Last year, celebs like Kaia Gerber and Dakota Johnson spawned our collective obsession with the ‘nepo babies‘ of Hollywood.
Short for ‘nepotism babies’, the term describes the celebrity children of famous – or, at least, well-connected – parents.
Now, the internet is turning its eyes towards ‘nepo husbands’: partners who profit off the status of their significant other.
WATCH: John Mayer and Taylor Swift perform together
The celebrity relationship has long been leveraged for its money-making potential. Publicity couples have existed for decades, and getting a leg-up on your partner’s status has been a tactical move since the beginning of Relationship Time.
Even in the most genuine pairings, there is always the potential to accrue social and even professional benefits of some description.
And, given the week’s events, we’re looking at the benefits reaped by the recently-single Grammy winner, Joe Alwyn.
After news broke of the tragic (and still unconfirmed) end of Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s committed partnership, one Twitter-user took to the keyboard to write:
“#JoeAlwyn was a nepo husband who got at least three acting roles handed to him via #TaylorSwift connections. He also has song writing credits courtesy of her – the dude was on a sweet wicket.”
There is no denying Joe Alwyn is a man of incredible talents. We saw The Favourite. We saw Conversations With Friends. The former Mr Swift is hot as hell and can throw down in an indie-cum-mainstream production.
But did he maybe, possibly, potentially get chucked a few roles because the Hollywood marketing machine saw dollar signs above his new, Swift-sized fandom?
Was he famous before he and Taylor met?
Is he actually a nepo husband? (Actually, Alwyn is most likely not a husband despite Swifties’ long-held belief of the couple’s secret union.)
According to Swift lore, Joe and Taylor met at the 2016 Met Gala, which he attended as the guest of his Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk co-star, Garrett Hedlund.
The film with Hedlund, Alwyn’s first, was released later that same year.
While we don’t know exactly when Joe and Taylor started dating, their relationship was outed by May 2017.
To be fair, by this time, Joe had already booked and filmed The Favourite – his major breakthrough role. (Opposite noted Swift bestie, Emma Stone… but that’s by the by.) So, while not yet a household name, Alwyn The Actor was certainly picking up steam.
However, Joe’s nepo title isn’t most pressingly linked to his acting. There’s also Joe Alwyn – or William Bowery – the songwriter.
WATCH: Taylor Swift skips Grammys to attend BAFTAs afterparty with Joe Alwyn (article continues after video)
Alwyn’s greatest nepo-asset is surely his song writing credits and the royalties he will receive – presumably forever – for co-writing songs on three Swift albums.
Under the pseudonym William Bowery, Alwyn wrote lyrics and occasionally music for songs on Folklore, Evermore and Midnights.
For his work on Folklore, Alwyn even received a Grammy.
Yep, Joe Alwyn has a Grammy Award for Album of the Year and now the race is on to see which of this former power-couple can EGOT first.
But Alwyn isn’t the only supposed “nepo husband” in the news cycle this week.
Stranger Things child star, Millie Bobby Brown, recently announced she’s engaged to her boyfriend Jake Bongiovi.
While Bongiovi – as in Bon Jovi, per his famous father – can also claim nepo baby status, since dating his actress girlfriend, the 20-year-old has secured his first two acting credits in quick succession.
In one amusing Twitter exchange dating back to February, a Tweeter called Bongiovi the “first ever nepo boyfriend” before another suggested that “the first nepo bf is Joe Alwyn”.
“Fine,” the original poster concluded. “Joe Alwyn is the king of nepo [boyfriends] and Millie Bobby Brown’s boyfriend is the princess of nepo [boyfriends].”
However, dare we say, these are far from the first nepo-boyfriends or husbands of Hollywood. Scott Disick, Kevin Federline, Machine Gun Kelly: there are many husbands who have profited enormously off the celebrity of a partner.
WATCH: Millie Bobby Brown on that time she thought the earth was flat (article continues after video)
As with many nepo babies, nepo husbands are not undeserving nor lacking equal talent as their non-nepo peers. There is still skill involved.
As we know, not every nepo-benefactor is able to win Grammys, star in Oscar-winning films or generally crack the big time. Just ask Brooklyn Beckham.
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