After Kangana Ranaut’s participation in Koffee With Karan stoked the nepotism discussion in Bollywood, the topic has now spread to Hollywood. Actress Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel Green in the popular programme Friends during the 1990s and the early 2000s, is being criticized for being a “nepotism baby.”

Variety interview with Jennifer Anniston

Everything started when Jennifer gave a Variety interview in which she lamented the fact that nowadays, people get famous through platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

How did the discussion influence her opinion on social media stars?

Sebastian Stan and Jennifer Antison were chatting while Jennifer was watching Pam And Tommy, a movie about Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s relationship and, in particular, the s*x video that was leaked to the public in the 1990s and caused a great scandal.

When discussing that, Jennifer Aniston remarked, “It was just when the internet was starting to sort of become… It significantly influenced a new culture of individuals being well-known for essentially doing nothing. However, despite having these amazing professions and a type of reputation as a woman, I mean Pam, Paris Hilton… You’re well-known among more people because of TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. It almost seems like the actor’s role is being diminished.”

The fact that Jennifer Aniston questioned how other people became famous because she came from famous parents upset the internet. People referred to her as a nepotism baby and accused her of using the fact that both of her parents, John Aniston and Nancy Dow, helped her to get into the acting industry.

Some, however, said that Jennifer’s parents couldn’t have played a significant role in her career because none of them were A-listers or Oscar-winning celebrities, despite the fact that Jennifer’s father, John, On Days Of Our Lives, was a soap opera star.

Why is Jennifer Aniston incorrect to criticize social media stars?

Anyone with an internet connection may use social media as a democratic platform to showcase their talents to the rest of the world. This is a significant approach to gaining notoriety and producing material for a broad audience of people who don’t live in a big city or personally know filmmakers. Therefore, criticizing someone for being well-known through social media seems a little snobbish.

At the end of the day, a social media star will only be cast in a movie if the director is ready to place a wager on their ability. Meryl Streep will not be replaced in a film by a TikTok user anytime soon since both have carved out a distinct niche for themselves. Therefore, it is quite unlikely that the role of a real actor could be diminished by the presence of influencers.