Laura Dern hits out at “insane” ‘nepo baby’ label: “I was raised in this industry”
Laura Dern has condemned the ‘nepo baby’ label in the entertainment industry and defended her family’s Hollywood roots.
Dern, whose parents are actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, made her film debut in 1974, aged seven, in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, which also featured her mother in a prominent role.
Before turning 20, Dern had already established herself as a reputable name in Hollywood. Now, in a new interview with The Telegraph, the Blue Velvet star has conceded she would likely be labelled a ‘nepo baby’ if she rose to prominence today.
Dern said of the term, “It’s insane. I’m curious if anyone’s ever called your local butcher whose kids take over the business a ‘nepo baby’. Or a milliner.”
She then described it as “absurd”, before claiming, “When I started I definitely wanted to be my own person and separate myself and have casting directors not mention my parents, because you want to stand on your own.”
Dern also defended her family’s links to Hollywood, saying, “Back then there wasn’t ‘nepo’ anything; it was part of a legacy story – I was raised in this industry.”
The Oscar-winner went on to blame social media for the growth of the term, adding, “But this generation? My kids’ age? It’s like it’s an embarrassing scarlet letter they’re wearing. I guess social media has done that…”
Dern’s latest movie, Is This Thing On?, stars Will Arnett as her estranged husband who turns to stand-up comedy as a coping mechanism for their break-up. The film, directed by Bradley Cooper, is loosely based on the life of British comedian John Bishop.
In the same interview, Dern revealed of the public’s reaction to the film, sharing, “I’ve had so many people come up to me since the screening, saying, ‘I can’t wait to take my husband, we thought we were getting a divorce but I’m so in love with him.”
Is This Thing On? is set for release in UK cinemas on January 30th, 2026.
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