Since the controversial phrase entered the public lexicon, nepo babies have gotten a pretty bad rap. (Some deservedly so, as seen in this column.) However, looking back at this year’s wildest, goofiest, and most chaotic micro-scandals, they’ve really proved their value in the pop-culture ecosystem on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis.
In increasingly depressing times, we need Kourtney and Kim Kardashian fighting over Dolce & Gabbana and Brooklyn Beckham burning a pancake to add some levity to our days. Let’s look back on some of the nepo-baby moments this year that made us laugh or gag the most.
Noah Cyrus Skips Her Mom’s Wedding for a Wal-Mart Run
I can’t say that the Cyrus family has ever appeared to be a functional unit, but I was not expecting so much chaos to emerge on Tish Cyrus’ wedding day. Not only did Noah and her brother Braisson go to Walmart and a taco joint instead of attending her nuptials and post about it all over Instagram, the youngest Cyrus daughter also posted a photo of herself wearing a Billy Ray Cyrus T-shirt. Where do you even get one of those??
Teddi Mellencamp Is the Grim Reaper of BravoCon
There was no way Tamra Judge wasn’t sneaking her bestie and podcast co-host Teddi Mellencamp into BravoCon this year. But that didn’t make the sight of her platinum blonde tresses against her bad tan any less frightening. Not only did Mellencamp hijack a Watch What Happens Live taping to confront Vicki Gulvanson over a beef no one remembered, she came prepared with a joke about her skin-cancer diagnosis, which is… awkward.
Bryce Dallas Howard Gaslights the Internet About Her Acting Origins
Remember when Bryce Dallas Howard went to Instagram to promote some MasterClass-like program on making it in Hollywood and made it seem like she struggled to get her foot in the door like the rest of her Juilliard classmates? Clearly, the Jurassic World star forgot that IMDb is publicly available, and that the first credits listed are her Oscar-winning father Ron Howard’s films. Right after she graduated, she was working with Lars von Trier and M. Night Shyamalan. You have to appreciate the delusion.
Kim and Kourtney Kardashian Kome to Blows
It’s amazing that, by the time The Kardashians Season 4 came to end, Kim and Kourtney’s massive blowout at the beginning of the season was completely irrelevant. But that’s sisters for you! Either way, their dramatic phone call during the season premiere made for some fun social-media fodder. It also made me realize that my friends and family secretly having a group chat called “Not Kyndall” is actually my worst fear.
Drew Barrymore Learns About Scabbing in Real Time
Can you think of the last time the internet circulated a clip from The Drew Barrymore Show? (That’s not including when people were making fun of her for being too touchy with Oprah.) Neither can I! After the Scream star was accused of scabbing during the Writers Guild strike, it seems like she is no longer the internet’s favorite television host—even after several apologies. The internet is typically a forgiving place, and celebrities recover from scandals all the time, but it seems like even her biggest enthusiasts aren’t sharing her content anymore, even though things have died down. Is this the end of Barrymore as a quirky, #relatable icon? I guess time will tell.
Brooklyn Beckham Continues His Culinary Reign of Terror
There are three things that are certain in life: death, taxes, and Brooklyn Beckham making a questionable meal on Instagram. It isn’t just funny that this man looks like he’s never been in a kitchen before (see: photo of him cooking over a stove while holding a dog). The fury he incites from commenters, who may just have a bone to pick with his family, is also reliably hilarious. You have to give it to this man for not letting the peanut gallery (me) get to him, though.
Please Don’t Destroy? Please Stop!
It seems like Judd Apatow bet on the Please Don’t Destroy boys a little too soon. Their Peacock film, which had something to do with treasure, was a massive flop and didn’t seem to do much for their profiles as comedians. Presumably, they’ll have lifetime stints on Saturday Night Live, given their connections to the institution, so I’m sure it’s all fine. However, if this film was an experiment in trotting out a new, Gen-Z version of The Lonely Island, we’re good.
Check out our past Nepo Babies of the Week.
