Celebrity Siblings
When Family Fame Paves the Way
Happy National Siblings Day! We’ve all heard of nepo babies, but what about nepo siblings? TikTok user @superkeara equates being the younger sibling of a celebrity to hitting the “jackpot”, with all the benefits of a nepo baby but less stigma. One commenter dubbed this phenomenon “lateral nepotism.” While calling these stars “nepo siblings” might be taking it too far, let’s look at three celebrities with older siblings that paved the way:
DAVE FRANCO
Younger brother of actor James Franco, Dave Franco began his career with roles on TV shows such as Greek and Scrubs. Earlier in his career, the younger Franco admitted to wanting to distance himself from his brother professionally. While having a famous brother may have helped form connections, Dave Franco wanted to be known as more than “James Franco’s little brother.” However, the two brothers did eventually collaborate on the film The Disaster Artist in 2017.
ELIZABETH OLSEN
The Olsen twins are some of the most well-known siblings in Hollywood. However, after starting out at a young age with roles alongside her sisters, their younger Olsen sister, Elizabeth, has also made a name for herself. In 2011, she starred in the thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene which has been considered her breakout role. Olsen eventually broke into the Marvel Comic Universe, receiving worldwide recognition for her role as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. In 2023, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in the miniseries Love and Death. Clearly stardom runs in the Olsen fam!
IRIS APATOW
The youngest Apatow daughter might be in a category of her own, with the entire family finding success in Hollywood. Her mother is actress Leslie Mann, her father is director and producer Judd Apatow and her sister is actress Maude Apatow, well-known for her role in HBO’s Euphoria. At a young age, Iris was featured in films alongside both her mother and sister. More recently, she had a role in the 2022 Netflix film, The Bubble.