Allison Williams Weighs In On The “Nepo Baby” Conversation: “It Doesn’t Feel Like A Loss To Admit It”

There’s been nothing trending more over the past two weeks than the term “nepo baby.” Thanks to New York Magazine’s articles on the subject this month, the phrase is the talk of Hollywood, the press, and, unfortunately, many family holiday celebrations. So, what’s a nepo baby, anyway? As per Today, “a nepo baby, in case you haven’t heard, is the offspring of a famous person who follows their parent into the creative industries, and often is met with success despite the competition.” In other words, many Hollywood actors and actresses qualify as nepo babies, and some aren’t happy about the newfangled terminology.

READ MORE: ‘M3GAN’ Trailer: A Murderous Doll Does A Dance Before Killing In Upcoming Blumhouse Horror

But now “M3GAN” star Allison Williams enters the nepo baby discourse, and her take on the phrase may be the most measured and mature yet. IndieWire reports that Williams, the former “Girls” star and daughter of retired news anchor Brian Williams, broke down her thoughts on the buzzy term in a new interview with Wired Magazine. “It doesn’t feel like a loss to admit it,” she said about being an actress with famous parents. “If you trust your own skill, I think it becomes very simple to acknowledge.”  

Case in point: Williams agreed to take on an executive producer role for “M3GAN” during her contract negotiations for the film, something she hadn’t done before in a movie she acts in. In the film, Williams creates an AI doll for her nieces that ends up going on a killing spree. “I think they assumed, ‘She doesn’t want to know what toy brands we’ve cleared,’ but they were sorely mistaken,’ Williams joked. The actress’ help on the film’s initial marketing campaign earlier this year ended up being a viral success. It appears the internet has a thing for murderous dancing robot dolls.

Lots of other celebrities have weighed on the nepo baby concept since it went viral.  Jamie Lee Curtis, designating herself “an OG Nepo Baby,” took to Instagram to post a lengthy takedown of the idea, saying it’s “designed to try to diminish and denigrate and hurt.” Singer Lily Allen used Twitter to voice her thoughts on the matter. “The nepo babies y’all should be worrying about are the ones working for legal firms, the ones working for banks, and the ones working in politics, if we’re talking about real world consequences and robbing people of opportunity,” Allen wrote. “BUT that’s none of my business.” Allen’s parents are actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen.

“Glass Onion” star Kate Hudson also shared her thoughts on the idea with The Independent last weekend. “The nepotism thing, I mean… I don’t really care,” said Hudson. “I look at my kids and we’re a storytelling family. It’s definitely in our blood. People can call it whatever they want, but it’s not going to change it.” Hudson also elaborated on Allen’s pointn about nepotism in other industries beyond show business. “I’ve been in business meetings where I’m like, ‘Wait, whose child is this? Like, this person knows nothing!’” she said. “I don’t care where you come from, or what your relationship to the business is – if you work hard and you kill it, it doesn’t matter.”

Fair enough, Ms. Hudson, but it’s better overall to own the privilege one’s upbringing afforded them like Allison Williams than find ways to excuse it. In any case, this conversation will likely dissipate into the new year. Until that happens, though, allow us to play the world’s smallest violin just for the nepo babies.