Singer-songwriter and actress Lily Allen spoke on the Miss Me? podcast that aired on May 6, 2024, about nepotism. In the podcast, Allen gave her opinion regarding how she felt about the term 'nepo baby.' The singer stated that she always thought the phrase was sexist.
"Nepo babies, I think it's quite like 'Karen,' in the sense that it's just a word that is basically used for women who are taking up space, and we'd rather they didn't, and they should just go away."
Lily stated that many people have called her a 'nepo baby,' and she primarily has an issue with the word 'baby' and not the fact that people connect her to nepotism.
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Not Fair singer Lily Allen spoke about how she felt upon being called a 'nepo baby' and her overall reaction
39-year-old singer-songwriter Lily Allen opened up on the recent episode of her podcast Miss Me?, where she was with Miquita Oliver answering questions about nepotism. Lily revealed that she had often been labeled as a 'nepo baby' for having actor Keith Allen and producer Alison Owen as her parents.
Lily said:
"I'm called a 'nepo baby' all the time. I actually don't really mind the nepotism thing. It's the 'baby' that annoys me. It's like, I'm 40 years old, nearly!"
Collins dictionary defines the term 'nepo baby' as:
"A nepo baby is a child of a famous or successful parent, whose own success is believed to be due to their family connections."
The English singer added that she could compare the term with the word 'Karen' being used for women. According to Lily Allen, the usage of 'nepo baby' was quite sexist as most men would not get subjected to such a label.
"I think it's something that is almost exclusively used for women. I don't think I can even really name any male nepo babies."
Lily Allen also referred to her brother, Alfie Allen, who appeared in Game Of Thrones and played the character of Theon Greyjoy. Recently, the topic of nepotism has become a hot topic of debate in Hollywood.
Lily Allen has previously expressed her views on the nepotism debate
The primary topic of the episode of Lily Allen's podcast was to talk about influence. Before the topic of nepotism came up, the singer opened up about who her celebrity influence was while she was growing up. She revealed that she was deeply influenced by American singer and actress Tatyana Ali.
In the podcast, Lily Allen, with her co-host Miquita Oliver, answered several questions that fans sent them based on the main topic of influence. While going back to the discussion on nepotism and its sexist aspect, the singer said,
"I feel like a lot of the time over the past 15, 20 years when I've been written about, it will always say 'Lily Allen, daughter of Keith Allen,' and I don't see that happening with boys as often as it does with girls."
The singer further said,
"It's always like when we're talking about women in these spaces... There's like a follow-up of what it really was that put them there."
This podcast is not the first time that Lily has expressed her views on nepotism and the several aspects of the term 'nepo baby.' In 2022, Allen posted some tweets where she said people should be more concerned about those who achieved something in life through nepotism in other industries like banks and law firms.
Lily Allen further talked about the plight that many 'nepo babies' reportedly have faced. She stated that while being a child, everybody needs nurture and love, a 'nepo baby' might not be getting it due to "narcissistic" parents. She further wrote in the tweet,
"And before you come at me for being a nepo baby myself, I will be the first to tell you that I literally deserve nothing."
While the singer openly accepted in the tweets that she did come from a privileged background, she also believed that nepo kids often used to become "scapegoats." Allen is also not the first celebrity to specifically mention that the term 'nepo baby' sounded quite sexist. In 2022, Lily-Rose Depp made a similar comment while talking to Elle.
Lily Allen has created several hit songs like Smile and Somewhere Only We Know. The 39-year-old singer has also won several awards, including one BRIT Award and three NME Awards.
