Phil Collins’ son Nic recently spoke to People about the nepotism baby criticism and his journey to prove his musical skills on his own terms.
The term ‘nepotism baby’ has sparked wide debate across Hollywood, but the drummer chooses to see it as a motivator rather than a setback. Having started performing with his father and Genesis at a young age, Nic is no stranger to comments about his lineage paving his way. He stated:
“I chose to look at it as a positive because it is what it is. I remember when I first started doing my dad’s solo gig, and you’d get comments like, ‘Oh, it must be nice getting a gig because you’re Phil’s son.’ I totally understood. I was like, well, that’s a valid perspective to have.”
Initial Backlash And Familial Ties
The musician recalled the initial backlash when he began drumming for his dad’s solo gigs and Genesis, facing remarks about his familial connection rather than his skills:
“You’ve never heard me play; I’m 16. But to me, I was like, let me go work my [a**] off and do my homework so that when we go and do that tour, nobody can say anything about it. There’s an added bit of pressure. It makes you want to bring your A-game no matter what.”
Industry-Wide Nepo Baby Debate
The discussion around nepotism in the entertainment industry is not limited to Collins. Other artists, like Scott Weiland’s son Noah, have also faced the nepo baby label, with Noah taking to Instagram last year to refute such claims by sharing his personal struggles with addiction, homelessness, and his journey to sobriety and professional success. He said:
“Life works in crazy ways. The last two years of my life has been the most exhausting, heartbreaking, confusing times I’ve ever experienced… I battled every day whether I was fighting to stay sober, keeping a dead relationship alive, cutting off fake f*ck ass people, struggling to make money or even have a place to sleep at night. It’s insane cause a lot of you think I’m a nepo baby when the reality of things is the majority of the last two years I had $0 and homeless if it wasn’t for rehab.”
Similarly, Gwen Stefani discussed her son Kingston Rossdale’s foray into music, emphasizing that his passion and talent are his own, not merely a product of his parents’ careers.
