Ryan Phillippe Gets "Offended" By The "Nepotism Talk" About His Kids
He said it's "natural" for celeb kids to become celebs.
Over the past few years, nepo baby discourse has taken over the world of pop culture. It’s something Ryan Phillippe has been hearing about a lot, ever since his son with ex-wife Reese Witherspoon, Deacon, has starting taking acting roles and launched his music career. The couple’s older daughter Ava is also planning to get into acting, Phillippe revealed in a March 19 Extra interview, and the proud dad made it clear he thinks the nepotism chatter around his kids’ career choices is totally misguided.
“So many people grow up and end up doing what their parents do to some degree or another,” Phillippe said. “That's what always annoys me about this whole nepotism talk with the industry.”
The actor went on to argue that his children are naturally inclined to enter the entertainment industry since they were raised within it. “These kids have grown up watching on set with Reese or with me. It seems natural, I think,” Phillippe said. “I always get offended for the children of actors and entertainers when people bring that up because yeah, of course, that's what they've grown up around.”
And that environment helps better equip these kids for an acting career, Phillippe argued. “That familiarity makes them handle some of what is hard about this industry. You’ve gotta have a thick skin,” he said. “There’s so much rejection and nasty things that can be said about you. It’s not all celebration.”
While Ava has yet to kickstart her acting career, she’s already gotten tons of media attention for her red carpet appearances. As for Deacon, his music career as a mononymous EDM artist has been taking off in 2024.
Phillippe highlighted how hard his son has been working to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. “He makes me proud every single day of his life just in regards to the young man he's become, to how he operates in the world,” he said. “He's just such a source of light and love, and he's very solid and spiritual. He's got an incredible work ethic.”
