Right now, our obsession – and frustration – with so-called nepo babies couldn’t be stronger. For decades, people have noted that many famous actors have famous actor parents, or come from families who have worked in the creative industries. But with these fields becoming more and more impenetrable to the rest of us normies, a public fixation on the kids of famous people (or “nepo babies”) has only grown. TikTok users will list names of stars you might not know have famous parents, to the point where the moment a new actor and musician arrives on the scene, people question whether they’re nepo babies – or as many joke, whether their parents’ names are blue on Wikipedia.

Nobody is really saying that nepo babies shouldn’t have careers in the creative industries at all; more that it’d be good to hear them acknowledge that they got to their position of success through more than just hard graft. Yet the discussion often prompts a defensiveness from the stars, either saying that people are trying to “pull you down” (Gwyneth Paltrow) or joking that “nepo babies have feelings” (Lily Allen). Understandably, this only annoys their critics further.

But there are some stars who have been commendably honest about the leg up their family connections gave them. They’ve acknowledged that coming from a famous family helped them, and that that doesn’t mean they didn’t work hard, but had significant help when it came to getting their foot in the door. Here are seven celebs who have spoken openly about their privilege…

Alison Williams

Girls star Alison Williams is the daughter of former NBC news anchor Brian Williams, and was praised when she spoke frankly about the benefits nepotism had had on her career. “All that people are looking for is an acknowledgment that it’s not a level playing field,” she told Vulture in 2023. “It’s just unfair. Period, end of the story, and no one’s really working that hard to make it fair. To not acknowledge that me getting started as an actress versus someone with zero connections isn’t the same – it’s ludicrous. It doesn’t take anything away from the work that I’ve done. It just means that it’s not as fun to root for me.”

Bryce Dallas Howard

The daughter of famed director Ron Howard, actress Bryce Dallas Howard recently spoke about the privilege of being a “third-generation actor and director”. “My dad was incredibly privileged to be raised in a household with parents who worked in the industry,” she said, while appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “I, in turn, have been enormously privileged to be raised in a home where my dad is doing the work that he’s doing. My mom is also a novelist and is absolutely incredible. And so, it’s a joy to get to do the stuff that we do, but also it’s a very rare thing. It’s very fun, but I just want to acknowledge for a moment that this is a very unique way to be raised and I’ve been very, very lucky.”

Jack Quaid

With two ultra-starry parents in Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, Jack Quaid is another actor to have embraced the label. “No matter what I do, people are going to call attention to it,” he told The Daily Beast. “People have called me a ‘nepo baby.’ I’m inclined to agree. I am an immensely privileged person, was able to get representation pretty early on, and that’s more than half the battle.”

Bella Mackie

Bella Mackie has been open about the privilege surrounding her on all sides; not only is she married to Greg James, but her father is former Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger. Appearing on Annie MacManus’s Changes podcast, Bella humorously jokingly referred to herself as a “geriatric nepo baby”, explaining: “I went to work at the company that my dad worked for and ran and he didn’t give me the job, but someone else gave me the job, and I only knew her because of him. Now I look back and I think, god, that’s shameful, and I should not have taken that job.” She then described how her first book received public attention due to her dating radio presenter Greg, adding that her bestseller How To Kill Your Family was rejected by three companies apart from one interested in her due to her following. “Then that book did really well, I think partly again because Greg has a platform, which meant I had a platform,” she said. “So off the back of that, I then get to write another one. When someone says, how did you do that? I’m like, ‘Well, the answer isn’t fair.”

Phoenix Brown

Not only has Mel B’s daughter Phoenix Brown acknowledged her own privilege, she’s called on other nepo babies to do it. “I’m working towards being a successful DJ and presenter – and I can’t deny that having Mel B as my mum has opened a few doors,” she told the Radio Times. “Nepo babies must acknowledge that we’re handed opportunities faster than most people. As my mum says in the documentary, she came from a working-class background and had no one to open doors for her. I wouldn’t have the life that I have if it wasn’t for the hard work that she put into her own career. To not respect that would be silly.”

Maya Hawke

The daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke previously admitted that she got her role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood due to her family connections. “I’ve been wildly made fun of for this clip when I said, on the red carpet, that I auditioned. I never meant to imply that I didn’t get the part for nepotistic reasons – I think I totally did,” the Stranger Things star told The Times in 2024. “It’s OK to be made fun of when you’re in rarefied air,” she explained. “It’s a lucky place to be. My relationships with my parents are really honest and positive, and that supersedes anything anyone can say about it.”

Nico Parker

Actress Nico Parker is the daughter of fellow actress Thandiwe Newton and director Ol Parker (the mastermind behind Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again), and has spoken about the importance of acknowledging what her famous parents have done for her, even unknowingly. “I never want to discredit myself and what I’ve done, but I also want to give full credit to my parents. They’ve both had brilliant careers and I am really fortunate because I get to reap the benefits,” she told The Sunday Times Style. “Especially very early in my career, I think you walk into rooms in a different way because people know who your parents are. You do need to acknowledge it, if you don’t, where does that leave you? I totally get why it’s annoying.”