As the 2023 TV schedule gets going, one conversation that is sticking around from last year is the discourse surrounding nepo babies, or famous people who have famous parents. From Tom Hanks defending casting his son, to Jamie Lee Curtis calling the discourse hurtful, there have been many instances lately of incredibly famous people weighing in on nepo babies, including The View panelists. Each woman weighed in on how actors and artists should be treated in the industry, and if the title and connotation that comes with being a “nepo baby” is fair. This included opinions from Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin, who opened up about her son going to Harvard.
Goldberg started the discussion among The View panelists, citing the New York Magazine article about nepo babies, and speaking about how every industry has them. She also said that no one can teach someone to act, explaining: “you either have it or you don’t.” Then, Joy Behar talked about how it can be hard for kids of famous artists to live up to their parents' legacies. She mentioned Jane Fonda was able to do it, with the rest of the panel chiming in that she earned everything she got.
Sunny Hostin, whose son goes to Harvard, started discussing this question referencing how there many other industries that have nepo babies, citing politics specifically. She then talked about her own experience when her son went to college, saying:
Any parent is going to try to make sure that their children have a better life then they had. I know I tried very hard so that my children had a better life. I was very surprised when people said ‘Oh Gabriel got into Harvard because Sunny bought a building.’ Look, I’m from the Bronx projects. I don’t have money to buy buildings at Harvard. So, he earned that on his own. Yes, I would be upset if people took that away from him, but we taught him [that] we could open up a door for you but you gotta walk through, work hard, be there first and be there last, and work as hard as you can.
Goldberg then chimed in again, talking about how people shouldn’t assume that those who have parents in the same industry as them don’t work hard for what they have. She said:
That’s my point, don’t assume people didn’t earn their way to where they are. Whether you like them as actors or models or whatever.
Alyssa Farah Griffin then weighed in, saying it is important for celebrities dubbed nepo babies to acknowledge where they came from, noting Allison Williams’ comments on the discourse. Williams, who is the daughter of a famous journalist, has talked about how she felt the need to make sure people know she is a “hard worker,” she also acknowledged that there is no level playing field, saying “it’s just unfair.”
Griffen also talked about the financial privilege these people have, and the importance of making sure people are aware that they started with a leg up. This is a topic Williams has also talked about, she recently explained that she knows she’s coming from a privileged place, and acknowledges that it helped her, but has also made it clear she works really hard too.
The segment then closed with Whoopi saying:
Don’t assume. Don’t assume that people didn’t work and bust their behinds because their parents might have said to them: ‘I’m not gonna help you. You need to get this done on yourself.’ Yeah, there are those people who made that decision and they seem to catch them. But, 90% of the people I find are working their butts off because they just want to have a good life like their parents did.
Overall, the women of The View had a nuanced and interesting discussion about nepotism, and it comes at a time when lots of actors who many would call nepo babies are weighing in. For example, Kate Hudson has talked about it, saying there are many other industries where there are more nepo babies than in Hollywood. Lily Collins has also defended her success, saying she was willing to “wait to break through” in the acting world.
This discussion around nepo babies has not slowed down, and likely won’t based on how many people have chimed in about it. It will be interesting to see if more actors with famous parents weigh in on the situation, and if the panelists of The View continue to discuss how nepo babies should be treated, and how their own kids are treated.
