Zoë Kravitz defends ‘nepo babies’: ‘It’s completely normal for people to be in the family business’

Zoë Kravitz has defended being a “nepo baby” in a new interview.

On TikTok, users have shared their fascination with famous figures from the entertainment industry who they didn’t realise had famous or successful parents, christening them “nepo babies” (short for nepotism).

Speaking to GQ, Kravitz, who is the child of musician Lenny Kravitz and actor Lisa Bonet, admitted that she had a “deep insecurity” about her success as an actor being viewed as less because of her parents.

Raising the topic of “nepo babies”, she told the publication that “it’s completely normal for people to be in the family business”.

“It’s literally where last names came from. You were a blacksmith if your family was, like, the Black family,” the High Fidelity star said.

Kravitz said that she was proud to have followed in her parents’ footsteps, as well as those of her grandmother, the pioneering Black actor Roxie Roker.

In an interview with The Independent, Lenny admitted that while he was proud of his daughter’s success, he hadn’t expected her to become an actor too.

“I didn’t think she was going to go in that direction at all,” he said.

“I was surprised when she did, but then again she’d been brought up around it and she’s smart. I’m extremely proud of her… She did it on her own, with no help from myself or her mother other than her upbringing and what she was exposed to.”

Elsewhere in the GQ interview, Kravitz spoke about her relationship with boyfriend Channing Tatum, who she worked with on her directorial debut Pussy Island.

“He’s just a wonderful human,” the 33-year-old said. “He makes me laugh and we both really love art and talking about art and the exploration of why we do what we do.

“We love to watch a film and break it down and talk about it and challenge each other.”

She also referred to Tatum as her “protector”.

The pair confirmed their romance in October 2021 after being spotted holding hands in New York City.