Molly Ringwald slams 'ridiculous' nepo-baby criticism but admits urging actress daughter to take her surname

Criticism of Hollywood nepo babies is rife on social media, but Molly Ringwald is having none of it despite urging her actress daughter to use her surname.

'Nepotism baby' — or 'nepo baby' — is a term used to refer to celebrities whose parents or other family members have also succeeded in the entertainment industry.

Famous examples include Zoë Kravitz, daughter of actor and musician Lenny Kravitz, and Hailey Bieber of the Baldwin family.

It implies that the child was able to use their family's connections to give them a step-up in their career and often that they are less deserving of their celebrity status.

As a result, many so-called nepo babies reject being labelled as such.

Now, actress Molly Ringwald has credited her 20-year-old daughter Mathilda Gianopoulos for pursuing her own acting career, while slamming the ongoing criticism of nepo babies online.

Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for American Ballet Theatre

The now-56-year-old made her name starring in John Hughes' 80s teen films Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink.

She has since gone on to act in films such as Not Another Teen Movie and The Kissing Booth and TV shows such as The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Riverdale.

Ringwald, a mum-of-three with husband Panio Gianopoulos, recently spoke to the Sunday Times Magazine about her daughter Mathilda, who has since embarked on her own career in front of the camera.

She said: "She and I are both emotional and headstrong. When she was learning to walk, if we helped her for a couple of steps she would stop and say, 'Do myself lone' and go back and do it again.

"That’s still her attitude today, including in her acting career."

Universal

She also explained how Mathilda chose to use her father's surname instead of Ringwald.

"I said, 'Are you sure? Ringwald is so much easier to spell and it might open some doors.' But she was adamant."

Ringwald then went on to condemn the negative discourse surrounding nepo babies.

"The nepo baby thing is ridiculous. Of course if you have a parent in the industry, it’s something that you’ve heard about and might be genetically predisposed to," she said.

"I’ve talked to Mathilda about navigating the spotlight but everyone experiences it differently.

"Some people don’t mind living completely out loud. I’m not one of those people and I don’t think she is either. We’re basically a family of introverts who have had to learn to be more extrovert because of what we do."