Allison Williams is being praised for her “refreshing” response to the nepo baby debate.
The actress, who is the daughter of NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams and Jane Stoddard Williams, opened up about the privileges and opportunities that come with having a celebrity in the family.
She recently told The New York Times that she understands why people “hated” her in the past and why some may still struggle to root for her.
Actress Allison Williams is receiving praise for openly acknowledging her “nepo baby” privileges
Image credits: Allison Williams
“First, the theater kid energy is triggering for a lot of people. There’s a reason I don’t sing regularly,” Allison said.
“The other thing is, I have so many different layers of privilege that it’s hard for me to put together the idea of a person it would be less fun to root for.
“I’m much more satisfying to root against. I really get it. I really, really get it.”
The term “nepo baby” became the talk of the web in 2022 after a tweet went viral about actress Maude Apatow, the daughter of director Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, starring in the HBO series Euphoria.
Soon after, New York magazine published a cover story dubbing 2022 the year of the nepo baby and detailing Hollywood’s familial connections. The title of the cover article read, “She Has Her Mother’s Eyes. And Agent.”
Children of famous figures then began addressing the term in interviews, with some, like Dakota Johnson, calling it “annoying,” and others acknowledging that their family connections had given them more opportunities in show business.
Allison is the daughter of NBC anchor Brian Williams and Jane Stoddard Williams
Allison previously discussed the label in a 2023 interview with Vulture, saying it would be “ludicrous” not to acknowledge that starting a career as an actress was easier for her than for someone without industry connections.
“It doesn’t take anything away from the work that I’ve done. It just means that it’s not as fun to root for me,” she said.
After her latest remarks on privileged celebrities, the Girls actress was applauded for her honesty, with one user writing, “Big fan of famous people acknowledging their layers of privilege.”
“Her honesty is refreshing, and hopefully it encourages more ‘nepo babies’ to have similar conversations,” echoed someone else.
Another user called her response “authentic,” saying, “It’s bizarre that it’s taken the nepos this long to learn a proper response, but I love her awareness.”
“I disagree in rooting against her. Anybody self-aware I will happily root for,” shared another commenter.
Allison admitted that her famous father is the reason she was cast in Girls
Allison famously played Marnie Michaels on Girls from 2012 to 2017. She is also known for playing Rose Armitage in Get Out and Gemma in M3GAN.
She recently starred in the film Regretting You alongside Mckenna Grace, Scott Eastwood, Dave Franco, and Mason Thames.
The 37-year-old admitted on TODAY that she credits being Brian Williams’ daughter for her casting in Girls, the show that launched her acting career.
She shared that during the casting process, executive producer Judd Apatow came across coverage of her starring in a music video and asked her to audition for the role of Marnie.
“I thought (the video) was good, but because I’m my dad’s daughter, it got picked up places,” the actress said.
She added that the popular term is “100% a phenomenon and one of the first examples is my career.”
“Her honesty is refreshing, and hopefully it encourages more ‘nepo babies’ to have similar conversations,” wrote one netizen
The Yale graduate called herself “lucky” to be a nepo baby, noting that children of A-listers can pursue an artistic career without the pressure to achieve success quickly or to earn a living from it.
“There’s a net that not everyone has. If you’re going into a creative pursuit, knowing that there’s only so far you can fall, [it] is a fundamentally different pursuit than it is if you are leaving your hometown with nothing except your aspirations.”
Allison is also known for Get Out, M3GAN, and her latest film, Regretting You
Still, the star emphasized that her nepo baby status does not diminish how hard-working she is.
“No one can take my hard work — that’s mine,” she said. “My skill is up to everyone else to decide. Unfortunately, as much as I love control, I’m never going to be able to make everyone like me.”
