This year certain corners of the internet, TikTok included, were consistently fascinated with and enraged by “nepo babies” — that is, children of celebrities, whose path to success in the entertainment industry (and life in general) is significantly easier thanks to nepotism. I was only ambiently aware of this fixation — I guess Gen Z collectively gasped upon learning Drew Barrymore was a child of privilege, or something? — but it was a hot enough topic to merit an extensive multi-tiered New York Magazine cover story this week, in which writer Nate Jones explained the phenomenon: