10 Nepo Babies Who Are More Famous Than Their Parents

"I felt this extraordinary responsibility, when I would watch my family’s movies, to keep their name alive," said one star.

Over the past decade, nepo babies have truly taken over Hollywood — but celebrity offspring have been working in entertainment for much longer than that. For some famous families, it’s clear they were just meant to be in the spotlight and through the years, they’ve built legacies both on the red carpet and the big screen. And while talent clearly runs in their blood, sometimes these nepo babies end up becoming even more successful than their parents who came before them, leaving their own lasting mark on entertainment. Find out which celebrities surpassed their parents’ in star power…1. Miley Cyrus Miley Cyrus’ father, Billy Ray Cyrus, may have had some country hits in the ’90s and starred on his own TV show, Doc, but it’s safe to say his daughter has surpassed him in terms of fame. After starring on Hannah Montana, she became a household name and has sold out tours around the world. Miley says she has her father to thank for paving the way. “I think what is so beautiful is that my parents…they served their children. My parents served us and sacrificed so much for us. Anything we dreamed of, they made possible,” she said on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. “I’m grateful for being able to watch [Billy Ray] ahead of me. He’s almost given me this map, and there’s a map of what to do and what not to do, and he’s guided me on both.”2. Gwyneth PaltrowBefore Gwyneth Paltrow was a star, her parents found their own fame in Hollywood. Her mother, Blythe Danner, was an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress, while her late father, Bruce Paltrow, was an acclaimed director and producer. But following Gwyneth’s success as an actress and businesswoman, she has a more recognizable name. “Nobody rips on a kid who’s like, ‘I want to be a doctor like my dad and granddad,’” Gwyneth once told Bustle of the nepo baby title. “The truth is if you grow up in a house with a lot of artists and people making art and music, that’s what you know, the same way that if you grow up in a house of law, the discussions around the table are about the nuances of whatever particular law the parents practice.3. Angelina JolieAngelina Jolie’s father may be Oscar and Emmy-winning actor Jon Voight, but over the course of her prolific career, she’s become arguably even more famous than him. After getting her start as just a little girl appearing alongside her father in Lookin’ to Get Out, Angelina has gone on to earn Oscar and Golden Globe nominations — and overall, become an even more recognizable household name. 4. Hailey BieberOver the course of the past few years, Hailey Bieber has skyrocketed to fame, soaring beyond the level of her father Stephen Baldwin’s celebrity. In addition to her career as a model, Hailey has become a tastemaker in the world of fashion and beauty, especially after founding her skincare and makeup brand, Rhode. The company, which was valued at $1 billion when it was acquired by e.l.f. Beauty in 2025, has earned Hailey respect as a businesswoman — and her father’s admiration. While the pair aren’t very close, Stephen admits that he’s proud of his daughter’s success.“I never talk about her, but my daughter has done the impossible,” he said on Tori Spelling’s podcast misSPELLING. “But in this day and age, it’s not impossible. Young people are making unbelievable amounts of money on the internet, in ways that are very sketchy. So God bless her.” 5. Drew BarrymoreDrew Barrymore comes from an acting dynasty family, but after decades of success in the industry, many believe that she’s become more famous than her parents, John Drew Barrymore and Jaid Barrymore. Drew, who got her start as a little girl, admits she was always drawn to the entertainment industry because of her famous family. “Ever since I could remember…somewhere around three years old, I felt this extraordinary responsibility, when I would watch my family’s movies, to keep their name alive. It helps me make sense of why I feel so magnetized to work in the field of film and television. I’ve got it in my jeans and my blood, and I’ve been lucky enough that this business would allow me to keep going,” she told People. 6. Whitney HoustonBefore Whitney Houston’s untimely passing, she achieved icon status in the entertainment industry — but her Grammy-winning mother, Cissy Houston, was once the most famous person in the family. Through the years, Whitney made her own name in Hollywood and eventually became known as one of the most talented singers of her time. Before her death, Whitney credited her mother for paving the way for her career. “My mother taught me how to sing. I had the singing in me, but she taught me how —  and she taught me through gospel. And she told me that if I could sing gospel, I could sing anything that I wanted to because everything is rooted from that music. It has every chord and every phrasing that you ever wanted to hear…and she wasn’t kidding,” Whitney once said. 7. Charlie Sheen Charlie Sheen followed in the footsteps of his actor father, Martin Sheen, and ended up becoming even more famous than him. Between his starring role on his hit show Two and a Half Men, his wild antics and high-profile romances, Charlie has made a recognizable name for himself in Hollywood — even if it’s not exactly for his acting chops. 8. Maya RudolphAs the daughter of soul singer Minnie Riperton, Maya Rudolph has made it big as an actress in Hollywood. She got her big break when she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live and became one of the show’s most memorable players. Since then, she’s starred in the iconic film Bridesmaids, landed her own Apple TV series, Loot, and won six Emmys. While Minnie passed away when Maya was still young, the actress has appreciated her mother’s legacy and how she can continue to share her light with the world.  “Over the course of my life I’ve become a receptor to the world for people who want to tell me, want to tell her, how great she was,” Maya shared. “How much [‘Lovin’ You’] affected their lives, how much her music meant to them and how special her voice was. I’m the person by association…For many years it was so hard but then I grew up and took such enormous pride in knowing that she stands out as this…one of a kind gem of a human being and of a recording artist and a performer.”9. Jennifer Aniston Before Jennifer Aniston made it big, her father, John Aniston, was known for his role on Days of Our Lives, and her mother Nancy Dow, worked as an actress and model. Jennifer went on to land her breakthrough role on Friends and has become a household name, surpassing her parents’ fame. But despite her background, Jennifer doesn’t see herself as a nepo baby. “Listen, I am so grateful. I came from nothing. We were broke. There’s no nepo baby here,” she told Vanity Fair, adding that her father did inspire her acting career because she felt that if she succeeded, he would “love me as much as I love him.”10. Chris Pine Chris Pine comes from an acting legacy family, with both of his parents, Robert Pine and Gwynne Gilford, as well as his grandmother, Anne Gwynne, finding success in Hollywood. But Chris is perhaps the most famous one in his family — although he doesn’t believe his family’s involvement in the industry had much to do with it. While his dad did help him get an early audition for Gilmore Girls, he didn’t even land the role. “I get such a kick out of the nepo baby thing. My family has such a laugh about it as if people are like, ‘You’ve got to, you have to hire Robert Pine’s son!’” he shared on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast before adding “that stuff” exists but he’s never experienced it.