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(CNN) --
One of the surest paths to success in show business is to be the child of a famous and successful person.
These children are called “nepo babies” (nepo = nepotism), and they have not-so-secretly infiltrated countless beloved pop culture assets.
Who was your favorite "Stranger Things" character?
Robin, right?
"Nepo baby".
Your favorite feline antihero from "The Batman"?
Yes, she is a "nepo baby".
If you preferred the Riddler in that movie, news: his real-life partner is also a “nepo baby”.
That these famous and successful people are children or relatives of other famous and successful people is no surprise: it's hard to forget who Maya Hawke and Zoë Kravitz are related to when they look like the spitting image of their famous parents.
But the term "nepo baby" is relatively new, a phrase that has inspired guilt and anxiety among those it describes.
Dozens of celebrity children were featured in the latest issue of New York magazine, some of whom were shown in diapers in a star-studded maternity hospital for its cover.
The issue went off like a bombshell, shocking readers by exposing celebrity lineages and even including a surprise “nepo baby” or two.
Some fans defended their idols;
others applauded the magazine for its audacity to potentially alienate countless celebrities.
Some of the aforementioned celebrities responded.
The “nepo babies” star in much-loved streaming series and receive awards.
They have performed on Broadway and have starred in major fashion campaigns.
Some are very dear.
Others are Chet Hanks.
In a nutshell, according to New York's Nate Jones: "A 'nepo baby' is tangible proof that meritocracy is a lie."
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Brief history of the term "nepo baby"
"Nepo baby" refers to the child of successful adults who has benefited from nepotism in industries like entertainment or adjacent fields (fashion and media being two other big ones).
Unlike self-made bootstrappers and naturally talented nobodies, nepo babies start with an advantage -- their parental connections -- though many of them claim more. late that his kinship is a burden when it comes to carving out his own name.
This year, the craze for “nepo babies” skyrocketed after the second season of the controversial HBO series “Euphoria” aired.
Some young viewers were surprised to learn that cast member Maude Apatow is the daughter of director Judd Apatow ("Knocked Up," "This is 40") and actress Leslie Mann (also in "Knocked Up," "This is 40").
"Euphoria" director Sam Levinson is also a "nepo baby": he is the son of successful director Barry Levinson, with whom he co-wrote the HBO movie "The Wizard of Lies" before directing "Euphoria."
Actress Maude Apatow and her father, director Judd Apatow, attend the 2022 HBO Emmys Party on September 12 in West Hollywood.
Credit: David Livingston/Getty Images
These connections surprised some young TikTok users, who launched investigations into other relatively little-known "nepo babies."
(Many of the best-known ones reached their peak of fame before Gen Z was old enough to remember them.)
These videos popularized the term "nepo baby".
The "nepo baby" debate reached a new level in November, when Lily Rose Depp, the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis who will also star in a Sam Levinson series, rejected the term in an interview with Elle: "The Internet cares much more who your family is than who chooses you for the roles. You may get your foot in the door, but you still only have your foot in the door. Then comes a lot of work."
Critics swooped in, including rising supermodel Vittoria Ceretti, who has worked for fashion houses like Chanel (and for whom Depp has walked since his teens).
"I have a lot of 'nepo baby' friends that I respect, but I can't stand hearing how you compare yourself to me," Ceretti said in an Instagram story.
"I wasn't born with a comfortable, sexy pillow with a view. I know it's not your fault, but please appreciate and acknowledge where you came from."
All this inspired Vulture, New York magazine's pop culture magazine, to launch an end-of-year series on "nepo babies," which included an exhaustive taxonomy of famous children (and the less famous children of ultra-famous parents). ).
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Who is who in the universe of nepotism
The spread of Vulture made it clear that the universe of "nepo babies" is vast and potentially endless.
There are the young stars: Maya Hawke is the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, and indie star Riley Keough is the granddaughter of Elvis.
There are plenty of well-known 'babies,' too, including Zoë Kravitz (daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet), Kate Hudson (daughter of Goldie Hawn and her stepdad Kurt Russell), and Gwyneth Paltrow (daughter of Blythe Danner and director Bruce Paltrow). ).
Some entries on the list came as a surprise: Two of the three members of "Please Don't Destroy," NYU alums who create digital shorts for "Saturday Night Live," are the children of "SNL" producers.
Sisters Rooney and Kate Mara are members of two founding families of the NFL.
And "Fantastic Beasts" actress Katherine Waterston is the British-accented daughter of Sam Waterston, who we recently saw in "Grace and Frankie."
Jamie Lee Curtis recreates the famous scene of her mother screaming in the shower in the tape "Psycho"
And then there are those who are so talented and/or established that their “nepo baby” reputation doesn't really matter anymore.
Jamie Lee Curtis is the daughter of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis.
Dakota Johnson's reputation spans generations: She is the granddaughter of "The Birds" icon Tippi Hedren and the daughter of "Working Girl" Melanie Griffith and "Miami Vice" Don Johnson.
And Oscar winner/gay icon Laura Dern is the daughter of two Oscar nominees, Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern.
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her mother, actress Janet Leigh, pose for a portrait session in 1979 in Los Angeles.
Credit: Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Vulture also found some interesting trends among the “nepo babies”: eight of them appeared in the Quentin Tarantino movie “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” according to the outlet.
All three of Meryl Streep's daughters are actresses who have appeared on HBO.
Several other “nepo babies” starred in HBO's “Big Little Lies,” which also featured Alexander Skarsgård of the Skarsgårds.
(HBO, which shares parent company Warner Bros. Discovery with CNN, is reportedly a major employer of "nepo babies.")
Readers were surprised, outraged and delighted.
The "stans" of the stars featured by Vulture came out to support their idols, defending them for taking advantage of their fame and criticizing the magazine for pointing out their family history, which is easily Googled.
(Note: "Stan" is another term for "die-hard fan" popularized by Eminem, whose daughter Hailie is also Vulture-listed for hosting a podcast.)
Actress Eve Hewson ("Bad Sisters," "The Knick") and Bono's daughter, mockingly tweeted several times about the article.
"Goals for 2023: Be successful enough to be recognized as 'nepo baby,'" she wrote before realizing she had been mentioned in an infographic.
And then: "God, can all the 'nepo babies' please come together and dress up as giant babies for Halloween."
The article recalled some of the responses of the "nepo babies" mentioned when asked about their privileges.
Maya Hawke told Rolling Stone earlier this year that when it came to the "nepotism thing," she acknowledged that her lineage "definitely gives you huge advantages in this life" and while "you'll get opportunities for free... but the opportunities won't be infinite".
Maude Apatow, for her part, said the label made her "sad" but that she tries "not to let it get to her because she obviously understands that she (she's) in a very lucky position."
Some critics pointed out that some of the inclusions on the Vulture compilation were exaggerated: Phoebe Bridgers, for example, was listed among the "industry babes" as "the daughter of a set builder" alongside young Oscar nominee Lucas Hedges, whose father is a director and whose grandfather was an HBO executive.
Some of Bridgers' fans found it incongruous to compare the two stars' industry connections.
Most of the "nepo babies" chosen by Vulture have not responded to the spread or the stir it caused.
After all, many of them are so famous that they can avoid participating in these types of trends.
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