While many actors carve out careers through years of struggle, others step into the industry with family connections that influence their earliest opportunities — a reality that was once discussed in hushed tones but is now openly acknowledged. More stars have addressed this reality head-on lately, embracing the benefits that came with growing up around the business more than ever before. 

Their honesty has helped frame a more balanced conversation about privilege and hard work. From Jack Quaid and Maya Hawke to Zoë Kravitz, here are 10 instances where Hollywood openly spoke about nepotism.

Jack Quaid, star of The Boys and Scream, openly agreed with the world labeling him a nepo baby, acknowledging that his famous parents' influence helped open doors early in his career. Quaid is the son of Meg Ryan, the romance queen of the 1980s and 1990s, and Dennis Quaid, known for The Rookie and The Day After Tomorrow.

In a 2024 interview with The Daily Beast, Jack Quaid said he was "an immensely privileged person" who got representation early, something most actors do not have, but asserted that he has worked hard to prove himself.

Jamie Lee Curtis, celebrated for her roles in Halloween and Everything Everywhere All at Once, has called herself an "OG nepo baby." Her parents are Hollywood legends Tony Curtis, famed for Some Like It Hot, and Janet Leigh, best known for Psycho.

Curtis, taking to Instagram in 2022, said the nepotism conversation was "designed to try to diminish and denigrate and hurt." The actress expressed frustration over being relentlessly reminded that she is the daughter of movie stars.

Maya Hawke, who gained fame on Stranger Things and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is the daughter of Pulp Fiction leading lady Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, the Dead Poets Society and Before franchise star.

In a 2024 conversation with The Times, Maya Hawke candidly acknowledged the role nepotism played in her scoring the Quentin Tarantino film. She explained that she is "comfortable with not deserving" the life she has due to her famous lineage while still embracing the benefits it gave her.

Zoë Kravitz, known for Big Little Lies, The Batman, and her directorial work, has addressed how people assumed her success came from her parents. Her mother is actress Lisa Bonet, famed for The Cosby Show, and her father is musician/actor Lenny Kravitz.

Zoë Kravitz told GQ in 2022 that it was "completely normal for people to be in the family business."

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The next person on the list says that recognizing her own talent while acknowledging the advantages of nepotism makes it easier for her.

Allison Williams, known for Girls and Get Out, is the daughter of former NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams and TV producer Jane Stoddard Williams.

"It does not feel like a loss to admit it," Williams told Wired in response to the nepotism discourse in 2022, adding that trusting her own skills makes it simple to acknowledge her advantages.

Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow, whose mother is Emmy and Tony-winning actress Blythe Danner and whose father was producer/director Bruce Paltrow, weighed in on the nepotism conversation in 2022.

On Hailey Bieber's Who’s in My Bathroom? show, Paltrow said that while being the child of someone in entertainment gives access most people do not have, one often has to "work twice as hard and be twice as good" because people are ready to say you "do not belong there."

Ben Stiller, star of Zoolander, Meet the Parents, and Tropic Thunder, acknowledged his Hollywood pedigree on The Howard Stern Show this October. The son of comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Stiller revealed he scored his first job in the 1986 revival of House of Blue Leaves after getting an audition as a favor from his mother.

Stiller, however, said in his conversation on the show that if one is passionate about the industry, one just needs to go for it as he did.

Jeff Bridges, Academy Award-winning actor best known for The Big Lebowski and Crazy Heart, described himself as a product of nepotism in a 2016 actors roundtable chat for The Hollywood Reporter. The son of actor Lloyd Bridges, he said that despite not wanting to be an actor, he explored the path on his father's insistence.

Son of Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas pushed back against the nepo baby debate last year while speaking to Radio Times. He said being second-generation helped him understand the industry better, noting that family businesses exist across all professions.

Julia Fox, known for the film Uncut Gems, took a unique stance on nepotism last year by revealing in a Variety interview that she wants her son to own the nepo baby title if he ends up following her path.

Ultimately, as Hollywood grows more transparent, these voices reflect an industry slowly shedding defensiveness in favor of broader discussions. By owning both access and effort, these actors are shifting the nepotism debate from denial to dialogue—one where privilege is acknowledged, talent is tested, and success is no longer explained by just one factor alone.

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Which nepo baby impressed you the most with their take on nepotism? Let us know in the comments.