The most downtrodden nepo babies in showbiz! As Mel B’s daughter Phoenix says celeb offspring have never faced ‘so much hate’, how life in the limelight is not all rosy for these rich kids

The term nepo baby was coined by a Twitter user in 2022 who was shocked to learn their favourite actress had famous parents.

It sparked a fierce debate on whether the children of the rich and famous have been getting an unfair leg up.

But the nepo baby path to fame doesn’t always run smooth, with many forced to try their hand at several showbiz careers until they find one that sticks. 

And some celebrity offspring have taken issue with being branded as such, with TV presenting duo Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan’s daughter Chloe going as far as to call the phrase a ‘dirty word’. 

Phoenix Brown, the daughter of Spice Girl Mel B, also recently slammed the ‘febrile and poisonous’ debate around nepo babies’ success in the entertainment industry.

So as Phoenix claims the children to the stars have ‘never faced so much hate’, MailOnline takes a look at the rich kids for whom life is not always rosy. 

Phoenix Brown 

She made headlines when she hosted an art exhibition only for it to be a ruse as part of a documentary on nepo babies.  

Daughter of Spice Girl Mel B, Phoenix Brown, 25, is fronting Channel 4 documentary Born in the Limelight – Nepo Babies: Untold, which first aired in October, and returns to screens again next Thursday. 

In the documentary Phoenix pretends to reinvent herself as an artist, using her mother’s name to stage an exhibition. She sells a painting for £2,000 – but an experts admits that without her famous name it would only be worth £30.  

But despite admitting that having Mel B as her mum has ‘opened doors’, Phoenix warns that the levels of ‘hate’ for nepo babies has never been so high following public obsession with the concept.

Speaking to Radio Times amid the documentary’s release, she said: ‘I can’t deny that having Mel B as my mum has opened a few doors. 

‘However, there’s been rising anger in recent years with what appears to be more and more children of famous people making it in the entertainment industries. 

‘Even when nepo babies are great at their job, they face a backlash fuelled by misunderstanding, jealousy or resentment. The issue has never before sparked so much hate or become so febrile and poisonous.’ 

She also shared that there are some downsides to being the child of a celebrity, as she added: ‘When it comes to the offspring of the rich and famous, people just see the silver platter: the big houses and the cars.

‘Real life is rather different, there are downsides. Growing up, I faced hate just because my family was in the public eye. 

‘It’s awkward to have your parents’ private life in the press – or, in my case, even asked about by a teacher.’

Encouraging other nepo babies to be more honest about their opportunities, she added: ‘I’m working towards being a successful DJ and presenter – and I can’t deny that having Mel B as my mum has opened a few doors.

‘I’m honest about the fact that nobody would be interested in what I have to say if it wasn’t for my mum. 

‘Nepo babies must acknowledge that we’re handed opportunities faster than most people. As my mum says in the documentary, she came from a working-class background and had no one to open doors for her. I wouldn’t have the life that I have if it wasn’t for the hard work that she put into her own career. To not respect that would be silly.’

Brooklyn Beckham  

He has built a thriving food empire after the launch of his brand Cloud23’s hot sauce, which is being sold in the likes of Wholefoods.

But Brooklyn Beckham’s rise to nepo baby success comes after years of being the butt off the joke as he tried to launch various showbiz careers.  

The eldest child of David and Victoria Beckham has taken jibes in the past over his career changes, having first tried to follow in his footballer father’s steps before becoming an aspiring photographer and trying his hand at becoming a chef.

In 2017, the then-aspiring photographer released a book named What I See. While in 2020, he was also said to have signed to a major modelling agency, after receiving criticism over his photography.

His cooking has also suffered an array of backlash from fans, who had dubbed him ‘out of touch’ for using expensive products.

Often sharing videos to social media on how to make his recipes, Brooklyn has recently been called out for using a £300 joint of beef, alongside black truffle – which is notoriously expensive.

More recently, Brooklyn added wine influencer to his ever evolving-CV as he sat down with Sotheby’s sommelier Lukas Dempsey to share his thoughts on vintage wine.

Speaking to Grazia in November, Brooklyn addressed the nepo baby criticism, as he said: ‘Obviously I am one. But I couldn’t help how I was born, at all.’

While he understands why the public can feel irked by nepo babies, Brooklyn said he tries to ignore the ‘rubbish’ people say rather than dwell on it.

He added: ‘There’s always going to be people that say rubbish. But as long as you do something that makes you happy and you’re kind to people, that’s all that matters. I’m always gonna get it, no matter what I do. And I’m fine with that. It makes me work harder, because I’m like, I’m gonna prove these people wrong.’ 

Sunday Rose Kidman-Urban

When Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s daughter Sunday Rose, 16, made her catwalk debut for MiuMiu it didn’t get quite the breathless reception the brand was expecting. 

The teenager’s ‘stomping’ went viral on social media, with people critiquing her style and saying that she looked like a ‘petulant child’. 

Sunday opened the Miu Miu Paris Womenswear Spring-Summer 2025 show during Paris Fashion Week and shared the star-studded catwalk with actors Willem Dafoe and Hillary Swank. 

But her runway debut was savaged by harsh social media users who critiqued her walk – with some people suggesting she take runway lessons, while others simply complained that too many nepo babies think they can model. 

Her country singer father Keith, 57, jumped to her defence, and told People Magazine he is ‘very proud’ of his teen daughter but wants to protect her.

‘Hopefully we can just help her keep balance with everything through all of that,’ the Australian singer said. ‘Hopefully she’ll benefit by having two parents that know about a certain amount of celebrity.’

It remains to be seen whether Sunday’s career in the spotlight is still on track, after her mother Nicole, 57, appeared less than impressed when she was asked about her during an interview at the Golden Globes on Sunday.

During the chat, Marc asked Nicole: ‘You know who I got to meet last night… Sunday Rose.’

‘My beautiful precious baby,’ the actress said, before adding: ‘There is another one too.’

‘Are they going to go into the business?’ he then asked.

‘Who knows?’ Nicole quickly replied, shutting down the line of questioning.

Lottie Moss

Lottie Moss, the half-sister of catwalk icon Kate, has gone on to forge her own career in the modelling world.

But she previously declared she is ‘sick of people blaming nepotism for why they aren’t rich and famous or successful’.

Lottie signed with Storm Management when she was just 14 years old and threw herself into modelling, but decided to quit photoshoots for OnlyFans in 2021.

Amid a storm of nepo baby criticism in 2022, Lottie said: ‘I’m so sick of people blaming nepotism for why they aren’t rich and famous or successful – obviously it’s not fair that people who come from famous families are getting a leg up because of that but guess what? 

‘Life isn’t fair – if you put your mind to something you can accomplish anything! So instead of being negative about other people’s success go and try and create your own!’

The comment posted an inevitable backlash from followers, with many referencing her connection to supermodel Kate as the basis for her own modelling career. 

Making light of the reaction, she added: ‘I loveeee that people get so pressed about something that I tweet GET A LIFE.’

The young model later conceded her supermodel sister had provided her with a sizeable stepping stone into the industry, but maintained she led a comfortable life in spite of Kate’s undeniable assistance. 

She wrote: ‘And am privileged for numerous other reasons and as I say I am grateful for it all but s****ing on others because of it makes NO sense. Obviously I’m privileged being related to a huge model also. 

‘I obviously am so grateful that I have had the opportunities I’ve had don’t get it twisted.’ [sic] 

In October, Lottie said she is now ‘becoming a woman’ and has ‘grown out’ of posting the racy content as she announced she would leave OnlyFans in pursuit of TV and podcast opportunities. 

Chloe Madeley

While it was always her ambition to follow in her parents Richard and Judy’s footsteps and go into television, Chloe Madeley has now transitioned to a career in health and fitness. 

But she revealed that she ‘hates’ being branded a nepo baby – and went as far as to describe it as a ‘dirty word’. 

Speaking to Olivia Attwood on the latest episode of her podcast, So Wrong It’s Right, Chloe said she finds it hard when people criticise her for being a child of nepotism.

She said: ‘Nepo baby is such a dirty word, and people don’t realise how hard it is to hear that about yourself, when you’re on the receiving end of it.’

Chloe added that it is very common for people who’s parents are doctors and lawyers to follow in their parents footsteps, as that is ‘the world they know’.

She revealed that she thinks that nepotism is a really normal part of life, but said that she struggled growing up with people using it as a bad word to critique her.

However, the mother-of-one said that after she qualified as a personal trainer it helped her follow her own path in life. 

Former Love Island star Olivia agreed: ‘People don’t choose their parents, what do you want them to do, sit at home and knit?’.

Chloe also admitted that the ‘most miserable times’ of her career have been when she was in the spotlight.

She said: ‘Fame isn’t a measure of success, and I’ve made so much more money now than I did when I worked in TV. There is actually no money in TV.’

Rumer Willis 

The eldest daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore – Rumer made her acting debut aged just six years old alongside her mother in coming-of-age drama Now and Then.

And in the years that followed, Rumer, 36, dipped her toe into singing, acting and dancing – even going on to win Dancing with the Stars in 2015.

But mother-of-one Rumer, who gave birth to her first child with her singer ex Derek Richard Thomas in 2023, recently hit out at trolls who bombarded her after she created a list of her must-have baby items for New York Magazine’s The Strategist.

People were quick to slam Rumer for compiling a list of unaffordable items – and she responded to the claims with an emotional post.

Taking to her Instagram Story in 2023, Rumer wrote: ‘So I would never normally post what I just posted.

‘But I felt inclined to just share because I was really taken aback at the level of negativity and just trolling. I know I should just come to expect this because it’s just what people do and think it’s okay to just treat other people that way.

‘Regardless of whether you like me or not or think I’ve accomplished anything in my life or not, I’m also just a human being that has feelings.

‘I am a sensitive human being and I’d greatly appreciate it if you weren’t so nasty to me and so mean to me. Allow me the space to be a person who has worked, has done things, who has accomplished—in my opinion—certain things that I’m really proud of in my life and I’m still working and growing and trying to find what my zone of excellence is or what feels really good for me that I want to share. 

‘I just want to have this be a reminder that even though you can label and call me a nepo baby or whatever it is, I’m also just a person.’