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Nigerian actress and media personality Temi Otedola has stated she will never deny being a “nepo baby,” arguing that acknowledging the benefits of family connections does not diminish a person’s achievements.
Speaking on a recent episode of The How Far Podcast, which she co-hosts with her husband, Mr Eazi, Temi shared her opinions on privilege and the ongoing debate about nepotism.
According to her, privilege is broader than fame and includes being raised in an environment with opportunities such as financial stability, education, and support.
“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.
Temi explained that nepotism, especially in the entertainment industry, involves gaining opportunities through family connections that others might not 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.
The actress, who is the daughter of billionaire businessman Femi Otedola, said she is surprised when people refuse to recognise the role privilege has played in their success.
“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.
Temi emphasised that recognising privilege does not negate the effort people put into building their careers.
“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 diminishes 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.
