Gwyneth Paltrow says nepo baby label is an 'ugly moniker'

Gwyneth Paltrow has said calling someone a "nepo baby" is an "ugly moniker", and that children of famous people shouldn't be judged negatively.

The term refers to suggestions of nepotism when a young person follows in their famous parents' footsteps.

"Now there's this whole nepo baby culture, and there's this judgement that exists around kids of famous people," the 51-year-old actress said.

"But there's nothing wrong with doing or wanting to do what your parents do."

Paltrow herself falls into that category as the daughter of actress Blythe Danner and director Bruce Paltrow.

The Oscar-winning star, who also runs wellness brand Goop, has two children with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

Asked by Bustle about 19-year-old daughter Apple, Paltrow said she's "really just a student" and "just wants to be a kid and be at school and learn".

She added: "Nobody rips on a kid who's like, 'I want to be a doctor like my dad and granddad.'

"The truth is if you grow up in a house with a lot of artists and people making art and music, that's what you know, the same way that if you grow up in a house with law, the discussions around the table are about the nuances of whatever particular law the parents practise.

"I think it's kind of an ugly moniker. I just hope that my children always feel free to pursue exactly what they want to do, irrespective of what anybody's going to think or say."

The "nepo baby" term took off last year to refer to a new generation of celebrities like Maya Hawke (daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman), Lily-Rose Depp (Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis), Maude Apatow (Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann), Zoe Kravitz (Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet) and Dakota Johnson (Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith).

Last December, New York magazine noted that "nepo babies" are nothing new in Hollywood, but there had been an intense backlash to the realisation that "today, they're not only abundant - they're thriving".

It added: "A nepo baby is physical proof that meritocracy is a lie. We love them, we hate them, we disrespect them, we're obsessed with them."

Members of celebrity dynasties have addressed the question of how much the inherited advantage matters.

Depp Jr, who starred in TV drama The Idol, said the name only gets you so far. "Maybe you get your foot in the door, but you still just have your foot in the door," she told Elle. "There's a lot of work that comes after that."

Stranger Things star Hawke has admitted a family head-start "definitely gives you massive advantages in this life".

She told Rolling Stone: "You will get chances for free, but the chances will not be infinite; so you have to keep working and do a good job. If you do a bad job, the chances will stop."

Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis, whose parents are actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, has also commented, saying "there's not a day in my professional life that goes by without my being reminded that I am the daughter of movie stars".

"The current conversation about nepo babies is just designed to try and diminish and denigrate and hurt", she added.

"It's curious how we immediately make assumptions and snide remarks that someone related to someone else who is famous in their field for their art, would somehow have no talent whatsoever."

Zoe Kravitz told GQ it is "completely normal for people to be in the family business".

Almost Famous star Kate Hudson, daughter of actors Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson, said in a 2022 interview with The Independent: "The nepotism thing, I mean… I don't really care."

Hudson, who has children with Muse frontman Matt Bellamy, Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson and "digital creator" Danny Fujikawa, added: "I look at my kids and we're a storytelling family. It's definitely in our blood.

"People can call it whatever they want, but it's not going to change it."

She said she saw plenty of nepotism in other industries. "Maybe modelling? I see it in business way more than I see it in Hollywood."

Singer Lily Allen, daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen, agreed that nepotism in other fields was more damaging.

"The nepo babies y'all should be worrying about are the ones working for legal firms, the ones working for banks, and the ones working in politics, if we're talking about real world consequences and robbing people of opportunity," she wrote.