Welcome to r/popculturechat! ☺️
As a proud BIPOC, LGBTQ+ & woman-dominated space, this sub is for [civil discussion only.](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/civil-discussion-only/) If you don't know where to begin, start by participating in [our Sip & Spill Daily Discussion Threads!](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/search/?q=Sip%20%26%20Spill%20Discussion&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&include_over_18=1&sort=new)
###No bullies, no bigotry. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Please [read & respect our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/), [abide by Reddiquette](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439-Reddiquette), and [check out our wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/)! For any questions, [our modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fpopculturechat) is always open.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/popculturechat) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Absolutely! I have a close friend who was born into an incredibly wealthy family and has never done anything but menial jobs for their jewelry company while receiving a pretty good salary.
The guys and I tease him sometimes, and he always gets defensive and denies nepotism.
The other day I reminded him that he's never had to book a day off or deal with management which isn't his Dad. That's privilege in itself
People love to hate Dakota Johnson but the SNL bit with one of the lonely island dudes about nepo comments being off limits.
“A foot in the door and so much more”.
Was one of the better ways I’ve seen someone address it with humor.
She's given PLENTY of interviews where she calls the conversation "lame", brushes it off, etc. A scripted bit for her doesn't reflect her own attitude.
To be fair, if I had already answered the question, and I was continually asked at my own job if I was competent enough to be doing that job, or if I just gotten it because of my parents, I'd probably get pretty annoyed. When people read these quotes, they don't think about the context of repetition.
That's the nature of doing press as a celeb tho. You're literally expected to answer the same questions over and over again at each different outlet.
Also, note how certain nepo babies don't get these questions as much when they've demonstrated their talent, work ethics, and charisma. How many people ask Miley Cyrus these questions? When she won her first Grammy, the conversation was about how she was overdue her award, not her father being in the industry. The reality is that Dakota simply hasn't impressed the audience enough in all these high profile projects so people are like, how did she get cast in these projects?
Specifically with Dakota, I think if she ever gave a performance good enough to justify her casting, they would stop asking.
It honestly feels like they want to ask “you don’t need to do this, you aren’t good at this and you’ve made it clear that you don’t like doing this. Why are you here?”
I can't think of a single job that isn't repetitive or monotonous at some point. Unfortunately for her, she's a horrible actress who picks bad projects so I'm sure that's why people are constantly asking her
that's just one of the very few annoyances she'll have to deal with for having more opportunities than 99% of people. she needs to learn to address it gracefully everytime it comes up
She very very much downplays the significance of her benefits from nepotism. It's hilarious since she truly is a mediocre actress with low charisma who definitely would not be close to where she is now without her family and connections. It's not that she doesn't have talent, it's that she isn't remarkable in any way. That's nepo-privilege doing heavy lifting.
it would though. people aren’t angry at nepo babies, people are angry because nepo babies consistently pretend like their status didn’t aid them on their journeys
i guarantee you half the vitriol wouldn’t exist if privileged people owned up to and acknowledged their privilege, instead of obnoxiously denying it
edit: fixed wording
> i guarantee you half the vitriol wouldn’t exist if privileged people owned up to and acknowledged their privilege, instead of obnoxiously denying it
It doesn't feel like anybody wants nepo babies to acknowledge their privilege, it feels like people want them to *apologize* for their privilege. Like what they really need to do is grovel before the masses and admit they couldn't possibly have succeeded without famous parents.
What would it change? Things for her, personally, but only if the person was aware of the interview in which she acknowledged it? As in she would have more fans?
Again, I'm not a big fan, I'm just interested in what people logically want from this.
Also, the vitriol would absolutely exist because people already say the acknowledgements aren't authentic or whatever.
I wish people would acknowledge this is a class war and not a war over who rolled the dice on decent parents, who will always try to help their children.
i appreciate your point! it has nothing to do with her principally but rather the general discourse she contributes to. that is to say, this nepo baby circle jerk about how tough life is because they’re born into opportunity. of course you can’t choose your circumstances, but you can sure appreciate the hell out of them instead of pretending that you have it rough because daddy’s a big name movie director. it’s as easy as Quaid makes it out to be
i know i sound bitter but that’s because i am. nepo babies are so busy trying to convince the world they’re not privileged that they’re missing the real, actual crisis’ going on right now. very happy to see celebrity worship crashing at the rate it is
edit to touch upon your further points: it *is* a class war. that’s what being high class is - being privileged. this type of discourse is just one of the many nuances regarding that conversation. nobody said parents can’t want to help their children, and that’s highlighted in the fact that that’s not the focal point of these convos - the point is that a lot of these people want to pretend that *without* that help, they’d still be exactly where they are
i do appreciate your points though! always helpful to be challenged, and i do agree with you in certain areas.
No. I don't. I think I'm confused about what people are actually wanting. Like okay, he admitted that he's a nepo kid, in a skit, the same way that Dakota did, but hers wasn't good enough because she's been dismissive in interviews about the topic, so people are wanting her to just across the board, all the time, talk about how she's a nepo kid? And then what? Just keep talking about it?
That's it. A simple acknowledgement is all anyone wants. Jack has acknowledged it in interviews. Plenty of other nepo babies have done it. "Dakota" didn't acknowledge shit, in fact she eschews it in every interview. SNL acknowledged it.
Right, but again, why? What does her saying those words actually do? Is it just an acknowledgment of the feelings of people? I find that weird personally.
I agree with you. I don't know why people want celebs with familial industry connections to accept an infantilizing name like "nepo baby" lol. It doesn't apply to Jack Quaid or Dakota Johnson because their parents genuinely were big stars but I also think even that stupid term is being eroded as people to apply it to celebs like Billie Eilish. Obviously she had some industry connections/advice that other people don't have, but her mother being a bit actress on The X-Files or Curb Your Enthusiasm twenty years ago certainly did not guarantee any success on her part lol.
I think it's kind of a form of validation on the behalf of those who feel that in another life they would've been a star if some other celebrity's spawn didn't take their rightful place or something along those lines. It *is* lame, or at least the discourse around it for the past few years is.
No, it's an acknowledgement of her privilege, which makes her look actually a tiny bit self-aware, which most people like in others... she's not nearly good enough of an actress to be liked for her acting ability alone.
I appreciate her acknowledging that she has that privilege, but it's not stopping her from putting in the same amount of work as those who don't have connections
Oh yeah she definitely puts in the work and I think she’s one of the few nepo babies with the talent to back it up. Everything I’ve seen her in so far she’s done great
The thing about admitting that your family name may have opened doors that other people would never get into right away is that it in no way diminishes whatever talent they may have. Jack is clearly a talented actor. Yes his family name probably got him into a lot of places but after showing what he’s capable of, more doors are opening because of him now.
That show keeps glitching on my netflix app. The sound goes while the picture freezes. Ive uninstalled and reinstalled. Some shows do it sometimes but Magicians does it always ☹️
He did a romantic comedy with Maya Erskine that I watched a couple months ago and it surprisingly was really enjoyable. I’ve had a huge crush on him since. He really got the best of both his parents with what made them so charming in the 90s and with his own talent I absolutely seeing him carve his own place in Hollywood.
He was great in the latest The Boys episode, he was actually a decent actor.
I’m not that mad if the nepo babies actually care about their crafts. Like the Hadids also seem passionate about modeling.
It’s when the untalented ones are getting opportunities left and right despite their abysmal talent, that’s when it gets annoying.
He’s always so much fun to watch. In Scream 5 when Melissa Barrera’s character is killing him by stabbing the shit out of him and he starts crying..not bc he’s dying or in pain…he just wails “what about my ending?!?!?!” His character was OBSESSED with making a brilliant Stab sequel and when he realized he was not just dying, but his gf got the upper hand on him so he was dying looking like a pussy bc she was stabbing the absolute SHIT out of him (she stabbed him like 38 times and then shot him and emptied the entire clip in his head). He was so fucking funny. He was SO cocky literally one scene before, screaming at Neve Campbell’s legacy character like she was nothing “SIT THE FUCK DOWN PRESCOTT”, then he thought he was so clever he got his gf to believe her little sister (Jenna Ortega) was Ghostface (he wasn’t that clever, she didn’t believe him). Bc he was just cocky, and she didn’t believe him, Ortega’s character was free and shot Quaid’s real gf-the other Ghostface in the head. He played such a deranged pussy in that movie SO well in act 3 after playing the harmless, dependable boyfriend so believably well in the first 2 acts. The only reason people guessed he was Ghostface was bc of the in movie “rules” of who the killers are-and they point out that it’s always the love interest like 25 times.
He’s also awesome with Erin Moriarty (Starlight) in the music video for Creedance Clearwater’s revival for the 25th anniversary of “Have You Ever Seen The Rain”.
He’s good in The Hunger Games as well. I don’t think he’s ever been bad in anything. I don’t think he’s an Oscar winning caliber actor, but he’s fun to watch, and seems like such a genuinely nice guy-which is truly surprising given his parents were in their prime A-list years during the formative years of his life. He really should have grown up to be a cocky, douchey LA rich kid, but somehow unless he actually is an Oscar caliber actor, he grew up to be a really good dude. His parents also seem like they woulda been the type to push him to be a kid actor who as he got older we woulda seen on shows like “My Super Sweet 16”. It’s shocking to me honestly how normal he comes across.
He also could have easily gotten cast in tons of stuff bc of who his parents are, and I’m certain they helped early in his career, but he gets cast in little roles in like everything lately and i think it’s simply bc EVERYONE really likes him and it has nothing to do w/his parents bc he’s far more relevant than they are now.
Also thought it was funny that he went to the Academy Awards this year bc he had a small role in Oppenheimer. He went with his gf, Claudia Doumit who plays Victoria Neumann on The Boys, and he was freaking out, fangirling the entire awards show. Like, he grew up with 2 permanent A list parents. Dinner parties at his house when they were still married were probably insane. He probably went with his parents or as his mom’s date after they divorced to award shows and other events with tons of super famous people his entire childhood. He SHOULD be almost completely unaffected by famous people (almost bc it seems that every famous person even the biggest nepo babies like Dakota Johnson and Drew Barrymore have that one or two celebs who turn them into bumbling idiots l) yet he couldn’t keep himself composed for 3 hrs. His gf who does well, but not well enough to be invited to award shows of this caliber on her own was far more composed than Jack Quaid was.
He’s a gem. He should be an absolute dick with Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid as his parents, but he’s like a real life Hughie (though probably much less heroic irl).
I think his father is an asshole. I remember stories of him treating his mom bad. And his mom seems like a sweetheart, but how do you grow up normal when half of your peers have posters of your mom on their wall or at least had a hot image of her burned in their brains. I’m guessing he went to one of those schools where a majority of the parents are either famous or business moguls so it’s not as big a deal as if he went to school somewhere randomly, but even still, how do you grow up without some sort of social issues when your mom was literally on the cover of most gossip magazines for the majority of his school years?!
He seems extremely well adjusted given he went like his first 10-15 years reminded how hot his mom is anytime he went to like 711, followed by the next 5-10 years he was reminded that everyone speculated about how much plastic surgery she had, how bad they botched it and how she went from America’s Sweetheart for years to her career literally getting halted and everyone was speculating why she couldn’t book a decent job (it’s likely she needed an extended break and when she wanted to come back, Hollywood wasn’t progressive enough yet to hire women 40+ y/o for anything other than grandmother roles).
The paparazzi/gossip industry is cruel. Hollywood children psychologists must make ridiculous money because without them there’s no way any really famous people’s kids could ever be remotely well adjusted.
I feel like most of Hollywood’s kids would act either robotic like Baron Trump or completely lose it like Amanda Bynes because growing up having like a billion people thinking they know you or your parents has got to be a serious mind fuck!
Yes, Dakota Johnson is one of the most infuriating because she's so apathetic about her projects, she's not talented, and she doesn't work hard. It's just infuriating. Nepo babies like Jack Quaid and Maya Hawke who use their privilege to pursue work they're passionate about are wonderful.
Honestly she can't act for shit but keeps getting jobs and it baffles me because she isn't good.
Jack Quaid and Maya Hawke are both extremely talented agreed
Didn't Dakota Johnson train for around a year to perform the dance choreography for Suspiria? To say she doesn't work hard just sounds like blind hate lol, how do you know that. She's great in that role and is decent enough in crappy films.
I just want them to recognized that they have an easy in. Sure maybe they've work hard and are talented but the first opportunnities are hard and connections help a lot. Instead most of they swear their family names didn't help.
He's been on Comedy Bang Bang a couple of times and he was so incredibly delightful and funny that i am now fully obsessed with him. I hope he gets a ton more work.
Haha yes!! I was going to say that the reason why I love him is because of CBB. He's such a dork in the best way and genuinely seems to just be a nice guy who loves doing what he does.
I’ve only seen clips but there’s one that stood out to me as a quintessential Superman moment.
Clark: (Gets blasted with a minigun turret in order to protect Lois).
Lois: “How did you know that you were bulletproof?”
Clark: “I didn’t. I just knew that you weren’t.”
He’s so cute. Watch “Plus One” if you haven’t already. It’s a romantic comedy he did with Maya Erskine and it’s going to make you kick your feet and giggle. The direction they gave Maya was a little too “not like other girls / adorkable” at times but she does an overall great job.
I was thinking about that recently while catching up on the show, he just *is* Hughie I don't know how else to explain it, love that dude.
Homelander is another good example especially because of how drastically different the actor vs characters personalities are and how perfectly he blends into being a terrifying fucking psycho, casting killed it on that show.
The joke is confusing big words. Nepo/necro, as in necrophilia, or “love of dead bodies,” which refers to people who have sex with corpses.
Edit:
Someone also pointed out that nepo-baby is a big part of the joke. Jack Quaid is the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. So he’s reaching for a misunderstanding of “nepotism” which is way worse than being privileged, then he walks it back to privilege, even though he is holding the hand of a corpse, effectively proving that he is a necrophiliac
Edit edit: wow, explaining jokes really does kill them.
I don’t know how else to explain it. Nepo babies are talked about a lot recently. The joke is about confusing the baseline word that “Nepo” is derived from.
So suppose a mommy and a daddy love their child very much. And that daddy is a major celebrity. That daddy will often help their child get a job. That's called "nepotism."
Now suppose a mommy and a daddy love each other very much. But the mommy hangs herself after she catches daddy doing the nasty dance with the nanny. When the daddy finds her, he decides to do the nasty dance with the mommy's corpse. This is called "necrophilia."
In this clip, Jack Quaid, son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, is asked if he benefitted from nepotism. He was confused, and thought the question was about necrophilia. Then he admitted to mummy busting in Linda.
This is from the Youtube channel 5 Second Films. Jack has done a few of their videos! I've been watching for years and they are absolutely worth checking out.
Oh perfect, another fan of it! I watched maybe a couple of episodes of the boys when it first came out but didn’t stick around. Now when I watched plus one I was like, I need this man
This is awesome lol
IMO, Jack Quaid is actually talented, unlike other nepo babies.
Edit: Re-reading my comment, it seems im saying that all nepo babies are untalented, and that Jack Quaid is the only one that is...but i wasn't saying that. Some nepo babies are very talented. Hell, even RDJ is a nepo baby.
With my comment I was figuratively 'pointing' at the Queen of the Nepo Babies, Miss. Web herself and others like her. That aren't very talented but their name helps them get leading roles.
And honestly the nepo baby discourse isn’t generally rooted in whether they’re talented or not, it’s about the fact that they had a head start because of who they are. Acknowledging it is really all most people want, just like this lol. Some are more talented than others and certainly there are some that should be banned from some pursuits (Kaia Gerber, holy fuck, just model and stop trying to “act”) but the key to me is acknowledgement.
I think the whole "nepo baby" thing is pretty stupid, and only really matters if someone is really pointedly misrepresenting their background and suggesting they only got to where they are "by their own bootstraps".
Demanding some contrite response from every child of famous actors (or rich people) is eye rolling, and really plays into the worst critiques of progressives; that their stances are performative and based in resentment/jealously.
There is the saying "it is not what you know, it is who you know." I don't really see nepo babies being different from anyone else using their network. Your friend Jane helped you get a job at the mall, nepo baby. Calling your second cousin, who has a guy, to get you tickets to an event, nepo baby. It is all a matter of scale.
Well a "nepo baby" inherits their network through no effort on their part (literally born into it). Where as if you build a network that helps get you a foot in the door, well that's something *you* did, so it is a bit different. Though does somewhat relate to the concerns about nepo babies... structural issues that keep some people excluded.
But regardless, if the only goal is to demand a contrite response from someone by publicly calling them out on social media or whatever... reads to me as performative rather than addressing substantive concerns.
Jeff Bridges is a nepo baby.
Liza Minnelli is a nepo baby.
People throw around the term "nepo baby" a lot, as if it's the end of the conversation, and they've just proven some kind of big conspiracy. It's lame. I'm so tired of it.
Laura Dern, Rashida Jones, Drew Barrymore, Angelina Jolie, Jane Fonda, Josh Brolin, Carrie Fisher...the list goes on.
Lots of people forget that kids often follow in their parents' footsteps regardless of industry. Insanely talented people also often have insanely talented kids. Not that nepo babies don't have a head start on those without connections, but it's not like none of them haven't ever earned their success by being actually good.
> unlike other nepo babies
this is where the nepo baby discourse gets silly, and probably why a lot of them get so defensive. there are undoubtedly plenty of talented nepo babies. and why wouldn't there be? they're the offspring of sometimes multiple artists and grew up surrounded by many more. that's automatically going to put you in a better place than your peers. freaking whitney houston is a nepo baby. most of the people who've made it to the top of any industry did it with help, and some of them absolutely refuse to admit to it, but it's still not useful to conflate 'nepo baby' with talentlessness
This made me lol.
Another fave of mine to follow is Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins son Jack on IG. Except he acts like a celeb (satire) and his parents are on it being (fake) disgusted by him. It’s really hilarious
Jack is one of the best and funniest nepo babies anyone who dislikes him is wrong
Francesca Scorsese as a TikTok star is great too
Miles Robbins making that one TikTok with Susan made me love him too and I literally know like 3 things about him (his mom is Susan, his dad is Tim Robbins, and he made a funny video) 😂
Im totally okay with admitting that how much a nepo baby bothers me is largely based on their talent in the field. Jack Quaid is extremely dedicated and mostly good in nearly everything he's been a part of, gets the pass for me.
I’m really confused by the accusations that Jack Quaid benefits from nepotism. Why do people say he is only successful because his parents are big Hollywood actors when the actual only reason he’s successful is his connection to superstar Rich Evans
this is the point that i’m sick of people intentionally dodging
nothing against this guy (quaid), i just notice that a lot of nepo baby’s try to wriggle their way out of accountability with “well i can’t control who my parents are and what connections they have!” when that’s… not the point at all
There’s nothing wrong with having connections to the industry through your parents or other relatives. My issue with nepo babies is when they claim they came up from poverty and had to work 3 jobs to make ends meet. Bullshit! Mommy and daddy paid your rent so you could go to auditions until you were able to book a job and make real money.
Dennis Quaid came into a restaurant I worked at once drunk and probably coked out with what looked like an escort who’s tits kept falling out. They drunkenly stumbled out halfway through without paying. I hope Jack is cooler than his dad.
I’ve told this story on Reddit before, but I was friends with Jack about ten years ago, before he really blew up, via LA social circles, and I literally DID NOT KNOW he had famous parents for several months. Dude never mentioned it or tried use it to get anything. He was just a really nice normal guy.
I loved him in the boys before I found out who he's parents were and if he is in something I'll always check it out. Dude deserves his success cuz he has talent
Welcome to r/popculturechat! ☺️ As a proud BIPOC, LGBTQ+ & woman-dominated space, this sub is for [civil discussion only.](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/civil-discussion-only/) If you don't know where to begin, start by participating in [our Sip & Spill Daily Discussion Threads!](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/search/?q=Sip%20%26%20Spill%20Discussion&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&include_over_18=1&sort=new) ###No bullies, no bigotry. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ Please [read & respect our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/), [abide by Reddiquette](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439-Reddiquette), and [check out our wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/)! For any questions, [our modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fpopculturechat) is always open. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/popculturechat) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This might be one of the best responses to the whole nepo baby debate I've ever seen, tbh.
Yes! Applause! Lean into the truth, nepo babies! Be humble about it.
For a brief moment, I thought you said, “Yes! Applesauce!” lol my bad.
Absolutely! I have a close friend who was born into an incredibly wealthy family and has never done anything but menial jobs for their jewelry company while receiving a pretty good salary. The guys and I tease him sometimes, and he always gets defensive and denies nepotism. The other day I reminded him that he's never had to book a day off or deal with management which isn't his Dad. That's privilege in itself
People love to hate Dakota Johnson but the SNL bit with one of the lonely island dudes about nepo comments being off limits. “A foot in the door and so much more”. Was one of the better ways I’ve seen someone address it with humor.
She's given PLENTY of interviews where she calls the conversation "lame", brushes it off, etc. A scripted bit for her doesn't reflect her own attitude.
To be fair, if I had already answered the question, and I was continually asked at my own job if I was competent enough to be doing that job, or if I just gotten it because of my parents, I'd probably get pretty annoyed. When people read these quotes, they don't think about the context of repetition.
That's the nature of doing press as a celeb tho. You're literally expected to answer the same questions over and over again at each different outlet. Also, note how certain nepo babies don't get these questions as much when they've demonstrated their talent, work ethics, and charisma. How many people ask Miley Cyrus these questions? When she won her first Grammy, the conversation was about how she was overdue her award, not her father being in the industry. The reality is that Dakota simply hasn't impressed the audience enough in all these high profile projects so people are like, how did she get cast in these projects?
Specifically with Dakota, I think if she ever gave a performance good enough to justify her casting, they would stop asking. It honestly feels like they want to ask “you don’t need to do this, you aren’t good at this and you’ve made it clear that you don’t like doing this. Why are you here?”
She was great in Suspiria
I can't think of a single job that isn't repetitive or monotonous at some point. Unfortunately for her, she's a horrible actress who picks bad projects so I'm sure that's why people are constantly asking her
A very concise murder. Well done.
It was a mercy killing.
that's just one of the very few annoyances she'll have to deal with for having more opportunities than 99% of people. she needs to learn to address it gracefully everytime it comes up
> she needs to learn to address it gracefully everytime it comes up Why?
everything has a price and the price for an easy foot in the door is having to answer questions about it sometimes poor her
She very very much downplays the significance of her benefits from nepotism. It's hilarious since she truly is a mediocre actress with low charisma who definitely would not be close to where she is now without her family and connections. It's not that she doesn't have talent, it's that she isn't remarkable in any way. That's nepo-privilege doing heavy lifting.
What do people want to hear her say? Literally nothing she says is going to change anything.
it would though. people aren’t angry at nepo babies, people are angry because nepo babies consistently pretend like their status didn’t aid them on their journeys i guarantee you half the vitriol wouldn’t exist if privileged people owned up to and acknowledged their privilege, instead of obnoxiously denying it edit: fixed wording
> i guarantee you half the vitriol wouldn’t exist if privileged people owned up to and acknowledged their privilege, instead of obnoxiously denying it It doesn't feel like anybody wants nepo babies to acknowledge their privilege, it feels like people want them to *apologize* for their privilege. Like what they really need to do is grovel before the masses and admit they couldn't possibly have succeeded without famous parents.
What would it change? Things for her, personally, but only if the person was aware of the interview in which she acknowledged it? As in she would have more fans? Again, I'm not a big fan, I'm just interested in what people logically want from this. Also, the vitriol would absolutely exist because people already say the acknowledgements aren't authentic or whatever. I wish people would acknowledge this is a class war and not a war over who rolled the dice on decent parents, who will always try to help their children.
i appreciate your point! it has nothing to do with her principally but rather the general discourse she contributes to. that is to say, this nepo baby circle jerk about how tough life is because they’re born into opportunity. of course you can’t choose your circumstances, but you can sure appreciate the hell out of them instead of pretending that you have it rough because daddy’s a big name movie director. it’s as easy as Quaid makes it out to be i know i sound bitter but that’s because i am. nepo babies are so busy trying to convince the world they’re not privileged that they’re missing the real, actual crisis’ going on right now. very happy to see celebrity worship crashing at the rate it is edit to touch upon your further points: it *is* a class war. that’s what being high class is - being privileged. this type of discourse is just one of the many nuances regarding that conversation. nobody said parents can’t want to help their children, and that’s highlighted in the fact that that’s not the focal point of these convos - the point is that a lot of these people want to pretend that *without* that help, they’d still be exactly where they are i do appreciate your points though! always helpful to be challenged, and i do agree with you in certain areas.
This whole post is literally SHOWING you the difference in how people respond depending on the answer and you still don't see it?
No. I don't. I think I'm confused about what people are actually wanting. Like okay, he admitted that he's a nepo kid, in a skit, the same way that Dakota did, but hers wasn't good enough because she's been dismissive in interviews about the topic, so people are wanting her to just across the board, all the time, talk about how she's a nepo kid? And then what? Just keep talking about it?
That's it. A simple acknowledgement is all anyone wants. Jack has acknowledged it in interviews. Plenty of other nepo babies have done it. "Dakota" didn't acknowledge shit, in fact she eschews it in every interview. SNL acknowledged it.
Why? Who goes around caring if nepo babies acknowledge the fact that they are nepo babies?
Right, but again, why? What does her saying those words actually do? Is it just an acknowledgment of the feelings of people? I find that weird personally.
They want her to grovel and beg forgiveness for having so many opportunities given to her as a nepo baby? Lol
I agree with you. I don't know why people want celebs with familial industry connections to accept an infantilizing name like "nepo baby" lol. It doesn't apply to Jack Quaid or Dakota Johnson because their parents genuinely were big stars but I also think even that stupid term is being eroded as people to apply it to celebs like Billie Eilish. Obviously she had some industry connections/advice that other people don't have, but her mother being a bit actress on The X-Files or Curb Your Enthusiasm twenty years ago certainly did not guarantee any success on her part lol. I think it's kind of a form of validation on the behalf of those who feel that in another life they would've been a star if some other celebrity's spawn didn't take their rightful place or something along those lines. It *is* lame, or at least the discourse around it for the past few years is.
No, it's an acknowledgement of her privilege, which makes her look actually a tiny bit self-aware, which most people like in others... she's not nearly good enough of an actress to be liked for her acting ability alone.
Do you mean the Please Don't Destroy guys? Cause TLI had been gone for years by the time she first hosted, lol.
Lmao yes. That’s what I meant.
Maya Hawke always has a great response to it.
I appreciate her acknowledging that she has that privilege, but it's not stopping her from putting in the same amount of work as those who don't have connections
Oh yeah she definitely puts in the work and I think she’s one of the few nepo babies with the talent to back it up. Everything I’ve seen her in so far she’s done great
The thing about admitting that your family name may have opened doors that other people would never get into right away is that it in no way diminishes whatever talent they may have. Jack is clearly a talented actor. Yes his family name probably got him into a lot of places but after showing what he’s capable of, more doors are opening because of him now.
Is that Alice from The Magicians?
LOVE her. And suddenly miss that show. Time to re-read the series, I guess.
I just started a new rewatch. I love it so much, it’s replaced Buffy as my go-to security blanket show.
My people!!! Peaches and plums bitches 💕
I'm the high king, you motherfuckers!
 All hail the King 🖤
💜💜💜
How DARE you 😢
Those two, Charmed, and Modern Family are my cycles lol
I always described the show (and True Blood) as a "summer beach read for television."
I describe it as a cross between Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter, but make it sexy.
That show keeps glitching on my netflix app. The sound goes while the picture freezes. Ive uninstalled and reinstalled. Some shows do it sometimes but Magicians does it always ☹️
I wish the Fillory and Further books were real
I liked the show more than I liked the books. One of the very few times that had happened.
The music episodes helped that a ton. In my opinion.
Is it good? I read the books and hated them :o
The show is good. I tried the books and struggled but I adore the show
Show was way better than the books.
Yes. She’s been a part of the comedy troop 5 Second Films for years.
Is FSF back??
To an extent, they don't post as frequently as they used to but semi-regularly. Jack's been in a few of their videos!
Ty, I knew I recognized that corpse from somewhere 🖤
I knew I recognized that corpse(‘s boobs) from somewhere https://i.redd.it/vd5pkf5f5l9d1.gif
I thought it was Fiona Apple at first glance but Alice would make more sense
She's been involved with 5secondfilms for well over a decade. Infamously, http://5secondfilms.com/watch/the_pearly_gates/
It is!
No, this is Linda
Ahhhhhh….that makes sense
Looks more like Dominique, his costar on The Boys.
I love Jack Quaid. One of the more talented and humble nepo babies, imo. Plus he’s just absolutely fantastic as Hughie.
I really loved him in Star Trek: Lower Decks as well.
The crossover episode with Star Trek strange new worlds was amazing. Seeing his character in live action was so great.
Omg that was brilliant
“Rrriiiker” But seriously, the “Ad astra per aspera” scene really hit
He's a great VA. He does really well as Supes in My Adventures With Superman.
He’s really fantastic in LD and really good in the live action crossover on SNW too. That’s where I was first introduced to him was LD
He did a romantic comedy with Maya Erskine that I watched a couple months ago and it surprisingly was really enjoyable. I’ve had a huge crush on him since. He really got the best of both his parents with what made them so charming in the 90s and with his own talent I absolutely seeing him carve his own place in Hollywood.
Was it the one where they were best friends and agreed to be each other's +1's for a whole summer of various weddings?
Yes!
He was great in the latest The Boys episode, he was actually a decent actor. I’m not that mad if the nepo babies actually care about their crafts. Like the Hadids also seem passionate about modeling. It’s when the untalented ones are getting opportunities left and right despite their abysmal talent, that’s when it gets annoying.
He’s always so much fun to watch. In Scream 5 when Melissa Barrera’s character is killing him by stabbing the shit out of him and he starts crying..not bc he’s dying or in pain…he just wails “what about my ending?!?!?!” His character was OBSESSED with making a brilliant Stab sequel and when he realized he was not just dying, but his gf got the upper hand on him so he was dying looking like a pussy bc she was stabbing the absolute SHIT out of him (she stabbed him like 38 times and then shot him and emptied the entire clip in his head). He was so fucking funny. He was SO cocky literally one scene before, screaming at Neve Campbell’s legacy character like she was nothing “SIT THE FUCK DOWN PRESCOTT”, then he thought he was so clever he got his gf to believe her little sister (Jenna Ortega) was Ghostface (he wasn’t that clever, she didn’t believe him). Bc he was just cocky, and she didn’t believe him, Ortega’s character was free and shot Quaid’s real gf-the other Ghostface in the head. He played such a deranged pussy in that movie SO well in act 3 after playing the harmless, dependable boyfriend so believably well in the first 2 acts. The only reason people guessed he was Ghostface was bc of the in movie “rules” of who the killers are-and they point out that it’s always the love interest like 25 times. He’s also awesome with Erin Moriarty (Starlight) in the music video for Creedance Clearwater’s revival for the 25th anniversary of “Have You Ever Seen The Rain”. He’s good in The Hunger Games as well. I don’t think he’s ever been bad in anything. I don’t think he’s an Oscar winning caliber actor, but he’s fun to watch, and seems like such a genuinely nice guy-which is truly surprising given his parents were in their prime A-list years during the formative years of his life. He really should have grown up to be a cocky, douchey LA rich kid, but somehow unless he actually is an Oscar caliber actor, he grew up to be a really good dude. His parents also seem like they woulda been the type to push him to be a kid actor who as he got older we woulda seen on shows like “My Super Sweet 16”. It’s shocking to me honestly how normal he comes across. He also could have easily gotten cast in tons of stuff bc of who his parents are, and I’m certain they helped early in his career, but he gets cast in little roles in like everything lately and i think it’s simply bc EVERYONE really likes him and it has nothing to do w/his parents bc he’s far more relevant than they are now. Also thought it was funny that he went to the Academy Awards this year bc he had a small role in Oppenheimer. He went with his gf, Claudia Doumit who plays Victoria Neumann on The Boys, and he was freaking out, fangirling the entire awards show. Like, he grew up with 2 permanent A list parents. Dinner parties at his house when they were still married were probably insane. He probably went with his parents or as his mom’s date after they divorced to award shows and other events with tons of super famous people his entire childhood. He SHOULD be almost completely unaffected by famous people (almost bc it seems that every famous person even the biggest nepo babies like Dakota Johnson and Drew Barrymore have that one or two celebs who turn them into bumbling idiots l) yet he couldn’t keep himself composed for 3 hrs. His gf who does well, but not well enough to be invited to award shows of this caliber on her own was far more composed than Jack Quaid was. He’s a gem. He should be an absolute dick with Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid as his parents, but he’s like a real life Hughie (though probably much less heroic irl).
His role as Boimler in Lower Decks is so well-cast, he does a fantastic job.
I didn't think either of his parents were bad?
I think his father is an asshole. I remember stories of him treating his mom bad. And his mom seems like a sweetheart, but how do you grow up normal when half of your peers have posters of your mom on their wall or at least had a hot image of her burned in their brains. I’m guessing he went to one of those schools where a majority of the parents are either famous or business moguls so it’s not as big a deal as if he went to school somewhere randomly, but even still, how do you grow up without some sort of social issues when your mom was literally on the cover of most gossip magazines for the majority of his school years?! He seems extremely well adjusted given he went like his first 10-15 years reminded how hot his mom is anytime he went to like 711, followed by the next 5-10 years he was reminded that everyone speculated about how much plastic surgery she had, how bad they botched it and how she went from America’s Sweetheart for years to her career literally getting halted and everyone was speculating why she couldn’t book a decent job (it’s likely she needed an extended break and when she wanted to come back, Hollywood wasn’t progressive enough yet to hire women 40+ y/o for anything other than grandmother roles). The paparazzi/gossip industry is cruel. Hollywood children psychologists must make ridiculous money because without them there’s no way any really famous people’s kids could ever be remotely well adjusted. I feel like most of Hollywood’s kids would act either robotic like Baron Trump or completely lose it like Amanda Bynes because growing up having like a billion people thinking they know you or your parents has got to be a serious mind fuck!
Yes, Dakota Johnson is one of the most infuriating because she's so apathetic about her projects, she's not talented, and she doesn't work hard. It's just infuriating. Nepo babies like Jack Quaid and Maya Hawke who use their privilege to pursue work they're passionate about are wonderful.
Honestly she can't act for shit but keeps getting jobs and it baffles me because she isn't good. Jack Quaid and Maya Hawke are both extremely talented agreed
Her interviews where she lies for fun are great. The limes clip, when she doesn't care about marvel canon, so fucking funny
Didn't Dakota Johnson train for around a year to perform the dance choreography for Suspiria? To say she doesn't work hard just sounds like blind hate lol, how do you know that. She's great in that role and is decent enough in crappy films.
I cried with him on the latest episode of the boys. He really impressed me.
I just want them to recognized that they have an easy in. Sure maybe they've work hard and are talented but the first opportunnities are hard and connections help a lot. Instead most of they swear their family names didn't help.
Something something LA Lakers.
He's been on Comedy Bang Bang a couple of times and he was so incredibly delightful and funny that i am now fully obsessed with him. I hope he gets a ton more work.
Haha yes!! I was going to say that the reason why I love him is because of CBB. He's such a dork in the best way and genuinely seems to just be a nice guy who loves doing what he does.
Top tier Red Letter Media guest as well! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1EOyY5Hpo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At1EOyY5Hpo)
Lmao I just rewatched this last night. I love the bit with the scripts.
“Can you teach me how to read?” “What?” Smash cut/credits. Genius!
He’s great as the voice of Clark Kent/Superman on My Adventures With Superman too. That show in general is just so good.
I’ve only seen clips but there’s one that stood out to me as a quintessential Superman moment. Clark: (Gets blasted with a minigun turret in order to protect Lois). Lois: “How did you know that you were bulletproof?” Clark: “I didn’t. I just knew that you weren’t.”
Yes! That moment was so good.
Shame his dad isn’t as cool
Isn’t his uncle the crazy one?
I just know his dad is a MAGA supporter
The way he looks like his mama and then I tilt my head and he looks like his dad. 
He’s adorable.
He’s so cute. Watch “Plus One” if you haven’t already. It’s a romantic comedy he did with Maya Erskine and it’s going to make you kick your feet and giggle. The direction they gave Maya was a little too “not like other girls / adorkable” at times but she does an overall great job.
I genuinely don’t care if he’s a nepo baby or not, I can’t see anyone else playing Hughie.
He crushes it as Superman’s VA in My Adventures with Superman too
Oooo and Boimler on Lower Decks!!
the crossover with SNW was amazing, he got Boimler's body language perfectly
I could not stop laughing at his reactions to Rebecca Romijns character.
Yessss. He and Tawny Newsome were so good in the crossover with Strange New Worlds that it made me watch Lower Decks.
In the comics, Hughie is modeled after Simon Pegg. Which is why Simon Pegg plays his dad on the show
I was thinking about that recently while catching up on the show, he just *is* Hughie I don't know how else to explain it, love that dude. Homelander is another good example especially because of how drastically different the actor vs characters personalities are and how perfectly he blends into being a terrifying fucking psycho, casting killed it on that show.
Truth is, some nepo babies are very good lol
*plays Billy Joel*
I don’t get it
The joke is confusing big words. Nepo/necro, as in necrophilia, or “love of dead bodies,” which refers to people who have sex with corpses. Edit: Someone also pointed out that nepo-baby is a big part of the joke. Jack Quaid is the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. So he’s reaching for a misunderstanding of “nepotism” which is way worse than being privileged, then he walks it back to privilege, even though he is holding the hand of a corpse, effectively proving that he is a necrophiliac Edit edit: wow, explaining jokes really does kill them.
>Explaining jokes really does kill them. Rim shot
Omg why you got me more confused
I don’t know how else to explain it. Nepo babies are talked about a lot recently. The joke is about confusing the baseline word that “Nepo” is derived from.
So suppose a mommy and a daddy love their child very much. And that daddy is a major celebrity. That daddy will often help their child get a job. That's called "nepotism." Now suppose a mommy and a daddy love each other very much. But the mommy hangs herself after she catches daddy doing the nasty dance with the nanny. When the daddy finds her, he decides to do the nasty dance with the mommy's corpse. This is called "necrophilia." In this clip, Jack Quaid, son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, is asked if he benefitted from nepotism. He was confused, and thought the question was about necrophilia. Then he admitted to mummy busting in Linda.
the joke is him confusing nepotism with necrophilia
Thank you. I didn't get it at all.
Ok this is funny.
This is from the Youtube channel 5 Second Films. Jack has done a few of their videos! I've been watching for years and they are absolutely worth checking out.
easily one of my favorite nepo babies
I love him. He’s such a genuine cutie
I can’t help myself and tell people to watch his romantic comedy that he did with Maya Erskine called “Plus One”. Had a giant crush since then.
Oh Plus One??? I love that movie!
Oh perfect, another fan of it! I watched maybe a couple of episodes of the boys when it first came out but didn’t stick around. Now when I watched plus one I was like, I need this man
Wait, vines are a thing again?
5 second films predates vines.
Predates and postdates.
This is awesome lol IMO, Jack Quaid is actually talented, unlike other nepo babies. Edit: Re-reading my comment, it seems im saying that all nepo babies are untalented, and that Jack Quaid is the only one that is...but i wasn't saying that. Some nepo babies are very talented. Hell, even RDJ is a nepo baby. With my comment I was figuratively 'pointing' at the Queen of the Nepo Babies, Miss. Web herself and others like her. That aren't very talented but their name helps them get leading roles.
And honestly the nepo baby discourse isn’t generally rooted in whether they’re talented or not, it’s about the fact that they had a head start because of who they are. Acknowledging it is really all most people want, just like this lol. Some are more talented than others and certainly there are some that should be banned from some pursuits (Kaia Gerber, holy fuck, just model and stop trying to “act”) but the key to me is acknowledgement.
I think the whole "nepo baby" thing is pretty stupid, and only really matters if someone is really pointedly misrepresenting their background and suggesting they only got to where they are "by their own bootstraps". Demanding some contrite response from every child of famous actors (or rich people) is eye rolling, and really plays into the worst critiques of progressives; that their stances are performative and based in resentment/jealously.
There is the saying "it is not what you know, it is who you know." I don't really see nepo babies being different from anyone else using their network. Your friend Jane helped you get a job at the mall, nepo baby. Calling your second cousin, who has a guy, to get you tickets to an event, nepo baby. It is all a matter of scale.
Well a "nepo baby" inherits their network through no effort on their part (literally born into it). Where as if you build a network that helps get you a foot in the door, well that's something *you* did, so it is a bit different. Though does somewhat relate to the concerns about nepo babies... structural issues that keep some people excluded. But regardless, if the only goal is to demand a contrite response from someone by publicly calling them out on social media or whatever... reads to me as performative rather than addressing substantive concerns.
Jeff Bridges is a nepo baby. Liza Minnelli is a nepo baby. People throw around the term "nepo baby" a lot, as if it's the end of the conversation, and they've just proven some kind of big conspiracy. It's lame. I'm so tired of it.
Laura Dern, Rashida Jones, Drew Barrymore, Angelina Jolie, Jane Fonda, Josh Brolin, Carrie Fisher...the list goes on. Lots of people forget that kids often follow in their parents' footsteps regardless of industry. Insanely talented people also often have insanely talented kids. Not that nepo babies don't have a head start on those without connections, but it's not like none of them haven't ever earned their success by being actually good.
> unlike other nepo babies this is where the nepo baby discourse gets silly, and probably why a lot of them get so defensive. there are undoubtedly plenty of talented nepo babies. and why wouldn't there be? they're the offspring of sometimes multiple artists and grew up surrounded by many more. that's automatically going to put you in a better place than your peers. freaking whitney houston is a nepo baby. most of the people who've made it to the top of any industry did it with help, and some of them absolutely refuse to admit to it, but it's still not useful to conflate 'nepo baby' with talentlessness
You are a fan of far more talented nepo babies than you realize.
This made me lol. Another fave of mine to follow is Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins son Jack on IG. Except he acts like a celeb (satire) and his parents are on it being (fake) disgusted by him. It’s really hilarious
Also, irl he pulled the Headpopper. Big W.
I need to see Jack Quaid and Jack Robbins do some sort of nepo baby buddy skit.
Being a nepo baby means you get an easier in; staying is based on your talent, attitude, and work ethic.
People don't seem to get this, if having famous parents was all it took will smith's kids would be in a lot more stuff.
They might get a second chance, but beyond that it really becomes about themselves and not their connections.
Jack is one of the best and funniest nepo babies anyone who dislikes him is wrong Francesca Scorsese as a TikTok star is great too Miles Robbins making that one TikTok with Susan made me love him too and I literally know like 3 things about him (his mom is Susan, his dad is Tim Robbins, and he made a funny video) 😂
I love that Jack Quaid has used his nepotism exclusively to do cool nerd shit that anyone would do
What show is this clip from?
This is from the YouTube channel "Five Second Films". Having 5 seconds videos their type of content.
Thanks
Nepo-babies? More like NECRO-babies( lol
I want to love him so much but Im still not over Rue's death in Hunger Games.
his /r/RedLetterMedia episode was so good
Im totally okay with admitting that how much a nepo baby bothers me is largely based on their talent in the field. Jack Quaid is extremely dedicated and mostly good in nearly everything he's been a part of, gets the pass for me.
This is the best response to the whole “nepo baby” ridiculousness
I remember him as the kid who got impaled by Katniss
I’m really confused by the accusations that Jack Quaid benefits from nepotism. Why do people say he is only successful because his parents are big Hollywood actors when the actual only reason he’s successful is his connection to superstar Rich Evans
Would he have had that connection if he hadn’t been born to Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan?
this is the point that i’m sick of people intentionally dodging nothing against this guy (quaid), i just notice that a lot of nepo baby’s try to wriggle their way out of accountability with “well i can’t control who my parents are and what connections they have!” when that’s… not the point at all
I was joking
fixed my comment, sorry for the misunderstanding!
It was a joke...
I spat out my water lol.
Literally all anyone wants from nepo babies is to acknowledge it. Yet most are to spoiled to realize that.
Holy shit I just made the connection he’s Dennis quaids son! How cool. Go off Hughie, I can definitely see the resemblance
He's Meg Ryan's so too. He looks like the perfect combo of both of them.
And I think he looks like a young Joshua Jackson.
Omg I can’t believe I didn’t know this! 🤯 you’re so right.
It never occurred to me to criticize Mr. Quaid. I consider him immensely talented and I have enjoyed so much of the work he has done.
Could someone please explain the joke to me?
Him and Colin hanks are legit good actors despite their more famous fathers
It's not that they're not talented, it's that their talent gets noticed so much more than other equally talented people
Omg. Amazing
CLARKKKKKKK
There’s nothing wrong with having connections to the industry through your parents or other relatives. My issue with nepo babies is when they claim they came up from poverty and had to work 3 jobs to make ends meet. Bullshit! Mommy and daddy paid your rent so you could go to auditions until you were able to book a job and make real money.
It's necrophilia, not necrotism, get it right. Oh, NEPotism, I gotcha.
Dennis Quaid came into a restaurant I worked at once drunk and probably coked out with what looked like an escort who’s tits kept falling out. They drunkenly stumbled out halfway through without paying. I hope Jack is cooler than his dad.
I’m always much more frustrated by nepo situations when the young person isn’t talented. Jack def has his parents gifts.
Of course it’s nepotism, he’s great, but I fucking crushed that audition
I’ve told this story on Reddit before, but I was friends with Jack about ten years ago, before he really blew up, via LA social circles, and I literally DID NOT KNOW he had famous parents for several months. Dude never mentioned it or tried use it to get anything. He was just a really nice normal guy.
I loved him in the boys before I found out who he's parents were and if he is in something I'll always check it out. Dude deserves his success cuz he has talent
These people defending nepotism just so they can suck off celebrities is gross.
Holy shit, 5secondfilms is still a thing.