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.
To add to that, even the just-OK ones get to stick around in the industry long enough to develop their skills and sometimes become legitimately good later in their careers. But non-nepos have to a) come in white-hot with talent, b) still have to get lucky, and c) still often don't get the break their ability warrants, all while the famous kids get to noodle around learning and growing and never losing their spot.
Especially in Hollywood, where the biggest barrier to entry is the first step through the front door. Simply being in the space is a tremendous advantage.
Even when they’re paid, the problem with competitive internships is that connections are still a high factor in selection. That being said, it’s definitely an improvement so as long as we keep moving in a positive direction it’s pretty awesome
@@droid2D2C3P0 no they aren't. There is plenty of unpaid training required in several fields. I suppose "clinical" or "professional semesters that nurses and other health students or teachers do aren't called "internships" but they are almost exclusively unpaid.
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.
Are you saying that she's a Nepo baby? Or just that her parents understanding the arts was beneficial to her? In the way that my mom being a music teacher would benefit me?
@@cutiepiemania45 She is a nepo baby, her parents had connections through networking which of course why not utilize to help your child. If you're music teacher mom has connections to people who are known producers in LA then yes thats having a leg up/nepo baby etc. My grandfather is a musician, but we know no one to even pitch a demo song to which is just the cards we have been dealt. Thats the reality of this world though, networking and having connections is the key to many jobs. Of course if I had children and had access to launch their careers I would as well, but I'd hope my child would accept that it wasn't only their talent that got them where they are.
@@cutiepiemania45 Technically, yes, though not in the typical sense that one may think of when they look at actors or musicians. She has musicians as relatives, but she didn't grow up rich and her parents weren't ridiculously famous like, say, Drew Barrymore, Lily Rose Depp, Maya Hawke, Jaden Smith, etc. Just because you didn't have rich parents/other relatives doesn't mean that you can't be a nepotism baby. Think about how many people take over/work at the small family business that their parents own, or how many people end up in the same career as their parents and maybe started younger because their mom or dad gave their boss a good word about their kid and asked if they could give you a job.
@@popcornlover722 I think what is happening more and more is that nepotism is being broadly used to say you have privileges and or connections. Because I'm not too familiar with Billie's entry, but what you're saying is that her parents knew producers etc and ofc they would help put their child in connection with those people. They are however not in a position of power where they can simply insert her into the music industry regardless of talent. Ofc people need to acknowledge privileges. I just feel like nepotism is being too broadly applied because it's an easy term for people to reach for.
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.
Jane Fonda is doing it right, she uses her privilege and upper hand in life to help others that don't have that luxury. and she's been doing this before it was cool or even ok to be "woke"
Same as, when asked about her good look in her eighties, replying it's good genes and lots and lots of money. She didn't actually say surgery but it was heavily implied. She added that she would love to have the courage to age naturally, but she just doesn't and admires her colleges who do.
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 can attest this is true. When I left Villanova University for Merrill Lynch, nepotism was pretty common. Now, when you apply for any job whatsoever … a major and regulated question is who are you related to that is or has worked for than company? Things do and always change.
This is what I hate about my careers class. I’m back in school and 33 and being told how to write a resume when I’m over here being like “we all know it’s who you know 93% of the time.” I’ve gotten a few jobs where I didn’t know someone but it was never based on a resume, just charm. The rest of the time I knew someone and got in. I’ve gotten so many of my friends jobs as well. Wish the lie of hard work and perseverance wasn’t still spoon fed to us.
It's called NETWORKING and it's an incredibly valuable skill in real life. Don't know anyone? Take advantage of LinkedIn and this information age to find ways to introduce yourself. Be creative, stop waiting for someone to FIND YOU.
@@leavemeal0ne378 I would have loved to inherit wealth, property, or connections. Didn't get any of that. Resenting that or envying that someone had an easier road, is only going to sour my satisfaction with my hard earned accomplishments. Those things would have been nice (really, really nice) but what I do have control over is my attitude, and not developing a loser woe-is-me attitude that this comment section, and my generation is sporting.
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.
This is me right now basically on the brink of giving up bring a choreographer. I have so much to say and create but at the end of the day I can’t remain financially in shambles forever.
TRULY, this was my narrative trying to be an actor with a theater career in chicago and ultimately being forced to leave the big expensive city cuz i was never gonna be able to keep up with my peers whose parents were paying for everything while i had to maintain a day job and pay my own bills. and it's extra demoralizing when so many of us who are in creative fields understand that it's very pay-to-play, while our friends/family/the broader mainstream culture still think it's actually a meritocracy and force the bootstraps "follow your dreams" mentality at us. sigh. high five to the artists out there who also have to pay their own bills, you're doing great sweetie!
Yep, that's me, 4 years of acting college & a BA honours degree in theatre performance all for nothing. There are 0 opportunities in the UK, unless you live in London which I could never afford to do :')
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! 😅
I liked your comment but your view on free education is way too American. Free education doesn't mean everyone can study and unpaid internships are okay. A lot of young people have to terminate their studies (30% every year, unsurprisingly from non-academic households) due to financial problems or have to study much longer because they work more than they study. Unpaid internships are often a huge struggle, a lot of students pause their studies, and work for several months or a year to survive unpaid internships.
@@nomadic_orthodox 100%, I think we still agree. I was speaking in the ideal. Just because education in some nation is subsidized doesn’t mean everyone’s opportunity is guaranteed, you are not wrong.
@@athena2824 I truly understand this point of view when you're used to immense loans to study. It's just not as easy on the free-education-side as it seems. It's even more devastating when you see that in a 3rd world country (where I live now) the government pays for full scholarships which not just include free studies but a rent-free room in a dorm and depending on the financial situation of the university even a free warm meal a day. Yes, you have to pay for food and other daily life stuff, but unpaid internships are even possible like this. Hello, 1st first world, why are you not embarrassed?!
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.
And they also fail to notice that even getting to “work” and be paid well- is a privilege their non-nepotism peers are not afforded. If they go on 10 auditions and book 1 thing, the non- nepotism kid could audition for years and get a well paying gig once. Just being able to “work,” is the privilege. Just getting to be in the room.
Furthermore, with all fo their work they're guaranteed a job. Whereas John/Jane Doe from Nowhere town can put in just as much effort if not more and not land a gig/job and we aren't guaranteed work afterwards.
I think part of the problem is that the nepo baby market is so saturated that they probably did have to work hard. You know to beat the other nepo babies. Of course that makes it almost impossible for people who aren’t nepo babies to get into anything.
It reminds me of that one Bella Hadid clip at Victoria’s Secret. All the models got roasted and dissected ruthlessly. Then Bella came in, no waiting in line, just waltzing in, and oh she was their darling who could do no wrong. In Bella’s eyes, that would seem like a fair audition because she didn’t see what the other girls went through.
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 🤔
Even worse, her parents are heirs to Schlumberger (the oil services company), which makes MUCH more than any French studio. Even if Gaumont went bankrupt, she’d still not even have to worry about homelessness or her family’s financial wellbeing. Not with that kind of money.
Eyeroll. Yeah right, of course you can claim hard work when all you have to focus on is acting while every script is stuffed into your hand because you family owns the studio.
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. 🌚
My career was in banking and we say ALL of the VP's kids come through over the years. To be fair, none were spoiled jerks, but most were just there right out of college, waiting to find something related to their majors.
I'm also in the finance industry and what is up with the online form they send you every year asking if you are related to someone in your department? Please! It does nothing to stop nepotism because who is going to admit it especially if they have a different last name. This goes on where I work incessantly. People's kids, cousins, and in laws in another big one. They always show up with meager qualifications. SMFH.
Exactly!!! Somebody please pluck Dan Levy out of Hollywood and dump him onto the real world where nepotism spills over from Wall Street to as far as your home town Main Street.
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.
That's why I say if people would just quit saying/typing/texting/clicking on those such as make up the K-name mafia, then they would have to go away, wouldn't they? Because they contribute AB-SO-FUCKING-LUTELY NOTHING TO HUMANITY! Worse, they are taking up air. Make them go away by not looking at them, looking them up, buying magazines that feature them, nor the one's mis-begotten "musical genius" baby-daddy (Mozart was a musical genius, geniuses of any stripe don't have to say,"I'm a genius"). Likewise any other NEPO with undeserved recognition and no contribution to making life on Earth a better place.
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
Bingo! Just because you make 1mil doesn’t mean you should be spending 1mil. The real problem is people getting money when they haven’t had it before (everyone should have this opportunity) and spending it as if you’ll always make more than you did last year. If you make over 500k you shouldn’t be spending 500k at the end of the year. That’s just dumb.
@@maybelikealittlebit it's not about that, it's about investing in the expensive stuff to keep the money and not having to pay taxes since u don't have the money cuz u spent it all
yes look at caleb who plays lucas in stranger things. according to reports his parents has adviced him to put his money in savings rather than making extravagant purchases to keep up an image. his parents didn't want him to be another one of those child stars who made millions but was later bankrupt due to poor financial decisions. and even though he does buy expensive things her and there he has saved most of the money he made.
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'm a doctor who has come from a non-medical family and it was always really frustrating when people who had medical parents wouldn't acknowledge the advantage this gave them. In my country as well, your specialty is determined after graduation through a rigorous admissions process, which is increasingly opaque. There are more than a few specialities where if your parent is in that specialty, you will be almost guaranteed a spot.
My parents are both doctors, so are my aunts and uncles. As kids of MDs there's so much guilt and pressure we're under to continue in the "family business". My cousin was "allowed" to finish an art degree then later plied with gifts to go into medicine. My brother unhappily pursued until he had a breakdown in his final year in med school. Me, a rebel who eventually went into the arts, nearly got thrown out the house - mind there was zero threat of that when I got knocked up in final year of pre-med. But being at home and painting? Omg the verbal abuse I got on the daily that I eventually left.
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 🤷♀️
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
@@Kif_Lee Yes on many levels. She’s a train wreck who seems to lack all self awareness. But I must admit that with the show Girls I couldn’t stand any of the characters and their terrible choices and entitled, selfish, self indulgent behavior. But I found it entertaining.
I remember when Call Me By Your Name and Get Out were released. Get Out made $200+ mil, Call Me barely cracked $20 mil, and though both were nominated for Oscars, every magazine has Chalamet's face on cover, and Daniel Kaluuya was maybe on one or two.
I don’t think it’s fair to call him a nepotism baby tho and I’m kind of confused about why he’s on this list - his parents could support him while he auditioned and that’s definitely a factor and maybe he got some advice from his mum/grandad but they hardly had enough actual influence to get him anywhere in the industry. He did suddenly blow up but in my opinion it was a combination of chance, talent, and good looks 💁♀️ or not nepotism anyway
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.
Which is so silly and even more messed up because while it’s competitive amongst themselves, for everyone else on the outside it’s virtually impossible unless you’re 1 in a million or willing to do some really crazy stuff. I think Lily Collins mentioned this once in an interview, this competitiveness amongst the rich and nepotism children when she talked about how her dad being Phil Collins didn’t help her it “hurt” her. Agents would look at her and say “So? Everyone here’s got a famous parent.” She still made it though. And probably the next agent was a “yes.” But for the other artists, they could work for years and still never be able to make it into that room.
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?
U talkn bout the hadids? Still think its so funny that bella already had body dysphoria and plastic surgery at a young age bc she had the audacity to look more like her father (a man i'm assuming her mother found attractive since she you know...slept him him at least twice lol).u right also just be a size 0 but also be tall. If ur moms tall u probs will be too and wow look at that, ur set for life lol
Let’s not forget that if the nepo babies don’t fit physical requirements, there’s always plastic surgery to mute out “commoner features” and make uncanny valley the beauty norm. Only those who can afford it can become top model.
@@BettyBBomB And even without a lot of surgery, nepo babies who don‘t meet the beauty standard get hyped. Cara Delevigne‘s eyebrows back when everyone had them plucked thin? Devon Aoki and Leni Klum being shorter? Gigi Hadid walking for VS despite being “““curvy“““? People say “well at least they changed the beauty standards in the industry!“ but the standards are only changed for… other nepotism babies. You‘d never see non-nepo short girls walking a runway anywhere.
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.
But only Elle Fanning benefits from nepotism for being Dakota Fanning’s sister (I think she made her first appearance on screen as a baby in movie “I Am Sam”). Dakota Fanning definitely has talent to shine on her own.
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
Jeff Bridges too, he was at a round table and they asked the question to the group "what was the biggest help to you in your career" and he chuckled and said his famous Dad
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?
That can suck, in any field. A friend of mine is a school teacher and loves the job. She took a lot of flack early on because her family was rich (CEO dad, model mom), so her lack of working-class roots was an insult. It didn't matter that she was/is a great teacher.
@@epbrown01 what??? I assume most teachers are rich they get paid shit. You can’t focus on you’re working worrying about bills. Plus how does what her parents do translate to her job and she must not care that much because no one would know what her parents did if it was that terrible. She’s just playing the rich victim my friend once complained about something like that too me and I was like how do they even know you gone from money?? She like ahhh I told them😂😂😂😂mmmm okay well when you brag, usually to separate yourself from the group as if you’re different aka better you’re gunna get flack. I don’t tell ppl shit about my back ground their races ass always assume I come from poverty and I let them. It’s work keep personal out of it especially big you’re going to work there for yrs a lot of ppl are in a rat race and are cut throat. If you have talent you’ll advance, it’ll be slower because you don’t network but it’s worth it because you don’t take ur work home with you. If it’s not ur business I promise you they dgaf about you don’t take ownership of anything just do your job description and leave. Ppl make their job apart of their lives &personality. It to the point when going out ppl ask what u do gotcha we work as if that tells them something about you. Like are you looking for a job why tf would I be out i public taking about work tf.
she might have a point. Look at how many children of famous people bombed in music or film because they just weren't any good. The Jane Fonda's, Jeff Bridges', Michael Douglas', Jamie Lee Curtis' of the world had to work doubly hard to show people they actually have talent and all those have had very lengthy careers not because of the foot that got them in the door, but because they proved to audiences they actually could act, at this point I'd say all four may be more well known to people under 30-40 than their famous parents.
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.
To be fair tho they are co-creators, they both wrote and produced in addition to starring on the show, it’s a product of Eugene’s just as much as it is Dan's.
Even so, luck was still on Annie Murphy’s side because she found the right opportunity at the right time before quitting acting altogether. Imagine that there are thousands of Annie Murphies out there trying to make it into the entertainment industry but never found the opportunity or their big breaks.
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
Well. To be fair, Chris Pine has been honest about his privilege and how nepotism has helped him get jobs. And therefore, despite being shocked, I can’t really begrudge him.
I wonder if it's because the standards are so low for being an actor/actress these days, and that has opened the door for nepotism like in any other industry. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, you had to meet very high standards to be a star. You had to "be discovered." You had to do screen tests to show that you had extraordinary beauty and talent. You signed a contract with a studio, which then groomed you to be a star. How you talked, how you walked, the expressions you made -- you were essentially re-made to fit the studio's image. They changed your name. They micro-managed every aspect of your appearance, including your weight. They told you what movies you would be in, and you could not refuse or risk the end of your career. They would control your personal life to a massive degree. You even had to get permission from the studio to marry someone. In fact, they could even force you into a marriage for publicity. You could be penalized for pregnancies, as well, which led to a lot of abortions and even secret births. I guess my point is that a studio didn't need the name brand recognition of a star's relatives. The studio WAS the brand. It was powerful enough to pick its own stars, even from out of obscurity, and mold them into whatever they wanted.
@@automnejoy5308 i think the beauty part is overrated. Have all the talent and the it factor, sure, but i like how Europe uses simple looking ppl. Why does everyone need to be so chiseled? Danny Devito, Steve buscemi, (just to name random ppl) aren’t all super models but they still do good.
@@diabloakland But you just contradicted yourself, since Devito and Buscemi are major Hollywood/American stars. So it's not like Hollywood doesn't use "simple" looking people. There are many, and some are super famous as you just said. But of course there are beauty icons. And Europe has always had beauty icons in their film industries, too. Or do you think Isabelle Adjani and Monica Bellucci can't thank their looks at all for their success?
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?
Not to mention how she changed her name and did her best to dissociate from her father, however he paid for the boxing, stunt, acting classes and so fourth even sharing the screen and carpet with him at a young age
Angelina is probably the only exception to the rule. She was so unfathomably stunning that she would 100% become famous even if she was a nobody. When I first saw her I was shocked. Edit: typo
Probably not the best example. Jolie has always been cray cray but she’s also exceptionally talented. And beingcontroversial is rarely an obstacle for beautiful women…
Yep. You literally have to know someone or have parents rich enough to quit their jobs and move your ass to California and devote their lives to your promotion like Jennifer Lawrence or Emma Stone.
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.
This reminds me of people like Pink and Whoopie who openly talk about F U money. When you have F U money it means you have enough money that other people can't control you and you can do what jobs you want. I love them for it tbh because at least their honest about how much freedom your networth gives you to not be controlled by anyone else.
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
@@dtsb123456 oh yeah. Gwyneth is a classic nepo baby. I think the funniest nepo babies right now are the “model” nepo babies. You can photoshop yourself to oblivion and use your name to get followers on Instagram, but come on… you’re like 5’7”… you’re not a catwalk model. Just stop.
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
Yes yes yes, my mother in law was forced to retire as a school counselor after decades and was replaced by the bosses you g daughter in law who doesn’t even have a psychology or sociology degree. Its grotesque
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
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
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.
Actually a lot of clothes were tailor made even before the industrial revolution. Abby Cox made a video essay about this. but yes I agree with the symbolism of your proposal.
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...
Thanks for sharing. That financial component is the main ingrediant that oo many people miss in the conversation. The money allows these nepo babies to chase dreams without going into cazy debt or living extremely poor lives. Take for example if you want to become a law clerk for a federal judge. your getting paid a low wage therefore coming from mooney helps to be able to take that low paying position out of law school. Without it you have to get to work right out of school to make money and pay back student loans.This is what the nepo baby doesn't understand how money and connections allows them access and no debt!
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.
you've resumed everything....took me years to realize that I did not pursue modeling because I was not willing to hustle (agencies responses were quite positive) but I just could not afford a model life financial uncertainty....adding to the cost of keeping oneself perfect all the time...
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.
This is the result of late stage capitalism. All industries tend towards monopoly and therefore high prices for consumers and low wages for workers because the owner class have complete control of both sides of the market. We need more unions and much stronger anti trust laws to break up monopolies.
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.
Yeah, it makes sense for parents to help their children. I think the problem is when they pretend there was no help, or worse - they continue to get opportunities when they objectively suck at what they're doing.
I would also say part of the problem is due to nepotism, you’ll see many younger people in job positions or roles that someone normally wouldn’t be as they are typically experienced based. Sure, someone can be talented but experience should play a large role in why someone earns a position as well. People with a name that people know are more likely to be given a shot. They may still have to succeed on their own but just getting in the door is a massive step they are handed. Like Kylie Jenner for instance was touted as the youngest billionaires or whatever whack title Forbes gave her. The praise being given to those that are young and achieving amazing things yet they have a family name helping to give them notoriety and often financial freedom to get to that.
Lol I’m going to go with the “pretend it doesn’t exist” option 😹😹😹. Most of us wouldn’t be where we are because of, or in spite of, our draw in the genetic lottery. I think the “self-made” title needs to be discarded by the media that insists on promoting it, especially when most individuals that could be considered ‘worthy’ of receiving it, spend most of their time thanking the connections and opportunities that allowed for them to have it. Nothing wrong with using whatever resources you were born with, even with the best resources there’s still skill and effort involved in utilising it, but there is something wrong with denying the efforts of those who assisted you or restricting access of opportunities to others. Lol like if you inherited a company, at least pay the interns lmfao
This exactly. If I'm playing blackjack and I automatically get dealt the two winning cards, I'm not going to return them because it's unfair the rest of the table didn't get them as well. You can't expect people to always not take advantage of any situation that might make their journey easier. If the system is broken, people are just playing by the rules set by that system. However, it is disingenuous to go about ascribing your success to only your own merit when chance and opportunities acquired because of who you know or where you come from played a (crucial) role. Even if you're not somebody's child, maybe you know someone who knows someone and that's how you got your foot in the door. Sadly, that's just how the world works, that's why there's so much emphasis everywhere on networking, because people rather hire someone they've seen or heard about than a total stranger, and this has been going on FOREVER, it's not even remotely new. Just don't go pretending this isn't a thing.
Both questions posed contribute to the larger issue. Perpetuating the false narrative of being self made or possessing raw talent. And taking opportunities away from more talented people who may have more unique stories to tell. All this reboot bullshit wouldn’t exist if we gave more opportunities to the Issa Rae’s of the world. I don’t think nepotism will go away and I don’t expect it to, but at least in Hollywood, it’s dominated by so much nepotism that it’s yucky.
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.”
lmaooo one interviewer told me "yea, you'd have to get roommates if you wanted to live closer to the office" it's been over 6 years and they have reached out several times since
One of the worst interview questions I ever got when repeatedly refusing to cite a number in response to a salary question was: "What's the bare minimum salary you'd need to survive?" Uh...I'm not applying to this job so I can barely survive.
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.
@@PauloSilva-ep9ox that’s not the point. Studios are high and mighty again like in the golden era, intellectual property is all that matters bc it’s a non living entity. Its labor can be extracted and beaten to death for profit. Actors, directors, crew etc and craft services can be exploited and paid less and shareholders and executives get the big share. Yes her parents prob wealthy but it’s truthful that ppl don’t get paid like they used to
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.
There's actually a really interesting youtube vid about JLo's rise called "Jennifer Lopez: Industry Plant Turned Legend" that you can find if you search it up. I recommend it, it's really well made!
Wild how child stars are either "child of parents who can afford to drive them back and forth to auditions and stay there or pay someone to do so" (because I think each minor needs at least one adult chaperone on set?) Or "Breadwinner child exploited by abusive parent" Like there is no in-between.
Madonna also comes to mind. She famously had $37 to her name when she arrived in NYC in the late 70s and was persistent and finally 4-5 years later got a recording contract and off she went careerwise.
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.
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.
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 ❤
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!
@@LauraPalmerD Ohhh you have to watch it. Dakota correcting the record during her interview on Ellen. If you search TH-cam for Dakota Johnson Ellen (maybe add "birthday party") you'll find it.
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?)
There are certainly nepotism babies in politics but I think politics here is more dominated by the wealthy in general regardless if their family members were politicians
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.
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.
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. 🙁
I do love how Carrie was brutally honest to comedic effect about her family history. I saw her perform her show Wishful Drinking (which was excellent) and her segment on her family being called Hollywood Inbreeding was pretty savvy.
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.
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.
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 thought she carried the role ok, definitely better actor than a lot of nepo babies i know. but yeah you can tell when it was just handed to them sometimes
@@Blahgirl283 the problem is that she plays that same character, basically herself. An awkward not hot not like the other girls lesbian except she has no charisma or talent so it's excruciating. I didn't question it too much in Stranger Things, she makes more sense in that cast and I assumed she was actually acting. In Do Revenge she wasn't great to watch and made what should of been a cheap candy teen movie uncomfortable and weird.
That's the problem she is not even pretty enough or skilled enough but got thw apart due to her name. But people have nowadays started to lick any boot
@@kanikagaral7637 i agree that skills are important but i don't see how prettiness is relevant, especially when she's playing a character who is supposed to be an outcast...personally misfit characters played by conventionally attractive actors is something i'm sick of in media
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
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
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
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
@@taliavelazquez358 You're right and even beyond that part of the conversation needs to be about how people hire and mentor people tend to mentor and hire people they see themselves or their children in -- "relatable" -- that is a part of white privilege because if no one else looks like you in the hiring room, that is another barrier against you because of unconscious bias-- it really speaks to the racism of the personality and likability aspect of hiring (in show biz and any other business really)
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.
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...
I second this, as someone who had no choice but to go into my mom's industry because of an event that occured in my childhood that pretty much stunted my social and emotional growth. It has its drawbacks with the pressure of being a representative of your bloodline, an example of your parents rearing, familial shame and shunning when you fail. Parents aren't always going to react with "that network was unreasonable, killing you off of the show", sometimes it's "if you had taken the acting classes I recommended, you'd still have the part and MY efforts wouldn't have been wasted".
That sux sorry to hear. Like parents should definitely do what they can to give you the benefits of their experiences and provide you with opportunities, but that shouldn’t mean forcing you to take them lol. It’s an opportunity not an obligation!!!...and saying it’s unfortunate is probably an understatement for people who’s parents didn’t get the memo
I was just thinking about this! My best friend's dad is a doctor and runs a medical facility so he's super successful making my best friend wealthy as far as im concerned and I always considered him just dumb lucky to be born well off. One day I randomly asked my friend if his parents put a lot of pressure on him to have the kind of career his dad has and he said yes, they did, and I could tell it was a sore spot for him because he didn't meet their expectations. But he also didn't go into something he's passionate about, so its not a feel good ending like he went after his dream and has a career he loves. It was an eye opener for sure because I never considered there could be any real down sides to having such a successful parent.
Whats the downside- u continue your parents practice, keep the money and continue to profit and pass that on to your kids? That what ppl have been doing for ages. Just that the american dream, ww2, and the industrial revolution have everyone big dreams that they can be ANYBODY. But just cuz you can doesnt mean u should. A job is just a job. And if its a company you get to own, you still get to decide how it runs and how much you work and how to balance your work and life bc one of your ancestors already did the hard work for you. U just gotta keep the gears spinning to collect that sweet profit to take your wife and ungrateful kids to months long trips in italy and weeks of backpacking and having absurd amts of money to throw your ugly daughter the sweetest 16th birthday party where she is gonna try coke for the first time lol The idea of "work should be your passion" needs to be beaten out of ppls heads. Passion is for the arts and only the ppl with a real gift should pursue those gung ho. In this economy, a job that pays and lets u live is the best scenario.
Agreed. Think of people who actually have difficulty reading, whether it's dyslexia, a learning difficulty, etc. I'm sure there's plenty who feel shitty about the "haha Lea can't read" throwaway comments.
Exactly, she wasn't defending Lea Michele, but pointing out that by joking about her you may hurt people who actually cannot read. And people who have difficulties to read are likely to have disabilities or lack access to education. The joke is that Lea is stupid so she can't read, but then you are insinuating that people who can't read are stupid; a harmful stereotype being reinforced. Let's retire the Lea Michele can't read joke, there are actually problematic things about her to critisize.
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'm shocked she didn't mention Drew Barrymore. Where does she think the term "old Hollywood family" comes from? How about the Fondas? This rant could have stayed between her and her friends at the next butter board party.
@@DivaViews I disagree with that sentiment. Sure, no one's surprised by the fact that nepotism has always played a role in Hollywood, but there's value in discussing the topic publicly in a video where she has a substantial audience base vs just ranting about it with her friends.
There has always been a nepotism era in Hollywood. They’re has always been historical figures who were movie stars, movie makers, film directors, screenwriters, song producers, songwriters, and other types of musical positions in the entertainment business. But, honey. Nepotism has always existed throughout history, outside of Hollywood. So it is natural to believe that not everyone including these celebrities have gotten into the industry not because of their hard work. And do not forget talent. It is simply aristocratic, through bloodline and familial connections to achieve certain privileges without “working”--a day in your life to achieve it through hard work, perseverance, personality, and perhaps charisma. Charismatically. 🧚🏿♀️👶🏿
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 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.
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 😀
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.
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!
It is natural to take advantage of any opportunity. They aren't bad people for doing so. Do I have sympathy for them? Not at all. They clearly have an unfair advantage and act like it is a result of only hard work and talent.
I think it's fine if they're honest about it and actually genuinely love the work and work as hard as they can. But when they're bad/mediocre and pretend like they got where they are on merit, that's when it annoys me.
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 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.
The bootstraps saying is now used in direct contradiction to it's original meaning. Ask any physicist (or anyone with a brain) you can't pull yourself up by your own bootstraps because it's a physical impossibility. Therefore the whole point of the original saying was to point out absurd stories of self reliance or success. Now, somehow Americans in particular forgot that meaning and take it literally and use it as a positive. Unreal.
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
The thing that annoys me about the hard work BS is that not only is it untrue, but it really isn't rare as they make it out to be. It is like having the highest GPA in high school. Yes, it is admirable, but everyone applying to Ivy Leagues have high GPAs and most will get rejected from their top schools. It's really not that special as we think it is. Most people work hard in some fashion. I would argue the entertainers who have a job while trying to break into the industry is harder work. The idea that the people at the top are unicorns when it comes to hard work is laughable.
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.
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.
Jamila talks about her upbringing - she went to a posh school with rich people but she says she isn’t from the money - her parents were immigrants from South Asia who later divorced etc. I won’t say she is a nepo baby
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.
"American Dream is a lie" No, it's not. There plenty of cases were people get internships and jobs via networking and cold calling. And you were 19 at the time ... Not the best age of wisdom. DC/Politics, like tv/film, is about networking. Guessed what, your friend was that network.
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 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.
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.
I’d never hear of Dan Levy until Schitt’s Creek (and I do adore Dan and the show). He went to his dad with the idea for the show, and his dad basically coached/mentored him on the development of the show telling him to flesh out the characters’ backstories, etc. before they pitched it. Plus, if I’m. It mistaken, it’s co-created by both of them meaning that Eugene lent his name to the project. I’m glad it all came to fruition bc I love the show, but I do fee nepotism was definitely at play here.
Not really sure why the comments on Jameela Jamil were included in this video...? Jamil wasn't particularly rich growing up, and was working as a teacher when she got her first presenting job (which she kept for some time after because she knew her career wasn't guaranteed) and she's faced more than her fair share of criticism from the media for being a brown woman who has had the audacity to have a body, a career and opinions. I don’t understand why it seemed necessary to include negative comments about an almost completely unrelated person in a discussion about a very real issue. I usually love TFD, but y'all can do better than this.
When Alexis de Tocqueville was arrested in France in the 1848 Revolution he wrote about 2 people's men: one of them was a soldier who worked as the jailer of political prisoners, the other was his former assistant. Tocqueville recognized in the soldier a good mood and a good disposition with people that he understood to be typical of people content with themselves and with the position they were born with. However, Tocqueville recognized in his former assistant the resentment and anger of those he described as envious of others' social status. After all, Tocqueville was an aristocrat. The French philosopher finally defined his resentful former assistant as "a perfect socialist"... The French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu already spoke about social capital. Networking, contacts and connections are capital, an asset, which can even be inherited. Why would the fashion, film and music industry be any different?
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!
That’s the ultimate in privilege IMO. Although I always admired Paul Walker when he talked about doing movies so he could pay for the education he would need to pursue his first love-oceanography. 😢
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.
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.
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.
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 get what you are saying, but the average person working hard to break into the industry surely won't feel this way. That's the thing with nepotism. It always hurts other qualified candidates.
@@KrustyFrank27 i guess in terms of professionalism, i get what you mean. But isnt that why you cast people from acting schools or acting professionals who are starting out? Surely youd figure out who works hard and who is utterly bored and impatient to get famous. In this nepo society that we are in, its easy to get annoyed at those who get a leg up but managers, directors and company owners are equally lazy or inefficient to spot good talent too so it makes the process "smoother" (corporate talk) for them to cast someone with a famous last name.
I feel the opposite. Either way, nepotism enables people to be well versed in an industry. But the apple never falls far from the tree, and art is something that requires invention and newness. Not so much for surgery
I don’t care/mind kids getting into the same industry as their parents, but nepotism is an entirely different thing. It angers me when some people literally don’t even need to TRY to succeed because of who their parents are…..
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.
To add to that, even the just-OK ones get to stick around in the industry long enough to develop their skills and sometimes become legitimately good later in their careers. But non-nepos have to a) come in white-hot with talent, b) still have to get lucky, and c) still often don't get the break their ability warrants, all while the famous kids get to noodle around learning and growing and never losing their spot.
Absolutely. Cause Beanie/Maude are my GIRLS! They are so talented but also extremely well-connected. Both can be true. That's life.
Especially in Hollywood, where the biggest barrier to entry is the first step through the front door. Simply being in the space is a tremendous advantage.
The last line. Absolutely
Great point
I've always viewed unpaid interships as another way of saying only rich kids need apply.
Glad they're illegal in Canada. Unpaid internships are a huge joke for everybody
Fashion is one of the worst for this.
Even when they’re paid, the problem with competitive internships is that connections are still a high factor in selection. That being said, it’s definitely an improvement so as long as we keep moving in a positive direction it’s pretty awesome
Definitely. It's volunteering hours to boost already rich youth.
@@droid2D2C3P0 no they aren't. There is plenty of unpaid training required in several fields. I suppose "clinical" or "professional semesters that nurses and other health students or teachers do aren't called "internships" but they are almost exclusively unpaid.
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.
Are you saying that she's a Nepo baby? Or just that her parents understanding the arts was beneficial to her?
In the way that my mom being a music teacher would benefit me?
@@cutiepiemania45 She is a nepo baby, her parents had connections through networking which of course why not utilize to help your child. If you're music teacher mom has connections to people who are known producers in LA then yes thats having a leg up/nepo baby etc.
My grandfather is a musician, but we know no one to even pitch a demo song to which is just the cards we have been dealt. Thats the reality of this world though, networking and having connections is the key to many jobs. Of course if I had children and had access to launch their careers I would as well, but I'd hope my child would accept that it wasn't only their talent that got them where they are.
@@cutiepiemania45 We're saying she's both. Sometimes, it is ok to acknowledge your privileges.
@@cutiepiemania45 Technically, yes, though not in the typical sense that one may think of when they look at actors or musicians. She has musicians as relatives, but she didn't grow up rich and her parents weren't ridiculously famous like, say, Drew Barrymore, Lily Rose Depp, Maya Hawke, Jaden Smith, etc.
Just because you didn't have rich parents/other relatives doesn't mean that you can't be a nepotism baby. Think about how many people take over/work at the small family business that their parents own, or how many people end up in the same career as their parents and maybe started younger because their mom or dad gave their boss a good word about their kid and asked if they could give you a job.
@@popcornlover722 I think what is happening more and more is that nepotism is being broadly used to say you have privileges and or connections. Because I'm not too familiar with Billie's entry, but what you're saying is that her parents knew producers etc and ofc they would help put their child in connection with those people. They are however not in a position of power where they can simply insert her into the music industry regardless of talent. Ofc people need to acknowledge privileges. I just feel like nepotism is being too broadly applied because it's an easy term for people to reach for.
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.
Jane Fonda I will always give a pass for everything (yes that one incident too). I just love her so much.
Jane Fonda is doing it right, she uses her privilege and upper hand in life to help others that don't have that luxury. and she's been doing this before it was cool or even ok to be "woke"
Same as, when asked about her good look in her eighties, replying it's good genes and lots and lots of money. She didn't actually say surgery but it was heavily implied. She added that she would love to have the courage to age naturally, but she just doesn't and admires her colleges who do.
I mean she has been an activist beofe it became cool or woke and went to jail due to it. She stood against the war her govt stated in other countries.
That is so true! Like Sinead O’Conner.
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 can attest this is true. When I left Villanova University for Merrill Lynch, nepotism was pretty common. Now, when you apply for any job whatsoever … a major and regulated question is who are you related to that is or has worked for than company? Things do and always change.
This is what I hate about my careers class. I’m back in school and 33 and being told how to write a resume when I’m over here being like “we all know it’s who you know 93% of the time.” I’ve gotten a few jobs where I didn’t know someone but it was never based on a resume, just charm. The rest of the time I knew someone and got in. I’ve gotten so many of my friends jobs as well. Wish the lie of hard work and perseverance wasn’t still spoon fed to us.
It's called NETWORKING and it's an incredibly valuable skill in real life. Don't know anyone? Take advantage of LinkedIn and this information age to find ways to introduce yourself. Be creative, stop waiting for someone to FIND YOU.
@@ladydreadpirate336 or just nepotism.
@@leavemeal0ne378 I would have loved to inherit wealth, property, or connections. Didn't get any of that. Resenting that or envying that someone had an easier road, is only going to sour my satisfaction with my hard earned accomplishments. Those things would have been nice (really, really nice) but what I do have control over is my attitude, and not developing a loser woe-is-me attitude that this comment section, and my generation is sporting.
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.
This is me right now basically on the brink of giving up bring a choreographer. I have so much to say and create but at the end of the day I can’t remain financially in shambles forever.
TRULY, this was my narrative trying to be an actor with a theater career in chicago and ultimately being forced to leave the big expensive city cuz i was never gonna be able to keep up with my peers whose parents were paying for everything while i had to maintain a day job and pay my own bills. and it's extra demoralizing when so many of us who are in creative fields understand that it's very pay-to-play, while our friends/family/the broader mainstream culture still think it's actually a meritocracy and force the bootstraps "follow your dreams" mentality at us. sigh. high five to the artists out there who also have to pay their own bills, you're doing great sweetie!
@@ChloeTheePayne omg *shoutout* to chicago theatre
Yep, that's me, 4 years of acting college & a BA honours degree in theatre performance all for nothing. There are 0 opportunities in the UK, unless you live in London which I could never afford to do :')
Yes! I had to give up celebrity fashion styling because it took GREAT financial input, and free time. Both, I don’t have being a child of immigrants
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! 😅
We will do one soon!
-C
@@thefinancialdiet 🙋♀️ I’m open for interviews! 😂😂 (+ also NYC based btw!)
I liked your comment but your view on free education is way too American. Free education doesn't mean everyone can study and unpaid internships are okay. A lot of young people have to terminate their studies (30% every year, unsurprisingly from non-academic households) due to financial problems or have to study much longer because they work more than they study. Unpaid internships are often a huge struggle, a lot of students pause their studies, and work for several months or a year to survive unpaid internships.
@@nomadic_orthodox 100%, I think we still agree. I was speaking in the ideal. Just because education in some nation is subsidized doesn’t mean everyone’s opportunity is guaranteed, you are not wrong.
@@athena2824 I truly understand this point of view when you're used to immense loans to study. It's just not as easy on the free-education-side as it seems.
It's even more devastating when you see that in a 3rd world country (where I live now) the government pays for full scholarships which not just include free studies but a rent-free room in a dorm and depending on the financial situation of the university even a free warm meal a day. Yes, you have to pay for food and other daily life stuff, but unpaid internships are even possible like this.
Hello, 1st first world, why are you not embarrassed?!
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.
And they also fail to notice that even getting to “work” and be paid well- is a privilege their non-nepotism peers are not afforded. If they go on 10 auditions and book 1 thing, the non- nepotism kid could audition for years and get a well paying gig once. Just being able to “work,” is the privilege.
Just getting to be in the room.
Furthermore, with all fo their work they're guaranteed a job. Whereas John/Jane Doe from Nowhere town can put in just as much effort if not more and not land a gig/job and we aren't guaranteed work afterwards.
I think part of the problem is that the nepo baby market is so saturated that they probably did have to work hard. You know to beat the other nepo babies. Of course that makes it almost impossible for people who aren’t nepo babies to get into anything.
It reminds me of that one Bella Hadid clip at Victoria’s Secret. All the models got roasted and dissected ruthlessly. Then Bella came in, no waiting in line, just waltzing in, and oh she was their darling who could do no wrong. In Bella’s eyes, that would seem like a fair audition because she didn’t see what the other girls went through.
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 🤔
Even worse, her parents are heirs to Schlumberger (the oil services company), which makes MUCH more than any French studio. Even if Gaumont went bankrupt, she’d still not even have to worry about homelessness or her family’s financial wellbeing. Not with that kind of money.
Eyeroll. Yeah right, of course you can claim hard work when all you have to focus on is acting while every script is stuffed into your hand because you family owns the studio.
Wow, didn't even know she was a nepo baby, thanks for sharing
I still don't know who she is... although I am familiar with Gaumont/Pathe'
YES!!!
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. 🌚
My career was in banking and we say ALL of the VP's kids come through over the years. To be fair, none were spoiled jerks, but most were just there right out of college, waiting to find something related to their majors.
How many times have I asked the question - How tf did this guy get here?
Yes!
I'm also in the finance industry and what is up with the online form they send you every year asking if you are related to someone in your department? Please! It does nothing to stop nepotism because who is going to admit it especially if they have a different last name. This goes on where I work incessantly. People's kids, cousins, and in laws in another big one. They always show up with meager qualifications. SMFH.
Exactly!!!
Somebody please pluck Dan Levy out of Hollywood and dump him onto the real world where nepotism spills over from Wall Street to as far as your home town Main Street.
Yess speak the truth. Nepotism is in every i dusty and it need sto stop
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.
Someone was like, they need to put the net worths of the parents of everyone on a 30 under 30 list and I heartily agree.
-C
Lovely seeing you here, Nick! Love your videos!
Didn’t expect to see you here nick, hi!
That's why I say if people would just quit saying/typing/texting/clicking on those such as make up the K-name mafia, then they would have to go away, wouldn't they? Because they contribute AB-SO-FUCKING-LUTELY NOTHING TO HUMANITY! Worse, they are taking up air. Make them go away by not looking at them, looking them up, buying magazines that feature them, nor the one's mis-begotten "musical genius" baby-daddy (Mozart was a musical genius, geniuses of any stripe don't have to say,"I'm a genius"). Likewise any other NEPO with undeserved recognition and no contribution to making life on Earth a better place.
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
Damn, this is a good observation
Bingo! Just because you make 1mil doesn’t mean you should be spending 1mil. The real problem is people getting money when they haven’t had it before (everyone should have this opportunity) and spending it as if you’ll always make more than you did last year.
If you make over 500k you shouldn’t be spending 500k at the end of the year. That’s just dumb.
@@maybelikealittlebit it's not about that, it's about investing in the expensive stuff to keep the money and not having to pay taxes since u don't have the money cuz u spent it all
The more you make, the more you spend. Seems to be the case with most people, at least.
yes look at caleb who plays lucas in stranger things. according to reports his parents has adviced him to put his money in savings rather than making extravagant purchases to keep up an image. his parents didn't want him to be another one of those child stars who made millions but was later bankrupt due to poor financial decisions. and even though he does buy expensive things her and there he has saved most of the money he made.
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.
Also witnessed it in academia, and sometimes the children end up not just in the same industry but the same discipline.
I'm a doctor who has come from a non-medical family and it was always really frustrating when people who had medical parents wouldn't acknowledge the advantage this gave them. In my country as well, your specialty is determined after graduation through a rigorous admissions process, which is increasingly opaque. There are more than a few specialities where if your parent is in that specialty, you will be almost guaranteed a spot.
@@etphonehome96 this is exactly the thing. Acknowledging their privilege is the least they could do.
My parents are both doctors, so are my aunts and uncles. As kids of MDs there's so much guilt and pressure we're under to continue in the "family business". My cousin was "allowed" to finish an art degree then later plied with gifts to go into medicine. My brother unhappily pursued until he had a breakdown in his final year in med school.
Me, a rebel who eventually went into the arts, nearly got thrown out the house - mind there was zero threat of that when I got knocked up in final year of pre-med. But being at home and painting? Omg the verbal abuse I got on the daily that I eventually left.
Yes this! Also law. Went to law school, the majority of people were there because “well daddy is a lawyer“. Frustrating.
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 🤷♀️
Your parents are not nobodies jesus. Have some respect omg
That's true but a suck way of thinking
Being born to nobodies is actually not THAT bad tbh
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
Honestly, everything is infuriating about her :D
@@Kif_Lee Yes on many levels. She’s a train wreck who seems to lack all self awareness. But I must admit that with the show Girls I couldn’t stand any of the characters and their terrible choices and entitled, selfish, self indulgent behavior. But I found it entertaining.
She is the actual worst. She did so much damage to the millennial generation a decade ago when impressions over that generation was cemented
Yeah. Honestly she deserves more criticism than Dan levy, tbh.
@@peepsicle That’s kind of the point of Girls. The characters are all unlikable. It’s her impression of the Millennials.
I was sooo confused as to how Chamalet happened? He just popped out of nowhere and was in EVERYTHING.
I remember when Call Me By Your Name and Get Out were released. Get Out made $200+ mil, Call Me barely cracked $20 mil, and though both were nominated for Oscars, every magazine has Chalamet's face on cover, and Daniel Kaluuya was maybe on one or two.
I don’t think it’s fair to call him a nepotism baby tho and I’m kind of confused about why he’s on this list - his parents could support him while he auditioned and that’s definitely a factor and maybe he got some advice from his mum/grandad but they hardly had enough actual influence to get him anywhere in the industry.
He did suddenly blow up but in my opinion it was a combination of chance, talent, and good looks 💁♀️ or not nepotism anyway
His movie was a hit. How that happens.
Because he's handsome and of course a lot of people (especially teenagers) like him.
He was too good in call me by your name
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.
Which is so silly and even more messed up because while it’s competitive amongst themselves, for everyone else on the outside it’s virtually impossible unless you’re 1 in a million or willing to do some really crazy stuff. I think Lily Collins mentioned this once in an interview, this competitiveness amongst the rich and nepotism children when she talked about how her dad being Phil Collins didn’t help her it “hurt” her. Agents would look at her and say “So? Everyone here’s got a famous parent.” She still made it though. And probably the next agent was a “yes.”
But for the other artists, they could work for years and still never be able to make it into that room.
I wanna feel bad for them, but also: justice
Are there like tiers for nepo babies as well?
@@yunsuuu definitely there are but I won't name names
@@rebeccabroos6600 Lol, no need to feel bad for them. They always have their safety nets to fall back on.
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?
U talkn bout the hadids? Still think its so funny that bella already had body dysphoria and plastic surgery at a young age bc she had the audacity to look more like her father (a man i'm assuming her mother found attractive since she you know...slept him him at least twice lol).u right also just be a size 0 but also be tall. If ur moms tall u probs will be too and wow look at that, ur set for life lol
Let’s not forget that if the nepo babies don’t fit physical requirements, there’s always plastic surgery to mute out “commoner features” and make uncanny valley the beauty norm. Only those who can afford it can become top model.
@@BettyBBomB And even without a lot of surgery, nepo babies who don‘t meet the beauty standard get hyped. Cara Delevigne‘s eyebrows back when everyone had them plucked thin? Devon Aoki and Leni Klum being shorter? Gigi Hadid walking for VS despite being “““curvy“““? People say “well at least they changed the beauty standards in the industry!“ but the standards are only changed for… other nepotism babies. You‘d never see non-nepo short girls walking a runway anywhere.
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.
There are so many more nepotism babies, we wouldn't have time to list them all honestly.
Do you mean Elle and Dakota Fanning?
@@dianarusnov292 I did! Thanks for catching that, fixed it
But only Elle Fanning benefits from nepotism for being Dakota Fanning’s sister (I think she made her first appearance on screen as a baby in movie “I Am Sam”).
Dakota Fanning definitely has talent to shine on her own.
@@ThePerksdeLeSarcasmeSiorai they come from a professional sports family who have entertainment connections
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
Same with Jane Fonda. She's also quite open about the role of her dad.
She is so honest, I love her.
Love her
Jeff Bridges too, he was at a round table and they asked the question to the group "what was the biggest help to you in your career" and he chuckled and said his famous Dad
I appreciate her being honest. Ben Stiller has also been honest about his help from his parents.
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?
That can suck, in any field. A friend of mine is a school teacher and loves the job. She took a lot of flack early on because her family was rich (CEO dad, model mom), so her lack of working-class roots was an insult. It didn't matter that she was/is a great teacher.
I don't feel sorry either. It is the direct result of having a career without earning it.
Cute. If you are a regular woman trying to make it as an actress, you will be accused of sleeping with the right person.
@@epbrown01 what??? I assume most teachers are rich they get paid shit. You can’t focus on you’re working worrying about bills. Plus how does what her parents do translate to her job and she must not care that much because no one would know what her parents did if it was that terrible. She’s just playing the rich victim my friend once complained about something like that too me and I was like how do they even know you gone from money?? She like ahhh I told them😂😂😂😂mmmm okay well when you brag, usually to separate yourself from the group as if you’re different aka better you’re gunna get flack. I don’t tell ppl shit about my back ground their races ass always assume I come from poverty and I let them. It’s work keep personal out of it especially big you’re going to work there for yrs a lot of ppl are in a rat race and are cut throat. If you have talent you’ll advance, it’ll be slower because you don’t network but it’s worth it because you don’t take ur work home with you. If it’s not ur business I promise you they dgaf about you don’t take ownership of anything just do your job description and leave. Ppl make their job apart of their lives &personality. It to the point when going out ppl ask what u do gotcha we work as if that tells them something about you. Like are you looking for a job why tf would I be out i public taking about work tf.
she might have a point. Look at how many children of famous people bombed in music or film because they just weren't any good. The Jane Fonda's, Jeff Bridges', Michael Douglas', Jamie Lee Curtis' of the world had to work doubly hard to show people they actually have talent and all those have had very lengthy careers not because of the foot that got them in the door, but because they proved to audiences they actually could act, at this point I'd say all four may be more well known to people under 30-40 than their famous parents.
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.
To be fair tho they are co-creators, they both wrote and produced in addition to starring on the show, it’s a product of Eugene’s just as much as it is Dan's.
Even so, luck was still on Annie Murphy’s side because she found the right opportunity at the right time before quitting acting altogether.
Imagine that there are thousands of Annie Murphies out there trying to make it into the entertainment industry but never found the opportunity or their big breaks.
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
Well. To be fair, Chris Pine has been honest about his privilege and how nepotism has helped him get jobs.
And therefore, despite being shocked, I can’t really begrudge him.
It's gonna be harder with the internet now for nepobabies to be outside of their parents' shadows. We won't forget what came before us as easily now.
I wonder if it's because the standards are so low for being an actor/actress these days, and that has opened the door for nepotism like in any other industry. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, you had to meet very high standards to be a star. You had to "be discovered." You had to do screen tests to show that you had extraordinary beauty and talent. You signed a contract with a studio, which then groomed you to be a star. How you talked, how you walked, the expressions you made -- you were essentially re-made to fit the studio's image. They changed your name. They micro-managed every aspect of your appearance, including your weight. They told you what movies you would be in, and you could not refuse or risk the end of your career. They would control your personal life to a massive degree. You even had to get permission from the studio to marry someone. In fact, they could even force you into a marriage for publicity. You could be penalized for pregnancies, as well, which led to a lot of abortions and even secret births. I guess my point is that a studio didn't need the name brand recognition of a star's relatives. The studio WAS the brand. It was powerful enough to pick its own stars, even from out of obscurity, and mold them into whatever they wanted.
@@automnejoy5308 i think the beauty part is overrated. Have all the talent and the it factor, sure, but i like how Europe uses simple looking ppl. Why does everyone need to be so chiseled? Danny Devito, Steve buscemi,
(just to name random ppl) aren’t all super models but they still do good.
@@diabloakland But you just contradicted yourself, since Devito and Buscemi are major Hollywood/American stars. So it's not like Hollywood doesn't use "simple" looking people. There are many, and some are super famous as you just said. But of course there are beauty icons. And Europe has always had beauty icons in their film industries, too. Or do you think Isabelle Adjani and Monica Bellucci can't thank their looks at all for their success?
Dakota Johnson is second gen nepo baby. Her maternal grandma is Tippi Hedron of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
and the stepdaughter of Antonio Banderas
And her mother had a career because of nepotism,so 3 generation.
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?
Not to mention how she changed her name and did her best to dissociate from her father, however he paid for the boxing, stunt, acting classes and so fourth even sharing the screen and carpet with him at a young age
Angelina is probably the only exception to the rule. She was so unfathomably stunning that she would 100% become famous even if she was a nobody. When I first saw her I was shocked.
Edit: typo
Probably not the best example. Jolie has always been cray cray but she’s also exceptionally talented. And beingcontroversial is rarely an obstacle for beautiful women…
I think she would still be popular because of her huge lips.
Yep. You literally have to know someone or have parents rich enough to quit their jobs and move your ass to California and devote their lives to your promotion like Jennifer Lawrence or Emma Stone.
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.
This reminds me of people like Pink and Whoopie who openly talk about F U money. When you have F U money it means you have enough money that other people can't control you and you can do what jobs you want. I love them for it tbh because at least their honest about how much freedom your networth gives you to not be controlled by anyone else.
And her family turn out to be racist, ironic
She is upper middle though. Plus she doesn't know how to spend her money responsibly.
sydney sweeney's parents were pretty rich, i think one or both of them are doctors
Her parents are rich...she grew up on a rural property that has been in her family for 5 generations!!
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
No, it isn't. That's just loser talk.
Emma Thompson comes to my mind.
Selena Gomez earned her way up working from the age of 6.
@@louduva9849 yes it absolutely is. For every one “earned” celebrity, there’s at least 5 nepobabies.
@@maybelikealittlebit more than that, I would say.
Non nepo babies are very rare.
The fact that everyone can remember who they are is telling.
What’s shocking is just how many nepo babies DIDN’T make the list.
I was looking for a mention of Stephen King's kids.
@@epbrown01 I was waiting for her to mention Zoe Kravitz and Ben Stiller. Stiller was in the press recently for defending nepo babies.
Gwyneth Paltrow!
@@dtsb123456 oh yeah. Gwyneth is a classic nepo baby.
I think the funniest nepo babies right now are the “model” nepo babies. You can photoshop yourself to oblivion and use your name to get followers on Instagram, but come on… you’re like 5’7”… you’re not a catwalk model. Just stop.
@@jessicadawson2353 Kendall Jenner and Kylie are notorious for saying they are "self made" like we don't have momagers like Kris Jenner.
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
Yes yes yes, my mother in law was forced to retire as a school counselor after decades and was replaced by the bosses you g daughter in law who doesn’t even have a psychology or sociology degree. Its grotesque
Considering levy is Canadian and lives under a nepo prime minister he should know it’s everywhere.
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
did he say anyone in specific?
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
and now you've just done the same to everyone that had to read this comment, congratulations lol
I relate to your sister. I *am* your sister.
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.
Actually a lot of clothes were tailor made even before the industrial revolution. Abby Cox made a video essay about this. but yes I agree with the symbolism of your proposal.
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...
Thanks for sharing. That financial component is the main ingrediant that oo many people miss in the conversation. The money allows these nepo babies to chase dreams without going into cazy debt or living extremely poor lives. Take for example if you want to become a law clerk for a federal judge. your getting paid a low wage therefore coming from mooney helps to be able to take that low paying position out of law school. Without it you have to get to work right out of school to make money and pay back student loans.This is what the nepo baby doesn't understand how money and connections allows them access and no debt!
I knew someone in your shoes that got $80,000 in debt the same way and never made it.
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.
you've resumed everything....took me years to realize that I did not pursue modeling because I was not willing to hustle (agencies responses were quite positive) but I just could not afford a model life financial uncertainty....adding to the cost of keeping oneself perfect all the time...
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.
This is the result of late stage capitalism. All industries tend towards monopoly and therefore high prices for consumers and low wages for workers because the owner class have complete control of both sides of the market. We need more unions and much stronger anti trust laws to break up monopolies.
I also think moving to another library might help. I’m already trying to leave the USA. Cause this is ridiculous.
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.
Yeah, it makes sense for parents to help their children. I think the problem is when they pretend there was no help, or worse - they continue to get opportunities when they objectively suck at what they're doing.
I would also say part of the problem is due to nepotism, you’ll see many younger people in job positions or roles that someone normally wouldn’t be as they are typically experienced based. Sure, someone can be talented but experience should play a large role in why someone earns a position as well. People with a name that people know are more likely to be given a shot. They may still have to succeed on their own but just getting in the door is a massive step they are handed. Like Kylie Jenner for instance was touted as the youngest billionaires or whatever whack title Forbes gave her. The praise being given to those that are young and achieving amazing things yet they have a family name helping to give them notoriety and often financial freedom to get to that.
Lol I’m going to go with the “pretend it doesn’t exist” option 😹😹😹. Most of us wouldn’t be where we are because of, or in spite of, our draw in the genetic lottery. I think the “self-made” title needs to be discarded by the media that insists on promoting it, especially when most individuals that could be considered ‘worthy’ of receiving it, spend most of their time thanking the connections and opportunities that allowed for them to have it. Nothing wrong with using whatever resources you were born with, even with the best resources there’s still skill and effort involved in utilising it, but there is something wrong with denying the efforts of those who assisted you or restricting access of opportunities to others. Lol like if you inherited a company, at least pay the interns lmfao
This exactly. If I'm playing blackjack and I automatically get dealt the two winning cards, I'm not going to return them because it's unfair the rest of the table didn't get them as well. You can't expect people to always not take advantage of any situation that might make their journey easier. If the system is broken, people are just playing by the rules set by that system.
However, it is disingenuous to go about ascribing your success to only your own merit when chance and opportunities acquired because of who you know or where you come from played a (crucial) role.
Even if you're not somebody's child, maybe you know someone who knows someone and that's how you got your foot in the door. Sadly, that's just how the world works, that's why there's so much emphasis everywhere on networking, because people rather hire someone they've seen or heard about than a total stranger, and this has been going on FOREVER, it's not even remotely new. Just don't go pretending this isn't a thing.
Both questions posed contribute to the larger issue. Perpetuating the false narrative of being self made or possessing raw talent. And taking opportunities away from more talented people who may have more unique stories to tell. All this reboot bullshit wouldn’t exist if we gave more opportunities to the Issa Rae’s of the world. I don’t think nepotism will go away and I don’t expect it to, but at least in Hollywood, it’s dominated by so much nepotism that it’s yucky.
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.”
That doesn't even make reasonable sense. It'd be hard not to silently get up & punch that interviewer in their mouth wow
lmaooo one interviewer told me "yea, you'd have to get roommates if you wanted to live closer to the office"
it's been over 6 years and they have reached out several times since
One of the worst interview questions I ever got when repeatedly refusing to cite a number in response to a salary question was: "What's the bare minimum salary you'd need to survive?" Uh...I'm not applying to this job so I can barely survive.
@@fortheloveofLDS how did you answer that?
@@fortheloveofLDS Why did you repeatedly refuse to cite a number though?
Or do you mean that you repeatedly asked them the salary question?
Man I love Chelsea rants. Brighten my Tuesdays.
^_^
-C
@@thefinancialdiet she forgot to say all these ppl r white, see the pattern
Agreed!!
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.
Your comment reminded me that Jennifer Aniston is also a nepo baby - both parents actors, her father higher profile than her mother.
Right?? This was my biggest takeaway from this video, actually. Depressing across the board.
Her parents are rich...she grew up on a rural property that has been in her family for 5 generations
@@PauloSilva-ep9ox that’s not the point. Studios are high and mighty again like in the golden era, intellectual property is all that matters bc it’s a non living entity. Its labor can be extracted and beaten to death for profit. Actors, directors, crew etc and craft services can be exploited and paid less and shareholders and executives get the big share. Yes her parents prob wealthy but it’s truthful that ppl don’t get paid like they used to
@@diabloakland Incredible placements! I agree 100%! My statement really missed the point lol just shade to the subject of the analogy.. the rich girl!
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.
And Jamie Lee Curtis. She changed her name and everything when she was starting.
There's actually a really interesting youtube vid about JLo's rise called "Jennifer Lopez: Industry Plant Turned Legend" that you can find if you search it up. I recommend it, it's really well made!
Wild how child stars are either "child of parents who can afford to drive them back and forth to auditions and stay there or pay someone to do so" (because I think each minor needs at least one adult chaperone on set?)
Or
"Breadwinner child exploited by abusive parent"
Like there is no in-between.
Madonna also comes to mind. She famously had $37 to her name when she arrived in NYC in the late 70s and was persistent and finally 4-5 years later got a recording contract and off she went careerwise.
@@nah....6151 Madonna's father was a self-made man I read from a book a few years back.
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.
Yea entertainment and art in general is just a very privileged kind of job tbh
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.
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 ❤
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!
“Actually that’s not the truth, Ellen” 😂 the one time I didn’t mind a nepo baby
What happened?
@@LauraPalmerD Ohhh you have to watch it. Dakota correcting the record during her interview on Ellen. If you search TH-cam for Dakota Johnson Ellen (maybe add "birthday party") you'll find it.
I literally memorized the whole interview 😂
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?)
There are certainly nepotism babies in politics but I think politics here is more dominated by the wealthy in general regardless if their family members were politicians
in western europe too.
Same here in Mexico 🇲🇽
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.
"have talent"
Amusing this is a good enough excuse that's been repeated
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.
Like Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Carrie Fisher aren’t in the same category? 🙄 This isn’t new
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. 🙁
bollywoods been having this problem for a while too. it is such a pain in the ass because what suffers is true artistry.
I agree
Atlast someone came to say that.
Also I stan Space Mom Carrie Fisher, my most beloved Nepo Baby. (Take your meds)
to be fair Carrie never denied who her mother was and she was actually talented (insanely talented actually)
pink absolutely! I will love her forever and laughed till I cried at all her stuff. But she was Princess Nepo.
I do love how Carrie was brutally honest to comedic effect about her family history. I saw her perform her show Wishful Drinking (which was excellent) and her segment on her family being called Hollywood Inbreeding was pretty savvy.
Yes. She is the best!
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.
Randy was a big name too once upon a time.
Or that one of Jack’s early roles was in a movie directed by his mother and produced by her buddy Tom Hanks. 😂
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 😵💫
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 mean she’s also in Stranger Things and people love her from that.
i thought she carried the role ok, definitely better actor than a lot of nepo babies i know. but yeah you can tell when it was just handed to them sometimes
@@Blahgirl283 the problem is that she plays that same character, basically herself. An awkward not hot not like the other girls lesbian except she has no charisma or talent so it's excruciating. I didn't question it too much in Stranger Things, she makes more sense in that cast and I assumed she was actually acting. In Do Revenge she wasn't great to watch and made what should of been a cheap candy teen movie uncomfortable and weird.
That's the problem she is not even pretty enough or skilled enough but got thw apart due to her name. But people have nowadays started to lick any boot
@@kanikagaral7637 i agree that skills are important but i don't see how prettiness is relevant, especially when she's playing a character who is supposed to be an outcast...personally misfit characters played by conventionally attractive actors is something i'm sick of in media
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
Have you tried low brow content like gossip and drama?
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
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
lol he's not a nepo baby like ppl are trying to make him to be one
@@hongngocle7644 yea he clearly isn’t
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
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
I’m sure the legacy still holds some weight despite his death. Connections can still be made.
@@taliavelazquez358 You're right and even beyond that part of the conversation needs to be about how people hire and mentor people tend to mentor and hire people they see themselves or their children in -- "relatable" -- that is a part of white privilege because if no one else looks like you in the hiring room, that is another barrier against you because of unconscious bias-- it really speaks to the racism of the personality and likability aspect of hiring (in show biz and any other business really)
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.
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...
I second this, as someone who had no choice but to go into my mom's industry because of an event that occured in my childhood that pretty much stunted my social and emotional growth. It has its drawbacks with the pressure of being a representative of your bloodline, an example of your parents rearing, familial shame and shunning when you fail. Parents aren't always going to react with "that network was unreasonable, killing you off of the show", sometimes it's "if you had taken the acting classes I recommended, you'd still have the part and MY efforts wouldn't have been wasted".
@@torntigre omg, sorry to hear that. I hope u like what u do now 🙃
That sux sorry to hear. Like parents should definitely do what they can to give you the benefits of their experiences and provide you with opportunities, but that shouldn’t mean forcing you to take them lol. It’s an opportunity not an obligation!!!...and saying it’s unfortunate is probably an understatement for people who’s parents didn’t get the memo
I was just thinking about this! My best friend's dad is a doctor and runs a medical facility so he's super successful making my best friend wealthy as far as im concerned and I always considered him just dumb lucky to be born well off. One day I randomly asked my friend if his parents put a lot of pressure on him to have the kind of career his dad has and he said yes, they did, and I could tell it was a sore spot for him because he didn't meet their expectations. But he also didn't go into something he's passionate about, so its not a feel good ending like he went after his dream and has a career he loves. It was an eye opener for sure because I never considered there could be any real down sides to having such a successful parent.
Whats the downside- u continue your parents practice, keep the money and continue to profit and pass that on to your kids? That what ppl have been doing for ages. Just that the american dream, ww2, and the industrial revolution have everyone big dreams that they can be ANYBODY. But just cuz you can doesnt mean u should. A job is just a job. And if its a company you get to own, you still get to decide how it runs and how much you work and how to balance your work and life bc one of your ancestors already did the hard work for you. U just gotta keep the gears spinning to collect that sweet profit to take your wife and ungrateful kids to months long trips in italy and weeks of backpacking and having absurd amts of money to throw your ugly daughter the sweetest 16th birthday party where she is gonna try coke for the first time lol
The idea of "work should be your passion" needs to be beaten out of ppls heads. Passion is for the arts and only the ppl with a real gift should pursue those gung ho. In this economy, a job that pays and lets u live is the best scenario.
I think Jamilia has a point about clowning someone and their inability to read. It’s not funny. Everything else was great. 😊
Agreed. Think of people who actually have difficulty reading, whether it's dyslexia, a learning difficulty, etc. I'm sure there's plenty who feel shitty about the "haha Lea can't read" throwaway comments.
Exactly, she wasn't defending Lea Michele, but pointing out that by joking about her you may hurt people who actually cannot read. And people who have difficulties to read are likely to have disabilities or lack access to education. The joke is that Lea is stupid so she can't read, but then you are insinuating that people who can't read are stupid; a harmful stereotype being reinforced. Let's retire the Lea Michele can't read joke, there are actually problematic things about her to critisize.
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).
Chelsea, when has there not in a nepo baby era in Hollywood?
I'm shocked she didn't mention Drew Barrymore. Where does she think the term "old Hollywood family" comes from? How about the Fondas? This rant could have stayed between her and her friends at the next butter board party.
I think the reason why Drew Barrymore and Jane Fonda aren’t included in her rant is because they have always been honest about their privileges.
@@DivaViews I disagree with that sentiment. Sure, no one's surprised by the fact that nepotism has always played a role in Hollywood, but there's value in discussing the topic publicly in a video where she has a substantial audience base vs just ranting about it with her friends.
There has always been a nepotism era in Hollywood. They’re has always been historical figures who were movie stars, movie makers, film directors, screenwriters, song producers, songwriters, and other types of musical positions in the entertainment business.
But, honey. Nepotism has always existed throughout history, outside of Hollywood. So it is natural to believe that not everyone including these celebrities have gotten into the industry not because of their hard work. And do not forget talent. It is simply aristocratic, through bloodline and familial connections to achieve certain privileges without “working”--a day in your life to achieve it through hard work, perseverance, personality, and perhaps charisma. Charismatically. 🧚🏿♀️👶🏿
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?
Well said! Much nuance has been lost in this video.
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.
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 😀
i cackled through this entire video.
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.
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!
Yeah can you imagine being told you can't do something because of what you were born into???
It is natural to take advantage of any opportunity. They aren't bad people for doing so. Do I have sympathy for them? Not at all. They clearly have an unfair advantage and act like it is a result of only hard work and talent.
I think it's fine if they're honest about it and actually genuinely love the work and work as hard as they can. But when they're bad/mediocre and pretend like they got where they are on merit, that's when it annoys me.
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 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.
The bootstraps saying is now used in direct contradiction to it's original meaning. Ask any physicist (or anyone with a brain) you can't pull yourself up by your own bootstraps because it's a physical impossibility. Therefore the whole point of the original saying was to point out absurd stories of self reliance or success. Now, somehow Americans in particular forgot that meaning and take it literally and use it as a positive. Unreal.
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
The thing that annoys me about the hard work BS is that not only is it untrue, but it really isn't rare as they make it out to be. It is like having the highest GPA in high school. Yes, it is admirable, but everyone applying to Ivy Leagues have high GPAs and most will get rejected from their top schools. It's really not that special as we think it is. Most people work hard in some fashion. I would argue the entertainers who have a job while trying to break into the industry is harder work. The idea that the people at the top are unicorns when it comes to hard work is laughable.
I think Dennis Quaid is well known enough without the mention of his brother🤣
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.
Trudeau as well
Jameela Jamil was discovered at 22 while she was working as a schoolteacher.
Zoë Kravitz, Willow and Jaden, Diana Ross’s kids and grandkids, The Smolletts, etc….
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.
Jamila talks about her upbringing - she went to a posh school with rich people but she says she isn’t from the money - her parents were immigrants from South Asia who later divorced etc. I won’t say she is a nepo baby
No, not a nepo baby. Just a narcissist.
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.
"American Dream is a lie"
No, it's not. There plenty of cases were people get internships and jobs via networking and cold calling.
And you were 19 at the time ... Not the best age of wisdom. DC/Politics, like tv/film, is about networking. Guessed what, your friend was that network.
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.
Good for you
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.
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.
I’d never hear of Dan Levy until Schitt’s Creek (and I do adore Dan and the show). He went to his dad with the idea for the show, and his dad basically coached/mentored him on the development of the show telling him to flesh out the characters’ backstories, etc. before they pitched it. Plus, if I’m. It mistaken, it’s co-created by both of them meaning that Eugene lent his name to the project.
I’m glad it all came to fruition bc I love the show, but I do fee nepotism was definitely at play here.
Not really sure why the comments on Jameela Jamil were included in this video...?
Jamil wasn't particularly rich growing up, and was working as a teacher when she got her first presenting job (which she kept for some time after because she knew her career wasn't guaranteed) and she's faced more than her fair share of criticism from the media for being a brown woman who has had the audacity to have a body, a career and opinions.
I don’t understand why it seemed necessary to include negative comments about an almost completely unrelated person in a discussion about a very real issue.
I usually love TFD, but y'all can do better than this.
When Alexis de Tocqueville was arrested in France in the 1848 Revolution he wrote about 2 people's men: one of them was a soldier who worked as the jailer of political prisoners, the other was his former assistant. Tocqueville recognized in the soldier a good mood and a good disposition with people that he understood to be typical of people content with themselves and with the position they were born with. However, Tocqueville recognized in his former assistant the resentment and anger of those he described as envious of others' social status. After all, Tocqueville was an aristocrat. The French philosopher finally defined his resentful former assistant as "a perfect socialist"...
The French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu already spoke about social capital. Networking, contacts and connections are capital, an asset, which can even be inherited.
Why would the fashion, film and music industry be any different?
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!
That’s the ultimate in privilege IMO. Although I always admired Paul Walker when he talked about doing movies so he could pay for the education he would need to pursue his first love-oceanography. 😢
Yes, Paris Hilton is a published author, which is just laughable!
@@AmyMichelleMosier Why is it laughable??
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.
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.
Martin Sheen has two kids (Charlie and Emilio) who are actors. They have appeared on each others' tv shows.
In love with the intro jingle 😂💗
I need Chelsea to copyright it right away 😏huh huh that’s right😊
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.
That opening jingle definitely needs to stay
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.
You make some good points, but a lot of your comments come across as downright mean spirited.
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.
As an actress, I disagree 😬 nepotism hits hard in the entertainment industry
@@Yuyuxi486 ok. As a filmmaker, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree
I get what you are saying, but the average person working hard to break into the industry surely won't feel this way. That's the thing with nepotism. It always hurts other qualified candidates.
@@KrustyFrank27 i guess in terms of professionalism, i get what you mean. But isnt that why you cast people from acting schools or acting professionals who are starting out? Surely youd figure out who works hard and who is utterly bored and impatient to get famous. In this nepo society that we are in, its easy to get annoyed at those who get a leg up but managers, directors and company owners are equally lazy or inefficient to spot good talent too so it makes the process "smoother" (corporate talk) for them to cast someone with a famous last name.
I feel the opposite. Either way, nepotism enables people to be well versed in an industry. But the apple never falls far from the tree, and art is something that requires invention and newness. Not so much for surgery
I don’t care/mind kids getting into the same industry as their parents, but nepotism is an entirely different thing. It angers me when some people literally don’t even need to TRY to succeed because of who their parents are…..
If nepo babies admitted how much it helped them, would people feel any better? I doubt it. This part of the critique seems pointless to me.