Jamie Lee Curtis joked about being a product of nepotism during her monologue at the 2023 SAG Awards.
As the ceremony kicked off on Sunday night, the “Halloween Ends” star, 64, made a witty remark about being the daughter of late movie stars, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.
“I got my SAG card when I was 19 years old, when I signed a seven-year contract to Universal Studios and starred in an ABC TV series called the ‘Operation Petticoat,’ which was based on the movie that my father, Tony Curtis — nepo baby — starred in,” Jamie Lee said as the audience in the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles erupted in laughter.
The “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actress said she was fired from that TV show a year later and thought her life was over. However, her termination led her to become part of one of the biggest horror franchises in history.
“But the good news is that if I hadn’t been fired from ‘Operation Petticoat,’ I would have never had the opportunity to audition for a little tiny, no-budget horror movie called ‘Halloween.’”
Jamie Lee added, “The current conversation about nepo babies is just designed to try to diminish and denigrate and hurt. For the record, I have navigated 44 years with the advantages my associated and reflected fame brought me.
“I don’t pretend there aren’t any, that try to tell me that I have no value on my own,” she concluded.
Jamie Lee’s comments on nepotism come two months after Vulture posted an article name-dropping all of the people in Hollywood who have benefited from being children of famous parents.
Some of those named included Lottie Moss, half-sister of Kate Moss; O’Shea Jackson Jr., the son of rapper Ice Cube; and Lily Allen, daughter of actor Keith Allen and movie producer Alison Owen.
And though Jamie Lee has certainly made a name for herself, a lot of people believe her famous parents were able to help her get there.
Jame Lee’s father, Tony, has acted in more than 100 films and made numerous TV appearances throughout his 60-year career. As for her mom, she appeared in a number of successful films, including “Little Women,” “Angels in the Outfield,” “Scaramouche,” “Houdini” and “The Black Shield of Falworth.”