What it means
A nepo baby is someone whose career got a serious leg-up from famous or powerful parents, walking through doors that stay shut for everyone else. The talent may be real, but so is the surname that opened the room.
Usage examples
"She is talented, sure, but the casting only called because she is a nepo baby."
"Half the new actors this year are nepo babies with famous surnames."
"He can act, yeah, but people clock him as a nepo baby before he even says a line."
"The whole campaign looked stitched up from jump, just another nepo baby getting handed the shiny gig."
Where it comes from
Short for nepotism baby. It comes straight from nepotism, the word for giving relatives an easy ride. The label blew up online and in entertainment media in the early 2020s, especially after lots of chat about actors, models, and musicians with famous parents getting a shortcut into the room.
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