As much as many of us would probably like to travel an easier road in life (at least in some ways), most people probably know by now that success and happiness are never guaranteed, though getting a leg up can certainly seem to help. This is one of the reasons that the world’s so-called nepo babies can take a lot of heat from time to time.
However, The Housemaid star Amanda Seyfried (that upcoming book to screen adaptation hits the 2025 movie schedule in December), surprisingly dropped a big ol’ F-bomb not long ago to defend Hollywood’s nepo babies.
Why Did Amanda Seyfried Drop An F-Bomb To Defend Nepo Babies?
Though we are no longer in the thick of the Great Nepo Baby Debate that hit pop culture a few years ago, questions persist about whether or not those who take on their parents’ (or other relatives') line of work get an unfair advantage over us normies. People seem to particularly take issue when nepotism appears present in celebrity families, and stars from “OG nepo baby” Jamie Lee Curtis (who says the convo is “designed to try to diminish and denigrate and hurt”) to Angelina Jolie (who is a nepo baby and has her own nepo babies) have weighed in on the topic.
Mamma Mia’s Amanda Seyfried (who’d love to make the musical franchise a trilogy) isn’t a nepo baby, but that doesn’t mean she’s cool with tearing them down, either. During an interview with eTalk for CTV in Canada, the conversation turned to whether or not the Mean Girls talent (who reprised Karen for some commercials) would let her daughter play that role in one of her own movies one day, and she responded:
I would totally do that for her, but then I’m like [sneering], ‘No, I can’t. She gotta earn it.’...No, I’m kidding. But, listen, nepo babies aren’t the worst. We’ve got to stop giving them a bad name. It’s not their fucking fault! It all comes out in the wash. If you’re not good, you’re not good.
And there you have it! While Seyfried did agree with her interviewer and say she wouldn’t have minded getting a nepo baby-like leg up in her acting career (also noting that she’s still willing to audition as many times as asked for roles she wants, like for Wicked), and admitted she’d help her own kids out if they choose to pursue a profession in entertainment, she doesn’t seem to think that it’s any kind of slam dunk.
You can see the full clip (where she praises J.J. Abrams' singer/songwriter daughter, Gracie), here:
Her thoughts echo those of nepo baby Zosia Mamet, who said that while her famous last name likely opened some doors for her, it also meant that she went into auditions with “baggage,” adding that “if you don’t have the talent or the ability to back it up, a name can only get you so far.” Basically, both women agree that you won’t stick around long if you’re not working your ass off to continually earn your spot.
Honestly, whether you believe this to be true or not, nepotism isn’t going anywhere. So, it may be best to just hope the nepo babies around you are decent, hard-working people, and get on with your own business.