Gwyneth Paltrow explained why she believes nepotism babies in Hollywood have to “work twice as hard” to prove themselves in the industry, despite admitting they have an “unfair” advantage.
During an episode of Hailey Bieber’s YouTube series Who’s In My Bathroom?, the Goop founder and Bieber made mint chocolate chip smoothies while discussing skincare, wellness, and Paltrow’s evolving career as both an actress and wellness mogul.
As the two poured their smoothie ingredients into a mini blender, Bieber asked Paltrow her perspective on the ongoing debate surrounding nepotism babies: children born into rich, famous, or otherwise influential families, giving them a leg up in their career.
“I mean, look, I think it’s fair because as the child of somebody, you get access that other people don’t have, so the playing field is not level in that way,” Paltrow said. “However, I really do feel that once your foot is in the door which you unfairly got in, then you have to work almost twice as hard and be twice as good.”
Paltrow explained that despite having an easier route in their career, children of celebrities are more likely to be scrutinised by people who believe they didn’t rightfully earn their success. “People are ready to pull you down and say you don’t belong there and you’re only there because of your dad or your mom or whatever the case may be,” she said.
But Paltrow reminded Bieber that the criticism shouldn’t “limit” nepotism children from what they hope to achieve in life. “What I definitely believe is that nobody in the world, especially anybody that doesn’t know you, should have a negative impact on your path or the decision that you make,” she added.
Gwyneth Paltrow, 49, is the daughter of actress Blythe Danner and the late director and producer Bruce Paltrow, while Hailey Bieber, 25, is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin.
The actor’s thoughts on nepotism babies didn’t sit well with some people on the internet. Many people argued that while children of celebrities may have to work “twice as hard” to prove themselves, people with zero connections often must work even harder just to see the door -- let alone put their foot through it.
“It’s so wild how out of touch celebrities are,” one person tweeted.
“It’s the delusion for me,” tweeted someone else.
Gwyneth Paltrow is hardly the first “nepotism baby” to speak out against the assumptions people have about children born to celebrities. Kendall Jenner – sister to the Kardashians and the highest paid model in the world since 2018 – has previously opened up about how her family’s fame made it “harder” for herself to make a name in the fashion industry.
During the Keeping Up With the Kardashians reunion special, the 26-year-old model claimed that everything she has accomplished has been the result of her own hard work.
“I did everything that I was supposed to do and had to do to get to the position I’m at now as a model,” she told host Andy Cohen back in 2021. “I went to every single casting, ran all over not only New York City but all over Europe trying to get a job and make my way.”
Jenner admitted that her mother Kris Jenner may have worked her magic after she presented the “cutest little modeling book” to her mom when she was 14, but she never took her family’s platform “for granted” and her existing fame may have made it even harder for her.
“Of course I had a platform, I never took that for granted,” she said. “I always knew that was there, but that almost made my job a little bit harder only because people probably didn’t want to hire me because I was on a reality TV show.”
