Actress and musician Lily Allen recently sparked a large online debate after defending “nepo babies” in Hollywood, a term for the children of famous parents. Allen is the daughter of “Trainspotting” actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. She argue don Twitter that the road for success for “nepo babies” isn’t as simple as people think. Saying the industry is not “parent friendly.”
Allen Tweeted, “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, BUT that’s none of my business.” Adding that, “I do feel that nepo babies are being somewhat scapegoated here though, there is a wider, societal conversation to be had about wealth inequality, about lack of programs and funding, and I guess that was the point I was trying to make, maybe badly.”
She continued to say, “I promise you I’m not rooting for an industry full of people that had childhoods that looked like mine, I just really think that we can’t get to a real solution without identifying the real problem, as fun as it is to laugh at the kids of famous people. Nepo babies have feelings. In childhood we crave stability and love, nurturing, We don’t care about money or proximity to power yet. Many of the nepo babies are starved of these basic things in childhood as their parents are probably narcissistic.” She concluded in saying, it’s “important to disclose what a privileged upbringing” she’s had and how it has “created so many opportunities.”
Critics of her statements were quick to point out, “Says the daughter of an actor, and film producer, attended the most expensive private schools in the UK, one of which was the school attended by King Charles III. The working class have been sharp elbowed out of the arts by cosplayers such as you, and used as props when needed.”
While others such as Actress and Comedian Franchesca Ramsey stated, “[T]he ppl raising valid concerns about consequences of nepotism in politics/legal system/education etc haven’t stopped talking bc folks are also talking about nepotism in Hollywood. If you’re talented & successful (which you are) I’d think being called a ‘nepo baby’ wouldn’t matter.”
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