Nigerian actress and media personality Temi Otedola has said she will never deny being a “nepo baby”, insisting that acknowledging the advantages that come with family connections does not take away personal achievements.
Speaking on a recent episode of The How Far Podcast, which she co-hosts with her husband, singer Mr Eazi, Temi said privilege goes far beyond fame and includes being raised with financial security, quality education and opportunities that many people do not have.
“So this is my take on it. You don’t have to be famous to be privileged. I feel like privilege is purely growing up in a circumstance where your parents made a certain amount of money, you didn’t have to struggle, and you had access to education, food and a foundation in life that not everybody gets,” she said.
The actress, daughter of billionaire businessman Femi Otedola, said nepotism means receiving opportunities through family connections that others may never have.
“If our kid wanted to be an artist, you would introduce them to a producer and you would do their music video. That is an unfair advantage. That is nepotism,” she said.
Temi said she is surprised when people refuse to acknowledge the role privilege has played in shaping their careers.
“You can never catch me, on camera or off camera, saying I’m not a nepo baby. I find it crazy when people don’t admit to the advantage. It would be so unfair to say that,” she said.
She argued that recognising privilege should not be mistaken for dismissing hard work or personal accomplishments.
“At the end of the day, I was given a leg up and I’ve made the most of it. I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to say that. I think it’s because they feel it discounts what they’ve achieved in life.
“I definitely got lots of privileges as a result of the hard work that came before me,” she added.
Her comments come amid continued public debate over nepotism in the entertainment industry, with many celebrities facing questions about the influence of family connections on their careers.
