Kaia Gerber owns 'nepo baby' status while questioning other celebrity kids: 'Show me why you deserve this job'

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Kaia Gerber and Homer Gere are confronting Hollywood’s "nepo baby" debate head-on.

In Vogue’s September 2026 cover story, Gerber, daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, and Gere, son of Hollywood star Richard Gere opened up about the scrutiny surrounding their careers as they step into the spotlight together in Ryan Murphy’s FX series "The Shards" and acknowledged that audiences may be quick to judge them because of their famous families.

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"I’ve only ever been a nepo baby, and I’ve only ever benefited in my career from it," Gerber, 24, told Vogue.

The model and actress admitted she can even be skeptical of other celebrity children herself, wondering whether they have earned the opportunities they receive.

"Okay, show me why you deserve this job."

Gerber said she warned her 26-year-old co-star that audiences likely wouldn't view him the same way they would an unknown actor making his debut.

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"Unfortunately with this show, it’s not like you’re just any unknown actor and people will judge you as an unknown actor," she recalled telling him, adding that the scrutiny has made her "want to work harder."

Gerber began modeling as a child and has since branched into acting, including multiple projects with Murphy.

Gere took a different route into show business.

Despite growing up with an A-list father, he said he was raised largely outside Hollywood and had never stepped onto a professional set until last year.

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Initially, Gere brushed off suggestions that he might follow in his parents’ footsteps and studied visual arts at Brown University before becoming involved in student filmmaking.

It wasn't until a talent manager saw one of his student films, that his acting career really began. He later auditioned for both "The Shards" and HBO’s "Euphoria," landing roles in each.

Gere acknowledged that his family name inevitably complicates perceptions of his success.

"I’m a very self-critical guy who would like to believe that my career’s going well for all the wrong reasons," he told Vogue, adding that continued success has made that increasingly difficult for him to believe.

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The casting of Gerber and Gere carries an additional Hollywood twist.

Crawford and Richard Gere were married from 1991 to 1995 and famously appeared together on the cover of Vogue in 1992. More than three decades later, their children now share the magazine’s September cover while starring opposite each other in "The Shards."

For Gerber, however, escaping comparisons to her famous mother — and assumptions about how she landed her career — may prove impossible.

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Rather than run from the "nepo baby" conversation, she appears determined to let the work make her case.

Christina Dugan Ramirez is an entertainment journalist with more than 15 years of experience, including a decade at PEOPLE writing high-profile cover stories, covering Hollywood's biggest events, and interviewing many of the industry's most influential stars before joining Fox News Digital in 2024.