New York Magazine’s December 19, 2022–January 1, 2023 cover package is an absurdly detailed examination of the world of Hollywood nepotism babies and our culture’s love-hate obsession with them. An anchor essay by senior writer Nate Jones on why we care so much about people born famous is paired with an exhaustive taxonomy of Hollywood’s intergenerational relationships, deep dives on NBA and modeling nepo babies, an “actors who raised musicians and musicians who raised actors” analysis, and a completely separate chart of “industry babies” (who aren’t technically nepo, since their parents are merely notable, not famous), plus a whole lot more.
“With a single tweet about Maude Apatow, the phrase ‘nepo baby’ became part of our collective vocabulary this year,” said culture editor Gazelle Emami. “Suddenly, it felt like everywhere you looked, there was another child of a famous person booking a role. Of course, this was nothing new, but the internet had made nepotism funny and we wanted to explore the phenomenon in a way that felt classic to New York — with a smart, winking guide to Hollywood’s nepo babies that is perhaps slightly deranged in its attempt to be completist.”
Elsewhere in the issue, New York’s critics unpack the year in culture with their lists of the best in movies, television, comedy, art, and more.