Surprising Career Pivots of Famous Nepo Babies: From Acting to Entrepreneurship

The life of a nepo baby comes with both perks and challenges. The celebrity or high-powered status of their parents means they often have access to resources and opportunities not available to ordinary people, but great privilege is not without its drawbacks. The extra boost many nepo babies receive makes them subject to increased scrutiny, and the pressure to secure the fame attained by their parents is significant.

Brooklyn Beckham is the king of the nepo baby career change, frequently finding his calling in new places, while Gwyneth Paltrow’s pivot from acting to wellness has generated many bemused headlines over the years. Here’s a roundup of the most abrupt nepo baby career changes.

Jaden Smith – Acting to Music

Jaden is the son of Fresh Prince actor Will Smith and actress Jada Pinkett Smith. With parents so established in the acting world, it's unsurprising that Jaden followed in their footsteps, earning a breakout role in The Pursuit of Happyness. His part earned him the Breakthrough Performance award at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards. From this point, Jaden's acting career seemed set, with a starring role opposite martial arts legend Jackie Chan in 2010’s The Karate Kid.

In the same year, Jaden surprised fans when he joined forces with a teenage Justin Bieber to rap on 'Never Say Never', which reached eighth spot in the Billboard Hot 100. In 2014, he announced music would be his sole focus, telling USA Today: "The kinds of roles I was being offered weren't exactly what I was looking for."

The switch from acting to music wouldn’t be Jaden's only career pivot. In 2016, he modelled for a Louis Vuitton womenswear campaign, wearing a skirt in an attempt to combat bullying. And in 2018, he designed a denim line with fashion brand G-Star.

Ronan Farrow – Politics and Law to Journalism

Ronan Farrow is the son of director Woody Allen and actress Mia Farrow. With such Hollywood powerhouses as parents, you might have expected Ronan to follow suit into acting or directorial roles, but instead he pursued a more academic route.

Ronan studied at Yale Law School and then took the New York Bar exam, before pivoting away from law to study philosophy at Oxford University as part of the Rhodes Scholarship programme. Beyond his academic career, Ronan worked as a UNICEF Spokesperson for Youth, a role which culminated in a position working within the Obama administration as Special Adviser for Humanitarian and NGO Affairs.

Ronan then turned his focus to journalism, writing for many major publications. His most notable work was published in The New Yorker in 2017, detailing allegations of sexual misconduct against film producer Harvey Weinstein.

His most recent pivot was a return to his parents' world of film and television, voicing characters in animated films and guest judging on RuPaul's Drag Race. He also signed a three-year deal with HBO to produce and develop documentaries.

Gwyneth Paltrow – Actress to a Wellness Brand

Gwyneth is the daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and Emmy-award-winning actress Blythe Danner. Over the years, Gwyneth has become well-known in her own right, following the profession of her mother to star in fan-favourite films like Emma and Shakespeare in Love, the latter of which earned her an Academy Award.

While her acting career went from strength to strength over the years, in 2008 Gwyneth launched Goop, a newsletter which would later be expanded into wellness products that drew criticism for their unscientific approach, including vaginal steaming, coffee enemas, and jade eggs. Despite this opprobrium, Gwyneth's career pivot has been a success, with her company estimated to be worth $250 million.

Holly Branson – Doctor to Virgin Group Executive

With a larger-than-life billionaire father, Richard Branson, Holly had big shoes to fill. Her first choice of career was medicine. Holly studied at University College London, then became a junior National Health Service (NHS) doctor at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

In 2010, she took a break from medicine. While many nepo babies expect starring roles in their parents' projects, Holly joined the Virgin team as a humble intern and never looked back. Ten years later, Holly is the chief purpose and vision officer on the Virgin leadership team, chair of Virgin Unite, and founder and trustee of Big Change.

Raphael De Niro – Actor to Real Estate Broker

Both Raphael's parents are actors. His mother, Diahnne Abbott, acted alongside his father Robert De Niro in cult films like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, and Robert has continued to have an illustrious acting career ever since.

Given the profile of his parents, it is understandable that Raphael followed in their footsteps, starring in films alongside his famous father, including Awakenings and Raging Bull. However, his acting career was short-lived, and he turned his focus to another family business: real estate. Both his father and grandmother had investment and involvement in real estate, and Raphael quickly shot to prominence, selling $600 million worth of properties in the first six years of his career, making him one of the top ten brokers at the real estate company Douglas Elliman.

Sofia Coppola – Actor to Director

As the daughter of legendary filmmakers Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, it is perhaps no surprise that Sofia featured in The Godfather at just a few months old. She later acted in Peggy Sue Got Married and The Godfather sequels, but her acting career came to a grinding halt after her performance in The Godfather III was panned.

Undeterred, she pivoted to modelling and fashion design, cofounding clothing line Milk Fed in Japan in 1994. It wasn't until 1998 that Sofia made her final career change as she followed in her parents' footsteps to become a director. Her debut film, The Virgin Suicides, came a year later, with Lost in Translation following in 2003 and Marie Antoinette in 2006. From there, her career boomed, and she is now firmly established as a leading director in Hollywood.

Brooklyn Beckham – Footballer to Model to Photographer to Chef to Racing Driver

There are few nepo babies who can claim as many career changes as David and Victoria Beckham's eldest son, Brooklyn. As the child of a Spice Girl-turned-fashion-designer and a football star-turned-businessman, Brooklyn's career twists and turns may make sense when considered in the context of his parents.

Unsurprisingly, the first career path Brooklyn chose was an ode to his father, pursuing football until he gave it up. "One of my boys turned around to me the other day and said, ‘Daddy, I’m not sure I want to play football all the time,’" David told ABC back in 2015. "He said, 'Every time I step onto the field, I know people are saying, 'This is David Beckham's son,' and if I am not as good as you, then it is not good enough.'"

He worked as a barista in West London before turning to photography, assisting renowned fashion photographer Rankin and enrolling at Parsons School of Design in New York. Brooklyn then turned his hand to modelling before settling on cooking. His subsequent collaboration with Uber Eats resulted in a 12-hour slow-cooked Bolognese, Chinese-style pork and prawn dumplings, and chicken tikka masala. In 2023, he launched a sake brand WESAKE, then Cloud 23, a £15-a-bottle hot sauce.

Brooklyn's most recent venture is in Formula E when he signed on to join the race series’ new Evo Sessions earlier this year.

Cazzie David – Influencer to Essayist

Cazzie is the daughter of comedian and Seinfeld co-creator Larry David and film producer Laurie David. She started her career as a scriptwriter and worked on the Amazon Prime series Eighty-Sixed, though another series for the streaming platform didn't make it past the pilot.

Her most successful career change came in 2020 when she released a collection of essays titled Nobody Asked For This, which reached second on The New York Times’ Paperback Nonfiction Best Sellers List. In 2024, Cazzie turned her focus to acting, co-writing and taking a supporting role in I Love You Forever.

Hailey Bieber – Model to Skincare Brand Founder

Hailey's parents are graphic designer Kennya Deodato and actor Stephen Baldwin, though she followed neither of their paths when forging a career for herself. At a young age, Hailey was signed to Ford Models, where she appeared in magazines like Tatler, LOVE, and i-D before moving to commercial campaigns with brands like French Connection and Topshop.

Her modelling career grew from strength to strength and saw her walk the runway for bigger brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Elie Saab, and Tommy Hilfiger.

In 2022, Hailey began a major pivot when she launched Rhode, a skincare line using her middle name. Known for its distinctive packaging, the brand skyrocketed to success, achieving $212 million in total sales in the fiscal year ending March 2025. In the same year, e.l.f. cosmetics announced its acquisition of Rhode for a mind-boggling $1 billion, with Hailey staying on as chief creative officer and head of innovation.

Eva Amurri – Actress to Blogger

Eva was born to Italian film director Franco Amurri and actress Susan Sarandon, and fittingly, her first role was in the sitcom Friends in season seven episode 15 alongside her mother, where Susan's character slapped her. Over the years, she appeared in TV series including Californication, How I Met Your Mother, and Choice.

In 2015, she pivoted away from acting to start her blog, 'Happy Eva After', which focuses on her journey as a mother of three, lifestyle, beauty, and style.