Willow Smith calls people who say her success is ‘because of her parents’ wrong while talking about ‘nepo babies’

American singer and dancer Willow Smith recently offered her opinion on the whole “nepo baby” topic that has become quite the discussion these past few years.

With Willow’s parents (Will and Jada Pinkett Smith) being two extremely recognisable figures in the entertainment industry, it’s hard for fans not to think of them when looking at their children.

Although she admits having a sense of “insecurity” in terms of her career in the limelight, being a “nepo baby” has only inspired her to work harder to obtain her success.

While discussing this topic with Allure in 2024, Willow expressed: “I truly believe that my spirit is a strong spirit and that, even if my parents weren’t who they were, I would still be a weirdo and a crazy thinker.”

She continued: “I definitely think that a little bit of insecurity has driven me harder because people do think that the only reason I’m successful is because of my parents.”

“That has driven me to work really hard to prove them wrong,” she added.

“But nowadays, I don’t need to prove s— to anybody.”

“There have been some experiences where I went into a place that I have worked in the past, and my picture could even be up on the wall, and they treat me like: ‘This is a little bit out of your price range’ or ‘You don’t really belong here,’” she recalled.

“Being Black in America, even with privilege, which I’m never going to deny that I have, you’re still Black. And I love being Black.”

“People would look at me and [say]: ‘Okay, well, her parents are this and this and that, but she still is like me. She still has brown skin.’”

“And we all know that that doesn’t exempt you from anything, and that’s a place of connection.”

The “Wait a Minute!” singer went on to open up about how her mother, Jada Pinkett, would provide her with the freedom and independence needed to become her own person.

One example shared by Willow included her shaving her head at 12 years old.

“My mother allowed me to do that because she strongly believed that being able to express myself in that way was very important,” she explained.

“I completely agree with her because it helped me figure out who I am.”