinson and Peter Fitzsimons) and Christian Wilkins (the son of veteran Entertainment Reporter Richard Wilkins).
Billi and Christian are known outside of their very famous surnames in their respective fields. Christian became a well-known non-binary fashion icon while Billi rose very quickly as a journalist, a field her parents also occupy. Another name listed in the article is Instagram influencer Tammy Hembrow, who, to our surprise, is a nepo baby too. Her father is Mark Hembrow, an actor, writer, musician, producer and director.
Mark said that Tammy’s success, and that of her sisters, had nothing to do with him, and they built their careers on their own. Some Hollywood nepo babies also don’t milk off their parents’ success. Just because they share a last name with a famous relative doesn’t mean they use this to their advantage.
We’ll get into that a bit later. Let’s first talk about what a nepo baby is.
What Is A Nepo Baby?
We only learned what a nepo baby was the other day, so please bear with us. Multiple people have said that a nepo baby is only people with famous parents. However, Dictionary.com depicts them as potentially having other well-known relatives that aren’t mothers and fathers.
Some Famous Hollywood Nepo Babies
Let’s look at some. of Hollywood’s most well-known nepo babies.
- Jamie Lee Curtis (daughter of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis).
- Sabrina Carpenter (niece of Bart Simpson voice actress Nancy Cartwright).
- Ethan Peck (grandson of Gregory Peck and nephew of Cecilia Peck).
- Kate and Oliver Hudson (daughter and son of Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson).
- Olivia Jade and Isabella Giannulli (daughters of Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli).
- Denise Crosby (granddaughter of Bing Crosby).
- Scott Eastwood (son of Clint Eastwood).
- Oona Chaplin (granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin).
- Zoë Kravitz (daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, former stepdaughter of Jason Momoa).
- Connor Cruise (son of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, former stepson of Katie Holmes).
- Miley and Noah Cyrus (daughters of Billy Ray Cyrus).
- Wyatt Russell (son of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, half-brother of Kate and Oliver Hudson).
- Maude and Iris Apatow (daughters of Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow).
- Donald Jr, Eric, Ivanka, Tiffany and Barron Trump (children of Donald Trump).
- Simone Johnson (daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, granddaughter of Rocky Johnson).
- Gwyneth Paltrow (daughter of Blythe Danner and Bruce Paltrow).
- Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin)(daughter of Stephen Baldwin, niece of Alec Baldwin, cousin of Ireland Baldwin).
- Brooklyn Beckham (son of David and Victoria Beckham).
- Elizabeth Olsen (sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen).
- Elizabeth Allen-Dick (daughter of Tim Allen).
Is There Such Thing As A Hollywood Nepo Baby That Doesn’t Milk Off Their Famous Relatives?
While many Hollywood nepo babies use their names to elevate themselves, some don’t. Ethan Peck once said that he had no idea that his grandfather, Gregory Peck, was an actor until he was much older. As a child, Gregory was just ‘Grandpa.’ Before we go on, actor Josh Peck is no relation to Ethan or Gregory. In Hollywood, Peck is like Smith or Jones.
One celebrity said casting directors don’t care who their relatives are. This is very true. You’ll get hired if you put in the work and have the talent to show for it. No one cares if your mother is an Oscar Winner. Talent often runs in the family. Look like Elizabeth Allen-Dick, for example. Her dad is Tim Allen, and The Santa Clauses is her first acting role. Initially, she wasn’t even involved in the project until she was reading the script on set, and she was cast as Sandra because she hit the comedy traits of the character that no other actress was getting.
One Example Of A Nepo Baby Who Doesn’t Hang Off Their Famous Relative
Since Elizabeth had never acted before and just so happened to have a script in her hand when she was cast, it doesn’t mean she has to credit her dad for it. If it was something she wanted to do, then fine. It’s not like Tim pushed her into it.
Some Hollywood nepo babies even change their names to avoid being compared to or recognised as someone famous’ child.
So, are all Hollywood nepo babies bad? No. Some find the phrase annoying. Others don’t care.
