Lily Allen: ‘Nepo baby’ is sexist because it is only used for women

The term ‘nepo baby’ is sexist because only women get called it and men don’t, Lily Allen has suggested.

The singer hit out at the phrase and said she gets called it ‘all the time’ but her brother, actor Alfie Allen, does not.

Allen, 39, said it is ‘infantilising’ and compared it to the insult ‘Karen’ - because it is used for annoying women.

She told her Miss Me? podcast: “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.”

Allen and her Game of Thrones actor brother Alfie are the children of comedian Keith Allen.

Allen said she has no problem with the term nepotism - and admits there is ‘some truth’ to it with her - but takes issue with the saying ‘nepo baby’.

She 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!

“It’s meant to be infantilising.

“Also 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.

“My brother, for instance, he doesn’t get called nepo baby and I do.

“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.

“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.

“There’s an element of truth to it, I grew up in a certain class bracket, I grew up in and amongst people that worked in media, and I don’t think I’ve ever really disputed that.”

She added: “If you grew up in relative poverty, I don’t think there’s really much difference between Keith Allen and Rod Stewart.

“Obviously there is, but I just think in terms of your proximity to privilege, it’s privileged.”

Allen said she thinks the term comes from her generation of creatives having to do free work.

“When we were young - especially in the creative industries - there was a lot of having to work for free for a long time in order to get your foot through the door.

“I think that is a lot of the reason that we have this nepo baby conversation with our generation.

“Because, it’s only people that are financially comfortable enough, or come from families with enough wealth, disposable income, to support their children while their children are working.

“It’s only families that have got money to do that.”