Deacon Phillippe’s ‘nepo baby’ backlash, explained

So-called “nepo babies,” or children of famous people who receive a perceived unfair advantage in life, were personae non grata in 2023. That year, nepo baby backlash even came for Deacon Phillippe, son of actress Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe — here’s why.

Somewhat surprisingly, it wasn’t Deacon’s 2022 acting debut in the Netflix series Never Have I Ever, or even for his career in music. Prior to the nepo baby controversy circa 2023, in fact, Deacon’s mom, Reese, attended the album release celebration for her son’s debut, A New Earth, in April, Page Six reported.

Instead, the New York University student — who looks an awful lot like his dad — only seemed to draw nepo baby ire when he allowed TikToker Caleb Simpson a peek at his West Village apartment. With millions of followers, Simpson is known to feature big stars and their homes, and needless to say, Deacon’s place was not your typical college crash pad.

Deacon pays “West Village Prices”

As if “West Village apartment” alone didn’t give it away, the nepo baby accusations were worsened when TikToker Caleb Simpson asked Deacon Phillippe how much he paid in rent before touring Deacon’s place. Deacon responded, “West Village prices,” and that — in addition to the stylish decor and interiors pictured, including a spiral staircases, high ceilings, and more — sent the anti-nepo-truthers to the comments section. “West village prices aka Mom and Dad are paying rent,” one commenter wrote. “How much do you pay? The correct answer is: ask my mom and dad,” another added.

Not all the feedback was negative, though. One person wrote “Why are people being mean? He’s in school. Seems humble. Has roommates. Plenty of NYU kids also come from rich families…” Another added, “He is in school trying to better himself, he has roommates as well. If his parents have the means to provide this for him, then why are people judging.” Meanwhile, someone pointed out, “Cleanest boy apartment I’ve ever seen.”

At least the 20-year-old music major at NYU said he had roommates — so at least in one small way, Phillippe’s not so unlike your average college student, just like you and me. We just didn’t have pricey-looking art on the wall or our very own music studio while we were still in school, as Phillippe revealed to Simpson in his visit. Born in 2003, Deacon is Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon‘s second child. Ryan and Witherspoon divorced in 2006.