Nepo babies are prevalent figures in the entertainment industry—Simon Cowell, Willow Smith, Gracie Abrams—everyone knows and loves them. But what does it really mean to be one, and how does it influence their career paths?

The term “nepo baby” is defined as someone whose success is aided by their parents' influence, wealth, and connections to a particular field or industry (Nepo Baby, 2025).

Miley Cyrus is a notable example of a successful nepo baby, best known for her lead role in Hannah Montana, and later, as a pop artist, with hit songs like "Flower", "Party in the U.S.A.", and "Wrecking Ball". Cyrus openly acknowledges nepotism playing a key role in her career, stating, “If anything, I used my dad,” in response to controversies alleging the subject (Barone, 2023). As the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus, a famous country singer, Miley took advantage of her connections, using them as stepping stones to launch her music career after years as a teen idol (Banerjee, 2023).

Having celebrity parents instantly opens doors to numerous opportunities, such as securing roles and auditions that might otherwise be inaccessible. This advantage can be provided by industry connections, access to elite training, or financial stability, allowing nepo babies to focus entirely on pursuing their dreams.

On another note, talent, no matter the wealth, privilege, or industry connections, will always be recognized in the end, even if it takes longer for self-made artists. Let’s compare the varying roads to success of celebrities in the entertainment industry.

Nepo babies Sadie and Sunny Sandler, daughters to Adam Sandler, both started their acting careers early on, starring in small roles in their father’s movies such as the 2020 Netflix film, Hubie Halloween (Kaloi & Bendlin, 2025). These minor roles kickstarted their fame, earning Sunny a role in Netflix's You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah as the protagonist, Stacy. In another recent Netflix film, Happy Gilmore 2, the sisters were able to draw the attention of director Kyle Newacheck, who praised their acting by stating they were “very good,” (Kaloi & Bendlin, 2025).

But what about self-made celebrities? Recently emerged pop princess, Chappell Roan, is an inspiration for many young artists because of her encouraging story. Ever since she was a young girl, Chappell Roan had always held a glowing passion and talent for music. Behind the famous stage name “Chappell Roan” stands a teenager named Kayleigh Rose Amstutz. Long before performing at sold-out concerts, she uploaded her first original song, “Die Young”, which she later described to be “the corniest song on Earth” in a 2024 Rolling Stone cover story (Monteil, 2024). It would be 10 more years before Amstutz would finally earn the fame she deserved (Andrew, 2024).

So how did Chappell Roan do it? She lacked connections like Sadie and Sunny, had no celebrity father like Miley Cyrus. With her signature 80s campy drag queen glam, bold and fearless makeup, and voluminous, fiery red hair, Chappell Roan is, simply put, unique. To be unique was to not conform to the dull, mystically dark aesthetics of the late 2010s. It was not being afraid to experiment and stand out from the crowd.

Of course, not every nepo baby had it as easy as the Sandler sisters or Miley Cyrus, and fame does take time. Even for more privileged individuals like Sabrina Carpenter, who shares a similar story to Chappell Roan, despite her connections to the entertainment industry as the niece of actress Nancy Cartwright. Although she had her time to shine from ages 15 to 16 co-starring in the Disney Series Girl Meets World, young Sabrina would still have10 more years before her breakthrough into global pop stardom. After comparing her old and new albums released only a few years apart from each other, many things become clear. Earlier music videos such as “Eyes Wide Open”, “We’ll Be Stars”, and “The Middle of Starting Over” all share a similar beige and washed color palette, blending in with the millions of other music videos on the internet. However, after the release of the music video for “Espresso”, Sabrina’s aesthetic was reborn. Knit sweaters, white dresses, and low-saturation filters were replaced with 60s teen swimsuits, timeless accessories, and a unique, vintage, retro-contemporary feeling.

The concept of nepotism has raised many controversies about fairness, and whether industrial connections determine success to a higher degree  than that of artistic talent. On the contrary, although nepo-babies have a slight advantage in getting started with their careers, talent, hard-work, open-mindedness, and perseverance is what ultimately brings success in the highly competitive world of entertainment.

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