Yahoo News Jason Ritter leans into nepo baby status, admits dad John Ritter got him his first job
Jason Ritter has no problem acknowledging the elephant in the (casting) room.
The Emmy-nominated actor recalled his first acting gig in the 1992 animated movie The Real Story of O Christmas Tree at the age of 6, admitting that it was a "full-on nepotism hire" thanks to his late actor dad, John Ritter. The Parenthood star voiced Little Acorn in the movie, which featured his father in the voice role of Piney, the Little Acorn's uncle.
"I will say, without any hesitation, this was like a full-on nepotism hire. I will admit that," Ritter joked on an episode of SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show. His father "for sure got me the job," though "I did try to stay away from that later," Ritter said. He stumbled upon the recording as an adult and "I went, 'Oh, they must have sped up my voice to make it that high,'" he recalled.
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Jason Ritter with dad John Ritter in 1998
"Both my mom and dad were like, 'No, it was pretty high,'" Ritter said.
The Ritter patriarch, beloved for his roles on the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules, among others, died in 2003 at the age of 54 from an aortic dissection.
Ritter has had a successful career in Hollywood since his Little Acorn debut, starring in shows Parenthood, Us & Them, Gravity Falls, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, A Million Little Things, and movies You're Not You, Freddy vs. Jason, The Tale, and more. He wed actress Melanie Lynskey in 2020 and is also a very supportive nepo husband, having appeared as a guest star on Lynskey's Yellowjackets, Candy, and The Last of Us, the latter of which as a clicker.
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