There’s been a lot of chatter in pop culture media lately about the rise of the “nepo baby.” Nepo babies are the children of famous people who are either following in their parents’ footsteps or leveraging their well-known last name to get a jumpstart on their own career in fields including acting, modeling, singing, or sports. Some people are snarky and claim that nepo babies couldn’t make it on their own merits, while others argue that talent can be genetic after all.
We think the truth is somewhere in the middle. Yes, of course, celebrity kids have advantages over “regular” kids. Their parents have better connections and the money to pay for the best coaches or acting teachers. If the goal is fame, they have a huge head start. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have to work hard to capitalize on that head start.
For example, LeBron James’ son might have his dad’s connections, but he still has to train to become a baller in his own right. Nobody is going to draft him into the NBA just because of his last name, after all.
Here, we’ve rounded up 15 celebrity kids who might be nepo babies but who are also trying to prove that they share some of their parents’ talent, too.
Lila Moss
Lila Moss is an up-and-coming 20-year-old British model. Her mother is none other than the iconic British model Kate Moss, so there is no doubt that Lila has genetics on her side. She’s represented by her mom’s modeling agency and has been prowling catwalks since 2018.
Shane Hawkins
Shane Hawkins is the 17-year-old son of late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. In September 2022, Shane wowed the crowd when he took Taylor’s old spot behind the drum kit during a tribute concert for his dad. He played with the Foo Fighters on the song “My Hero,” which was a moving choice.
Blue Ivy Carter
Look, her parents are Beyoncé and Jay-Z, so how was Blue Ivy Carter not going to grow up with an interest in a career in music? She famously sings on the track Brown Skin Girl with her mother, and the two recently performed together in Dubai, which was a surprise and a thrill for the audience.
Willow Sage Hart
Beyoncé isn’t the only musical mama whose daughter might be able to follow in her footsteps. Pink’s 11-year-old daughter, Willow, impressed people with her performance of Olivia Rodrigo’s The Rose Song during a recent recital, and we think there is definitely some talent there!
Cooper Hoffman
Cooper Hoffman is the son of the late, great actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. He’s only 19 years old, but he’s already appeared in several films and was even nominated for a Golden Globe award in 2021 for his work in the movie Licorice Pizza.
Bronny James
LeBron James’ 18-year-old son, Bronny, is one of the top high school basketball players in the country, and sports commentators are all eager to see where he commits to for college. At only 6’3, he’s a little smaller than his 6’9 dad, but he’s still a likely NBA pick some day.
Birdie Silverstein
With a few sitcom episodes under their belt, including the 2021 Amazon series With Love, Birdie Silverstein isn’t quite as well-known as their famous mother, Busy Philipps, but they might be on the way. Busy has been gushing with pride on Instagram about seeing her child’s first steps on the path to an acting career, so maybe there will be more to come from this talented 14-year-old.
Charlie Woods
To be honest, we aren’t really fans of Tiger Woods. His most recent “tampon prank” was so immature and more than a little sexist. But that doesn’t mean we can’t root for his son, Charlie, as he embarks on a golf career of his own. Here’s hoping he inherited his dad’s talent but his mom’s maturity.
Emme Muniz
J.Lo killed it during the 2020 Super Bowl (Netflix’s behind-the-scenes documentary about her performance is called Halftime and definitely worth the watch), and we love that she shared that special event with her child Emme. Emme, now 15, has musical genes from both of their parents (their dad is Marc Anthony), so maybe music is in the cards for them as well?
Monroe Cannon
We all know that Mariah Carey is a bit of a diva, but that she totally has the pipes and talent to back it up. That said, it will be interesting to see if her daughter, Monroe (who has performed on stage with her mother several times now), pursues a musical career like her. Could Mariah’s ego handle it if her daughter became a star? Time will tell!
North West
North West has basically grown up with cameras always around, so it isn’t a big surprise that she’s super comfortable on social media. The TikTok account that she shares with her mother, Kim Kardashian, has more than 14 million followers already, so we won’t be surprised to see North in the next generation of reality stars.
Deacon Phillippe
With Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe as parents, there’s no doubt that Deacon Phillippe had a head start in the good looks department. He also got help from their relationships with other famous people. Mindy Kaling cast Deacon in an episode of the hilarious show Never Have I Ever after Reese mentioned his interest in acting. Talk about getting hooked up by mom!
Gia Lopez
Mario Lopez translated his Saved by the Bell fame into an ongoing career in media, including some acting and a hosting gig on Access Hollywood. His 12-year-old daughter, Gia, has not only done some red carpet appearances and interviews with him, but the two also shared roles in a 2021 TV movie called Holiday in Santa Fe.
Nico Parker
Nico Parker is the stunning 18-year-old daughter of actress Thandiwe Newton. She’s been acting for several years now (her first major role was in 2019’s Dumbo), but she’s getting a lot of buzz for her current role as Sarah Miller in the HBO show The Last of Us.
Kaia Gerber
There is no shortage of nepo babies in the modeling world, thanks to the likes of Kendall Jenner, Gigi and Bella Hadid, and Lila Moss. One of the most successful ones, however, is Kaia Gerber. She’s practically a clone of her mother, Cindy Crawford, and has been making it as a successful model in her own right for years now.
