Photo: Denis Makarenko / Tom Rose / Shutterstock
Lily-Rose Depp is facing serious backlash.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Nov 17, 2022
Jack Nicholson's daughter has now weighed in following Lily-Rose Depp's controversial comment about nepotism babies.
In a recent interview, Lily-Rose, 23, the daughter of famed actor Johnny Depp and French singer and model Vanessa Paradis, denounced nepotism babies' privilege in their respective industries.
The term nepotism baby or "nepo baby" refers to people who have gained notoriety, power, or influence from having relatives or friends who can offer them a leg up.
Most well-known nepotism babies include Zoe Kravitz, Maya Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kendall Jenner, and Gigi and Bella Hadid, just to name a few.
Lily-Rose Depp rejected claims that she is a "nepo baby" and has benefitted from having famous parents.
While speaking to Elle, Lily-Rose addressed the accusations that she's only successful because of her famous parents.
"I’m familiar,” she said of the term "nepo baby" and the accusations.
“The internet cares a lot more about who your family is than the people who are casting you in things."
She added: "Maybe you get your foot in the door, but you still just have your foot in the door. There’s a lot of work that comes after that.”
Lily-Rose also acknowledged that the term doesn't follow people into other professions.
"It’s weird to me to reduce somebody to the idea that they’re only there because it’s a generational thing. It just doesn’t make any sense,” she continued.
“If somebody’s mom or dad is a doctor, and then the kid becomes a doctor, you’re not going to be like, ‘Well, you’re only a doctor because your parent is a doctor.’ It’s like, ‘No, I went to medical school and trained.’”
The comments drew a lot of backlash on social media, especially considering that nepotism babies carry an immense amount of privilege.
There is no such thing as "starting from the ground up" when it comes to a "nepo baby." They're sometimes handed jobs just because of who their famed parents are, and how much success is in their last names.
They're cast in movies, booked to walk in runway shows, and have their faces plastered on editorial campaigns, just because their famous parents or relatives are known entities.
While it's important to acknowledge that nepotism babies most likely have to work harder to prove themselves and shed the comparisons of their famous parents and/or relatives, they are still granted a foot in the door.
Jack Nicholson's daughter, Tessa Gourin, weighed in on Lily-Rose's comments.
In a lengthy statement posted to her Instagram story, Tessa Gourin weighed in on the "nepo baby" discourse.
Gourin, who is one of several children that Jack Nicholson has avoided acknowledging as his own, wrote that she'd be "thrilled to use" her "nepo baby title" but doesn't have the same privileges due to her estranged relationship with her dad.
Gourin, who is an actress, raises an interesting point. As the child of a famous actor, she should have all the same privileges as Depp but without leveraging her last name, she does not.
"My dad is Jack Nicholson and I am more than happy to use his name if that meant I could show someone the raw talent I am working with," Gourin remarked.
Gourin continued, condemning Lily-Rose's attempt to label herself as a "victim" of the "nepo baby" accusations.
"Use your rage of feeling misunderstood or victimized by Hollywood and put it into the work that you are so lucky to be getting!!!!"
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.