Jamie Lee Curtis: 'Nepo baby' conversation is designed 'to diminish and denigrate and hurt'

The recent whines about “nepo babies” have reached actor Jamie Lee Curtis’ ears.

The “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star took to Instagram on Friday to dissect talk incited by a recent New York Magazine cover story about celebrities who are children of celebrities, or (as dubbed by TikTok) “nepotism babies.”

“Nepo baby: How could two little words cause so much conflict?” the article asks at one point. “A baby is a bundle of joy; a nepo baby is physical proof that meritocracy is a lie. We love them, we hate them, we disrespect them, we’re obsessed with them.”

Curtis, who was born to “Some Like It Hot” actor Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh — winner of a Golden Globe Award for her supporting role in “Psycho”— shared old photos of her parents on the social platform and identified herself as an “OG Nepo Baby.”

“I have been a professional actress since I was 19 years old, so that makes me an OG Nepo Baby,” she started off. “I’ve never understood, nor will I, what qualities got me hired that day, but since my first two lines on Quincy as a contract player at Universal Studios to this last spectacular creative year some 44 years later, there’s not a day in my professional life that goes by without my being reminded that I am the daughter of movie stars. The current conversation about nepo babies is just designed to try to diminish and denigrate and hurt.”

“For the record, I have navigated 44 years with the advantages my associated and reflected fame brought me, I don’t pretend there aren’t any that try to tell me that I have no value on my own,” she went on. “It’s curious how we immediately make assumptions and snide remarks that someone related to someone else who is famous in their field for their art would somehow have no talent whatsoever. I have come to learn that is simply not true. I have suited up and shown up for all different kinds of work with thousands of thousands of people, and every day I’ve tried to bring integrity and professionalism and love and community, and art to my work. I am not alone. There are many of us. Dedicated to our craft. Proud of our lineage. Strong in our belief in our right to exist.”

The actor, whose film credits include the “Halloween” franchise, “Freaky Friday,” “My Girl,” and “Scream Queens,” went on to ask that people focus on being kind in an era of “difficult days” and “rage in the world.”

In addition to Curtis, several other figures in entertainment have responded to the New York Magazine piece.

O’Shea Jackson Jr., who portrayed his father, rapper Ice Cube, in the 2015 biopic “Straight Outta Compton” addressed the story in a series of tweets writing in one post, “I wish everyone in this world to be able to present opportunities for their children to succeed. No matter how big or small. It’s something all parents work for. How many people you know working multiple jobs to put they kids through school. Making opportunities is a parent’s goal.”

Lily Allen also chimed into the conversation, tweeting, “the nepo babies y’all should be worrying about are the ones working for legal firms, the ones working for banks, and the ones working in politics.”

Allen is the daughter of Welsh television presenter Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her brother Alfie Allen was a cast member in the HBO series “Game of Thrones” for all eight seasons.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com