10 celebrity ‘nepotism babies’ born into privilege: from David and Victoria Beckham’s ‘chef’ son Brooklyn, and Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis’ model child Lily-Rose, to Lenny Kravitz’s daughter Zoë

The term “nepotism baby” has been getting a lot of attention this year.
While some “nepo babies” are praised for proving their talents, others have been criticised for their privilege and lack of acknowledgement of their arguably lucky positions.
Meet 10 of the most well-known nepotism babies from the current generation – but who stayed humble and who clapped back at the haters, pointing out that their success wasn’t handed to them?
1. Lily-Rose Depp

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But the young model-actress is not a fan of the term “nepo baby”.
In a recent interview with Elle in November, she said, “If somebody’s mum or dad is a doctor, and then the kid becomes a doctor, you’re not going to be like, ‘Well, you’re only a doctor because your parent is a doctor.’ It’s like, ‘No, I went to medical school and trained.’”
She has also previously pointed out that criticism of being a “nepotism baby” is often unfairly directed towards women.
2. Brooklyn Peltz Beckham

In a TikTok video that went viral a few months ago, TikTokker Daniel Mac approached Brooklyn, who was sitting in a limited-edition car that costs more than US$1 million. When Brooklyn was asked what his occupation was and how he affords such luxuries, the 23-year-old answered, “I’m a chef.”

Brooklyn’s cooking venture, a TV show titled Cookin’ with Brooklyn, apparently cost US$100,000 per episode to produce, according to the New York Post.
El País has dubbed him one of the least popular nepo babies out there.
3. Kendall Jenner

“Of course, I had a platform and I never took that for granted and I always knew that that was there, but that almost made my job a little bit harder,” she said in the Keeping up with the Kardashians reunion special.
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This is despite the fact that her mum Kris Jenner helped her get signed to Wilhelmina Models in 2010, according to Refinery29.
4. Ty Tennant


He comes from a line of Doctor Who actors, with both his father and maternal grandfather Peter Davison portraying the iconic Time Lord in the past. Ty has said that he too would like to follow in their footsteps and take up the role one day, according to the Sunday Post.
5. Zoë Kravitz


The 33-year-old actress recently defended all nepotism babies in an interview with GQ. “It’s literally where last names came from. You were a blacksmith if your family was, like, the Black family,” the High Fidelity star said.
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6. Maya Hawke

The 24-year-old is known for her portrayal of mainly LGBTQ+ characters in hit Netflix series including Robin in Stranger Things and more recently Eleanor in teen comedy film Do Revenge.

“I feel like the only way to handle the nepotism thing, which definitely gives you massive advantages in this life, is, you will get chances for free, but the chances will not be infinite,” Hawke said in an interview with Rolling Stone.
7. Timothée Chalamet

While the Dune star’s parents are not a part of the Hollywood scene, they certainly aren’t nobodies either. His mother Nicole Fender was a Broadway dancer and her dad, Chalamet’s grandad, was a writer and filmmaker, according to The Tab.

However, Chalamet’s fans have been quick to defend the young star, arguing that his acting credentials are proof that he has worked his way to the top. A TikTok comment under a video about nepotism babies, per Refinery29, read, “Timothée Chalamet nepotism and Lily-Rose Depp nepotism just isn’t the same thing!”
8. Maude Apatow

Fans of the HBO teen drama show Euphoria seemed to be shocked when they discovered that Maude Apatow is the eldest daughter of film director Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann.
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Starting her career in 2017 in one of her father’s films Knocked Up, the now 24-year-old actress portraying Lexi Howard in Euphoria spoke about being branded a nepotism baby, “I try not to let it get to me because I obviously understand that I’m in such a lucky position,” she told Net-a-Porter’s Porter.
9. Deacon Phillippe


According to Variety, executive producer Mindy Kaling cast Deacon when his mum, a close friend of Kaling’s, mentioned that the 18-year-old had an interest in acting.
Comments on Twitter reacting to the Variety article were simple and to the point, stating “nepotism”.
10. Elizabeth Olsen


Olsen, 33, said she is “very aware” of nepotism, in an interview with Glamour UK. She said “I guess I understood what nepotism was like inherently as a 10-year-old. But there is some sort of association of not earning something that I think bothered me at a very young age.”

- The Kardashians’ Kendall Jenner says her family’s TV fame made finding a modelling job ‘harder’ – even though mum Kris helped get her into an agency
- House of the Dragon’s Ty Tennant is the son of Dr Who star David, Lenny Kravitz’s daughter Zoë nabbed a role in Batman, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s sister Elizabeth made it big in Marvel