NEPO Babies has become a popular way to label celebrities born with perceived advantages over their peers.
The term Nepo Baby, short for nepotism baby, is used to describe celebrities whose parents have succeeded in similar or related careers.
Here are the top “nepo babies” who appear to have made the most out of their presumed – and sometimes actual advantages – to create highly successful film and television careers of their own.
LILY-ROSE DEPP
Lily-Rose Depp, 25, is the daughter of actor Johnny Depp, 61, and French model and actress Vanessa Paradis, 51.
Johnny, who became one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, came from relative obscurity, growing up in a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky, before moving to Los Angeles with dreams of forming a rock band.
He scored supporting roles in Nightmare on Elms Street (1984) and Platoon (1986), before landing the starring role on the TV series 21 Jump Street.
After paying his dues and rising in popularity as a teen idol, Johnny starred in the Tim Burton-directed cult classics Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Ed Wood (1994).
He later became Hollywood’s top star after starring in a string of blockbusters including Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).
Lily-Rose was thrust into stardom at a young age – no doubt due to her parent’s industry connections.
In 2014, she began her acting career as a teen in a minor role in the horror film Tusk.
On the modeling side, Lily-Rose became a brand ambassador for the French fashion house Chanel a year later at the age of 16.
In 2019, she starred alongside Timothée Chalamet and Robert Pattinson in the historical drama The King.
In 2023, Lily-Rose starred in the Sam Levinson-created, HBO television drama series The Idol opposite Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye.
Though the show wasn’t well-received by critics and was equally panned by audiences, Lily-Rose participated in its soundtrack – it included the hit song One of the Girls, which peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Lily-Rose is currently set to reprise her Tusk and Yoga Hosers (2016) role in the Kevin Smith-directed horror-comedy Moose Jaws.
She is also starring in the A24 projects The Governesses and Robert Eggers’ gothic horror Nosferatu – slated for release later this year.
In 2022, Lily-Rose told Elle she didn’t agree with being labeled a “nepo baby.”
“People are going to have preconceived ideas about you or how you got there, and I can definitely say that nothing is going to get you the part except for being right for the part,” she said.
She admitted, “Maybe you get your foot in the door,” before adding, “but you still just have your foot in the door. There’s a lot of work that comes after that.”
EMMA ROBERTS
Emma Roberts, 33, is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and the niece of his sister, America’s Sweetheart Julia Roberts, 56.
Eric, 68, has more than 700 acting credits and has appeared in a wide variety of blockbusters, independent films, television series, animation, short films, student films, and music videos.
Notable films include The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), The Specialist (1994), The Dark Knight (2008), and Inherent Vice (2014).
He recently appeared in Damien Chazelle’s epic Babylon (2022) starring Brad Pitt and Margo Robbie.
You have to prove yourself more.”
Emma Roberts
While guesting on the July 8 episode of the Still Here Hollywood podcast, Eric told host Steve Kmetko that he’s “in love” with his daughter’s work.
“Like, I can’t believe how great she’s become,” he added.
He also asserted that Emma is solely responsible for landing roles in movies and shows, stating that he has contributed “absolutely nothing” to his daughter’s success in Hollywood.
“Except I gave her that name,” he added.
Julia Roberts has garnered several accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and three Golden Globes.
Many of the films in which she has starred were not only box-office hits but have become classics of American cinema, including Steel Magnolias (1989), Pretty Woman (1990), The Pelican Brief (1992), Notting Hill (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), and Erin Brockovich (2000).
Emma made her acting debut at the age of 10 in 2001’s Blow, starring Johnny Depp.
She later landed the lead role in the Nickelodeon sitcom Unfabulous, in which she starred from 2004 to 2007.
Emma would go on to star in Scream 4 (2011) and We’re The Millers, (2013), before becoming a staple of the FX anthology horror franchise, American Horror Story.
On the Table For Two podcast, the Scream Queens actress shared her thoughts on nepo babies.
“People like to say, ‘Oh, you know, you have a leg up because you’re a family in the industry,’” she told host Bruce Bozzi.
She continued, “But then the other side to that is, you know, you have to prove yourself more. Also, if people don’t have [a] good experience being to be [sic] with other people in your family, then you’ll never get a chance.”
ZOE KRAVITZ
Zoë Kravitz, 35, is the daughter of rockstar and actor Lenny Kravitz, 60, and actress Lisa Bonet, 56.
Since her acting debut in 2007’s No Reservations, Zoë has become a favorite of several auteur directors.
She appeared in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and played Catwoman in the Matt Reeves-directed superhero reboot The Batman in 2022.
It’s completely normal for people to be in the family business.”
Zoe Kravitz
Zoë also received praise for her lead roles in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies (2017–2019) and the Hulu romantic comedy series High Fidelity (2020).
In 2022, Time named Zoë one of the 100 Most Influential People of the year.
Her directorial debut, Blink Twice, starring her fiance, Channing Tatum, is slated for a theatrical release on August 23.
In a 2022 interview with GQ, the Dope actor shunned the idea that actors with famous parents have a leg up on the ones who don’t.
“It’s completely normal for people to be in the family business,” she told the magazine.
Zoë continued, “It’s literally where last names came from. You were a blacksmith if your family was, like, the Black family.”
JACK QUAID
Jack Quaid, 32, is the son of actors Meg Ryan, 62, and Dennis Quaid, 70.
Meg is recognized for roles in romantic comedies of the 80s and 90s, including When Harry Met Sally (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), and You Got Mail (1998).
Dennis has an abundant filmography, which includes starring roles in The Right Stuff (1983), Dragon Heart (1996), The Parent Trap (1998), The Rookie (2002), and The Day After Tomorrow (2004).
Jack appeared in Vinyl (2016) and Logan Lucky (2017) before gaining notoriety with his breakout role as vigilante Hughie Campbell in The Boys in 2019.
In 2022, he starred as Richie Kirsch in the fifth Scream film and played theoretical physicist Richard Feynman in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023).
Jack spoke about the “nepo baby” label during a recent appearance on the The Daily Beast’s The Last Laugh podcast.
“No matter what I do, people are going to call attention to it. People have called me a ‘nepo baby.’ I’m inclined to agree,” he added.
Jack admitted, “I am an immensely privileged person, was able to get representation pretty early on, and that’s more than half the battle.”
MAYA HAWKE
Maya Hawke, 26, is the daughter of Ethan Hawke, 53, and Uma Thurman, 54.
Uma starred in Dangerous Liaisons (1988) but rose to international prominence with her performance as Mia Wallace in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film Pulp Fiction.
Hailed as the director’s muse, she reunited with Tarantino to play The Bride in Kill Bill: Volume 1 and 2 (2003, 2004).
Ethan’s breakout role was in 1989’s Dead Poets Society.
He later starred in Training Day (2001), Boyhood (2014), and alongside Julie Delpy in Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy.
Etha’s career is still going strong, starring in recent hits The Black Phone (2021) and The Northman (2022).
He recently directed his daughter Maya in the biographical drama film about American novelist Flannery O’Connor Wildcat.
Maya’s breakout role came in the second season of the Netflix hit Stranger Things.
She followed in her mother’s footsteps when she appeared in Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (2019).
Maya worked with another auteur, Wes Anderson, in 2023’s Asteroid City, appeared in the Bradley Cooper-directed Maestro (2023), and voiced Anxiety in the Pixar smash Inside Out 2 (2024).
“There are so many people who deserve to have this kind of life who don’t but I think I’m comfortable with not deserving it and doing it anyway,” she told the London Times when questioned about nepotism.
“It’s okay to be made fun of when you’re in rarefied air. It’s a lucky place to be,” she added.
DAKOTA JOHNSON
Dakota Johnson, 34, is the daughter of Don Johnson, 74, and Melanie Griffith, 66.
Her stepfather is Antonio Bandera, 63, and even though he and Melanie divorced, the pair maintain a close relationship.
Don starred in the 1980s TV series Miami Vice and followed it up with 1990s police procedural Nash Bridges.
Melanie gained recognition in Brian De Palma’s Body Double (1984) before garnering critical acclaim in the comedy Something Wild (1986).
She later earned an Oscar nomination two years later for her starring role in Working Girl (1988).
Dakota’s first on-screen appearance was in 1999’s Crazy in Alabama – directed by her then-stepfather Banderas.
She later landed the highly sought-after lead role of Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades film series (2015–2018).
Dakota used that success to star in smaller indie films such as the horror film Suspiria (2018), The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019), The Lost Daughter (2021), and the romantic drama Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022).
She also appeared in the thriller Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) alongside Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth, and Cailee Spaeny and the title role in Sony’s Madame Web (2024).
Dakota appeared defensive when weighing in on the nepotism discourse while appearing on The Today Show.
“When that first started I found it to be incredibly annoying and boring. If you’re a journalist, then write about something else. That’s just lame,” the actor stated.
MAUDE APATOW
Maude Apatow, 26, is the daughter of director Judd Apatow and actor Leslie Mann.
Judd, 56, has directed numerous successful comedies, including The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), This Is 40 (2012), and Trainwreck (2015).
Leslie, 52, has starred in several of her husband’s films and has also appeared in The Cable Guy (1996), George of the Jungle (1997), Big Daddy (1999), Orange County (2002), and many more comedy films.
Maude is best known for portraying Lexi Howard in the HBO drama series Euphoria and was the subject of the original tweet that coined the term “nepo baby.”
Maude’s career has been used as a prime example of nepotism in Hollywood due to her appearance in many of her father’s films.
When asked how she felt about being “outed” as a nepo baby by Net-a-Porter in 2022, Maude revealed, “I try not to let it get to me because I obviously understand that I’m in such a lucky position.
“A lot of people [in a similar position] have proven themselves over the years, so I’ve got to keep going and make good work,” she added.
