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- Emma Roberts says nepo babies in Hollywood don't always have it easy.
- People who criticize nepo babies "don't see all the rejection along the way," Roberts said on a podcast.
- The rich and famous aren't the only ones who leverage connections to get a leg up in their professional lives.
Emma Roberts says even Hollywood's nepo babies don't always have an easy path to stardom.
On an episode of the "Table for Two" podcast released on June 25, Roberts spoke to host Bruce Bozzi about the public perception of nepo babies, or "nepotism babies."
"I think there's two sides of the coin. People like to say, 'Oh, you know, you have a leg up because your family's in the industry.' But then the other side to that is you have to prove yourself more," Roberts, 33, said. "Also, if people don't have good experiences, maybe with other people in your family, then you'll never get a chance."
Roberts is a Hollywood nepo baby. Her aunt is Julia Roberts, and her dad is Eric Roberts, an actor best known for his role in the '80s action film "Runaway Train," for which he received an Academy Award nomination.
Roberts started her acting career in 2001 in the movie "Blow," where she played the daughter of Johnny Depp's character. Her big break came in 2004 when she was cast — at age 13 — in the lead role in the Nickelodeon sitcom "Unfabulous." More recently, she has starred in several seasons of "American Horror Story."
During the podcast episode, Roberts said it's not always true that nepo babies get everything handed to them on a silver platter.
"That's the thing that I always talk about — people kind of only see your wins because they only see when you're on the poster of a movie. They don't see all the rejection along the way," Roberts said.
She said she tries to be open about the roles she never landed so people will understand that not everything has been "so great and linear and easy" for her as it seems from the outside.
She also said female actors have it harder than their male counterparts when it comes to nepo baby criticism.
"And I always joke, 'Why is no one calling out George Clooney for being a nepo baby?'" Roberts said. Clooney's father is TV host Nick Clooney. His aunt is singer Rosemary Clooney.
The topic of nepo babies has been a major part of the public discourse since New York Magazine published a story about famous offspring of famous people in December 2022.
Many nepo babies and even their parents — particularly those in Hollywood — have pushed back against the title and its accompanying critiques.
In December, Meg Ryan defended her son, actor Jack Quaid, against "nepo baby" claims during an interview with Glamour. She said the label was "dismissive of his work ethic, his gifts, and how sensitive he is to the idea of his privilege."
In May, British singer Lily Allen called out the unfair use of the "nepo baby" label, saying it's almost always used against women.
On her podcast, Allen said she gets called a nepo baby "all the time" while her brother, "Game of Thrones" star Alfie Allen, rarely gets labeled the same way. Their father is British actor Keith Allen.
The business and tech worlds have their share of nepo babies, too.
Consider LVMH chairman and billionaire Bernard Arnault, who is currently No. 3 on Bloomberg's Billionaires Index: All five of his children work at the company and its brands.
Mukesh Ambani, the owner and chairman of Reliance Industries, has three children holding different roles across his empire.
And then there's the Drapers, Silicon Valley's premier VC family. Billionaire Tim Draper's grandfather founded the VC firm Draper, Gaither, and Anderson, and three of his children are venture capitalists themselves.
Of course, the rich and famous aren't the only ones who leverage connections to get a leg up in their professional lives.
A 2023 survey of 2,000 workers conducted by Applied, a recruitment company, showed that 68% of Gen Z workers have used nepotism to land a job offer. Even if they think nepotism is unfair, three-quarters of surveyed Gen Z workers said they would still use it to further their careers.
A representative for Roberts did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.