Let's Talk About Nepo Parents Now

Nepotism is a practice as old as time, but the ethical debate surrounding it has found new life since kids on TikTok learned what it means. “Nepo babies,” the term used to describe people who break into the entertainment industry with the help of their famous parents, is one of the buzziest phrases of the past year, blowing similar callouts like “industry plant” and “trust fund kid” out of the water.

New York magazine, armed with information anyone can find on Google and Wikipedia, blew the lid off this conspiracy with a cover story analyzing the nepo baby phenomenon, complete with family-tree-style flow charts calling out everyone from Ben Platt (son of producer Marc Platt) to Phoebe Bridgers (because apparently being the daughter of a set builder counts).

As this debate (which is really more of a loud circle jerk of agreement that show business isn’t fair) rages on, little has been said about the fact that open doors go both ways and parents can piggyback on the success of their children. These “nepo parents,” if you will, range from crazy stage parents and momagers to normal people whose creative pursuits find an audience thanks to their famous kids.

We may not have charts and graphs to back it up, but we promise this happens more often than you think. Here are a few examples of parents who have reaped the benefits of nepotism.

Rob Grant

Septuagenarian Rob Grant’s album Lost at Sea made quite the splash (pun intended) when it dropped this past June, prompting write-ups in Rolling Stone, GQ and People among other high-profile outlets. Why all the hype for an unknown pianist’s mostly instrumental debut? Like many new artists, Grant gets a boost from a featured artist. His daughter Elizabeth Grant, better known as indie pop icon Lana Del Rey, lends vocals to two tracks on the album. The elder Grant has made it clear that he has no qualms about nepotism, telling GQ that he’s proud to be a “nepodaddy.” (His uncomfortable term, not ours.)

Dina Lohan

Lindsay Lohan, one of the most popular young starlets of the early 2000s, found massive success in film, music and fashion. She was also a controversial tabloid fixture who faced much scrutiny for her partying, substance abuse and legal troubles. Her mother and manager, Dina, had just enough talent and charisma to follow suit in only one of those pursuits but she has definitely excelled at it: In 2021, she pleaded guilty to felony drunk driving. Dina made cameos in her daughter's movies, playing "Woman at airport" in The Parent Trap, and playing herself in reality show Celebrity Big Brother. Let's say the "celebrity" part was all thanks to Lindsay.

Mama June Shannon

We may never be able to fully comprehend the consequences Toddlers & Tiaras had on our culture, but the Shannon family is a perfect case study to start with. Alana Thompson, known as “Honey Boo Boo,” was 5 years old when she first appeared on the show, and her outgoing personality landed her and her mother, June Shannon, a spinoff series called Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. The show was panned as being exploitative, and the family has been at the center of several disturbing controversies. Luckily for humankind, Shannon rode her notoriety all the way to her own makeover spinoff series, Mama June: From Hot to Not.

Rose Hovick

Rose Hovick was the mother of actress June Havoc and burlesque artist Gypsy Rose Lee. Her reputation for being one of the most ruthless stage mothers of all time inspired the Broadway musical Gypsy, where “Mama Rose” has been played by Ethel Merman, Patti Lupone and other stage icons. The popularity of the musical and her characterization in it has outlasted that of both of her daughters, for what it’s worth. The song “Rose’s Turn” was even covered on Glee.

Estelle Reiner

The wife of Carl Reiner, Estelle appeared in a handful of films throughout the 1980s. However, her most enduring role was given to her by her son Rob Reiner in 1989 when he cast her as Older Woman Customer in When Harry Met Sally. Her only line, “I’ll have what she’s having,” was ranked No. 33 on the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Movie Quotes.

Leopold Mozart

Leopold Mozart was a musician who was influential in his time as an instructor and theorist on the playing of the violin, publishing a seminal textbook on the subject that is still referenced today. In the words of his Wikipedia page, though, “He is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.” The question remains: Was he a great teacher or did he just have the best student?

Kris Jenner

Nepotism can flow both ways. Yes, Kris Jenner used her existing connections to push her children into the spotlight. There’s a reason Kim Kardashian’s sex tape made the news and yours didn’t. But the Kardashian-Jenner clan has returned the favor several times over in this never-ending osmosis of clout. Kris Jenner was a nepo wife before she perfected the art of nepo parenting, scheming her family's way into world domination. She is no doubt the reason her daughters are reality stars, but her daughters are the reason she gets invited to the Met Gala. You’d do the same for your mom if you were a world-famous billionaire.

George DiCaprio

You can guess to whom George DiCaprio is related, and honestly, he's much cooler than his son Leonardo. A former performance artist, writer and editor, he collaborated on a book with Timothy Leary long before Leo DiCaprio was "King of the World" and dating models strictly under the age of 25. But no doubt, the elder DiCaprio's career move into film production in 2008 was prompted by his having a solid sperm trail to Hollywood. In 2021, he even made a cameo in Paul Thomas Anderson's film Licorice Pizza.

Joe Jackson

Patriarch of the American Von Trapp family, which includes Michael, Tito, Janet and LaToya, Joe Jackson was a renowned bully who shamed his kids into rhinoplasty-ing their faces until they looked like the Sphinx. Yet he was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2011. We can't imagine why.

Jaid Barrymore

Let's face it, actress Jaid Barrymore should put the words "Mother of Drew" on her business card. The woman exploited her young daughter's newfound E.T. fame by dragging her to nightclubs and turning a blind eye to her substance abuse. She has since gone on to have a successful career as a D-lister, according to her IMDB credits. Her daughter recently said she "cannot wait for her mother to die." These would be harsh words coming from anyone, but from the overly enthusiastic-about-everything Drew Barrymore, they're particularly telling.

Nancy Dow

Like Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston also had an actress mother whose biggest claim to fame was birthing a '90s superstar. Aniston became estranged from her mother, Nancy Dow, after Dow published a memoir in 1999 called From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir, which was clearly a money-grab. Sometimes you can judge a book by its title.

Joe Simpson

Though Joe Simpson is the Big Daddy of nepotism, his presence wasn't without merit in the Simpsons family saga. We first knew the father of singers Jessica and Ashlee as a creepy pastor managing his daughters' careers, which included reality shows Newlyweds and The Ashlee Simpson Show. He went on to manage the brief career of Dallas singer Ryan Cabrera before getting into film and TV production. Joe Simpson was a tabloid fixture in the early 2000s thanks to his astoundingly weird comments about Jessica's virginity and rumors about his own sexuality. Now he doesn't even have his own Wikipedia page.