Emma Roberts hits out at nepo baby criticism claiming people 'don't see the rejection along the way'

Emma Roberts has hit out at people who criticise nepotism.

You might have heard of the phrase 'nepo baby' which refers to celebrities whose parents have been successful in a certain industry - for example, the child of a famous actor.

The phrase implies that the child's success is directly linked to that of their parents, thanks to their connections in the industry.

Emma Roberts has spoken about nepotism in the industry (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Emma herself has famous relatives. Not only is her auntie Julia Roberts, but her dad is actor Eric Roberts.

Emma, 33, first started her career back in 2021 in Nickeloden show, Unfabulous.

She most recently starred in American Horror Story as well as movies, Madame Web and Holidate.

Speaking on the Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi podcast while promoting her new movie, Space Cadet, Emma said people don't always see the full picture when it comes to nepo babies and their successful careers.

“That's the thing that I always talk about — people kind of only see your wins because they only see when you're on the poster of a movie. They don't see all the rejection along the way," said Emma.

"That's why I'm always very open about things I’ve auditioned for and haven't gotten the part for.

"I think it's important to talk about - otherwise people just think everything's been so great and linear and easy, and no, it's not at all. But of course it looks like that to the outside perspective or to the naked eye."

Emma went on to say that having family in the industry means you have to 'prove yourself more'.

She also claimed that people 'love a success story' - seemingly referring to those in the industry who don't have famous relations.

"I think there's two sides of the coin. People like to say, you know, you have a leg up because you have family in the industry," she added.

"But then the other side to that is you have to prove yourself more. Also, if people don't have good experiences with other people in your family, then you'll never get a chance.

“I think there's something to be said where everybody loves the kind of overnight success story.

"And so if you're kind of not the girl from the middle of nowhere that broke into Hollywood, there's kind of an eye roll of like ‘Well, your dad was this'."

Emma and Julia back in 2010 (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Emma isn't the only celebrity to speak about nepotism.

Earlier this year, Willow Smith hit back at claims she's a nepo baby, arguing her parents aren't the 'only reason' she's successful.

The 23-year-old - full name Willow Camille Reign Smith - is a singer and actor, and also the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

In an interview with Allure, Willow voiced she doesn't believe she quite fits the description of a nepo baby.

She continues: "I definitely think that a little bit of insecurity has driven me harder because people do think that the only reason I'm successful is because of my parents.

"That has driven me to work really hard to try to prove them wrong.

"But nowadays, I don't need to prove s**t to anybody."