Nepo babies who proved they're more than just their famous parents' names! We're diving into the moments these talented stars stepped out of their parents' shadows and made their own mark in Hollywood, music, and beyond.
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00:00I whip my hair back and forth, I whip my hair back and forth, I whip my hair back and forth, I whip my hair back and forth, I whip my hair back and forth.
00:06Welcome to MsMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the most talented stars with famous parents who don't owe their success to their connections.
00:15Maybe this time I'll win.
00:20Number 10. When Maude Apatow left us shook on Euphoria.
00:24One of the most intriguing characters on Euphoria, the revered author of the most
00:29iconic meta high school play, Lexi Howard is truly one of a kind.
00:33I think the most defining moment of my adolescence was when my sister went through puberty.
00:42Ugh, I look disgusting!
00:45It was this role that catapulted Maude Apatow to fame.
00:48It was also this fame that brought attention to her powerful parents Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann.
00:54Those names bear enough weight to give you an idea of how influential they are to the industry,
00:59so of course she got her start through them.
01:01See, there's nothing better than embarrassing people.
01:03Uh, dad.
01:05Uh, Maude, you are bright red.
01:09However, it was the organically growing interest in the actress herself that prompted a background
01:14search. If not for her breakout role in Euphoria, her parentage would perhaps not even be a viral
01:20issue at all.
01:21She often imagined that her parents weren't really her parents,
01:25and that her sister wasn't her sister, and that her house wasn't even really her house.
01:32That it was just a movie.
01:39He doesn't even know this girl.
01:42And if he did know her, like, like really know her, I don't think he'd even want to be her friend.
01:49Over the years, Stranger Things has been a fantastic launching pad for rising stars.
01:54Maya Hawke was one young actor who shot to global popularity through the show.
01:58And another one bites the dust.
02:01You are 0-4-6, Popeye.
02:04Yeah, yeah, I can count.
02:06You know that means you suck.
02:08Yep, I can read, too.
02:09Fans will argue that it had everything to do with her talent and nothing at all with
02:13her parents Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. However, she herself has admitted to her privilege,
02:18which somehow makes her much cooler than if she had dismissed it.
02:22My parents are wonderful and really supportive and have, I don't know,
02:26given me a lot. And I feel really grateful to have their support. And they both loved the show.
02:31Her portrayal of the wisecracking sardonic softy Robin Buckley took seasons three and
02:36four to a whole new level. And she deserves her kudos, nepotism or not.
02:42When Dan Levy made television history with his father.
02:45In case you didn't know,
02:47Johnny and David Rose from Schitt's Creek are actually father and son in real life.
02:51David, didn't I just tell you to save your money?
02:55Uh, yeah, I am testing this out for the store, so work is paying for it.
03:01Work is paying for your bedding?
03:03They're also business partners who created the show together.
03:06Perhaps that's why they could bring out such an authentic and unforgettable dynamic on screen.
03:11You know, it's funny. It didn't seem that long ago that you were relying on me for everything.
03:16Like when you were taking your harpsichord lessons and I would drive you.
03:20I was seven.
03:21The brilliance of Dan Levy's performance, equal parts sassy and sulky,
03:25is worth letting nepotism slide just this once, don't you think?
03:29The show broke the record for the most Emmy nods a comedy has ever been honored with in
03:33its last season. It also won each actor in the main cast at least one Emmy.
03:38It birthed memes like no other and became an irreplaceable part of pop culture.
03:43Next step is to fold in the cheese.
03:48What does that mean?
03:49Sure, connections helped, but it would have been historic anyway.
03:53When Kate Hudson won a Golden Globe
03:56As the daughter of Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson had massive shoes to fill when
04:00she decided to follow her mom's footsteps into the entertainment industry.
04:04Yet rather than riding on her coattails,
04:06she established herself in Hollywood on her own merit.
04:09Not a groupie.
04:14We are not groupies.
04:17This is Penny Lane, man. Show some respect.
04:20Within two years of debuting, her role as Penny Lane in Almost Famous
04:24brought her immeasurable success. With it came a lot more work than she probably anticipated as a
04:30nepo-baby.
04:42It didn't just win her a Golden Globe, but also fans' hearts,
04:46and she cemented her popularity with a string of rom-coms next.
04:50Talk about proving yourself.
04:51Oh, you are already falling in love with me.
04:55I'm gonna make you wish you were dead.
04:57Poor guy.
05:02When Gwyneth Paltrow became an Oscar winner
05:05This nepo-baby wasn't an ordinary star kid.
05:08Good morning, my lord.
05:10My lady, the tide waits for no man, but I swear it would wait for you.
05:14She was heir to the Hollywood throne passed down from her extraordinary parents,
05:18Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner.
05:20While she has never denied the advantages that came with her family name,
05:24Gwyneth claims she and others of her status have to work, quote,
05:28twice as hard to be acknowledged.
05:30While we're not here to evaluate effort, what is evident is the fruit of the same.
05:35I love you beyond poetry.
05:40Paltrow's phenomenal performance in Shakespeare in Love placed her in a league of her own,
05:45and bagged her an Academy Award, too.
05:47That's when we knew we had another gem on our hands.
05:55When Tracee Ellis Ross became the OG Girls' Girl
06:00Growing up with music royalty Diana Ross as a mother,
06:03king of pop Michael Jackson lounging around the house,
06:06and Cher playing tennis out on the lawn was normal for Tracee.
06:10I was raised by a woman who lived out her dreams.
06:14As for us, we can't help feeling just a tiny bit jealous.
06:18Yet, all that went out the door when we met her as the ever-relatable
06:22Joan Carol Clayton in the sitcom Girlfriends.
06:25How is William in bed?
06:29Oh, no, it's okay. Oh, you know, we're just talking.
06:32Erasing any traces of her elite upbringing,
06:35she became an everywoman, endearing herself to viewers at once.
06:38This love was only amplified by her Golden Globe-winning role in Black-ish,
06:43showing that she is much more than an Epo baby.
06:46You make fun of my hair. You make fun of my clothing. You make fun of my cooking.
06:51You make fun of my blackness.
06:52It's more your whiteness.
06:53I'm not joking. You walk all over me, and I let you in my home.
06:59When Miley Cyrus Wrecked Her Good Girl Image
07:10The Flower singer was born to be a star.
07:12It just helped that the family she was born into had all the tools for her to achieve said stardom.
07:18As country star Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter,
07:20she definitely parlayed her Nepo baby status into a Disney career with Hannah Montana.
07:38However, it was when she abandoned her Goody Two-Shoes image and flaunted her rebellious streak
07:43that she was able to step away from her father's spotlight and into her own.
07:47Wrecking Ball was a cultural and personal reset for Miley.
07:51And as controversial as it was, at least she was true to herself.
08:05When Sofia Coppola Made Her Own Name
08:18Daughter of filmmaking legend Francis Ford Coppola wants no part of the Nepo baby discourse.
08:24She has endured much flack for it, and can't stress enough how tough it was to be taken seriously.
08:39Even though she acted in eight of her father's films,
08:42it wasn't until she took the director's chair herself that she found acclaim.
08:46Once her feature film directorial debut The Virgin Suicides was released,
08:51her critics turned into fans, and there was no looking back.
09:04In the next few years, she earned an Oscar of her own for her Lost in Translation screenplay,
09:10proving naysayers wrong.
09:12When Angelina Jolie Went for Gold with a Complex Role
09:25When we found out one of the most versatile actresses Hollywood has to offer was a Nepo
09:29baby born to none other than superstar Jon Voight, something inside us broke.
09:34Luckily, she had a lot more to show than her prestigious lineage.
09:42Jolie started off small, with minor supporting roles, and steadily made her way into James
09:53Mangold's Girl Interrupted. With a character she could really sink her teeth into,
09:58Angelina showed us what she's made of.
10:06Soon, she became a force to be reckoned with, the name on everyone's lips,
10:10and a proud winner of an Oscar.
10:12Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:16When Margaret Qualley did Justice to Anne Reinking,
10:19Andy McDowell's daughter's performance in Fosse-Verdon was groundbreaking.
10:24Rashida Jones
10:38Parks and Recreation fame
10:40Who knew Peggy Lipton and Quincy Jones' daughter was a comedic genius?
10:53Gracie Abrams' soaring music career
11:02J.J. Abrams' daughter gives us some amazing bops.
11:15Jack Quaid has his own brand of acting in The Boys.
11:18Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid's son was persistent about finding his groove.
11:23Rumer Willis discovered her talent in dance.
11:41Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's Girl won Dancing with the Stars.
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12:11When Liza Minnelli wowed the Academy
12:24As the progeny of the inimitable Judy Garland and director Vincent Minnelli,
12:30Liza was the epitome of the nepo-baby. The Wizard of Oz star's dazzling light
12:35cast a terribly long shadow, one that was understandably difficult to step out of.
12:40Yet, before we knew it, the world was raving about Liza and her innate talent for both dance and
12:46acting. Her fierce magnetic cabaret performance was positively out of this world, and her essence,
13:01truly timeless. So no wonder the Academy bowed to her greatness and handed her the
13:05Oscar she deserved. To this day, there's no one like Liza Minnelli.
13:16Have you ever been shocked to find out your favorite celebrity was a nepo-baby?
13:27Let us know in the comments!
13:37Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo,
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