Jason Ritter Weighs In On Nepo Baby Issue & Recalls How His Dad John Ritter Got Him His Acting Debut

Apr 10, 2023

It is not uncommon for children to grow up so exposed to their parents' careers that they go on to pursue the same careers—especially in Hollywood. There are many famous actors whose children also go on to become famous actors in their own right. This is the case for Jason Ritter, who is becoming just like his late father, John Ritter, in more than just looks.

Jonathan Ritter was born on Sept. 17, 1948, in Burbank, California. Part of a showbiz family, his father was the singing cowboy, Tex Ritter, while his mother, Dorothy Fay, was an actress. Originally, John didn't have plans to follow his family into the entertainment industry. However, he soon changed his career path, switching from psychology to Theater Arts at the USC School of Dramatic Arts.

Some of John’s most iconic roles were in “It,” “Problem Child,” and “Bad Santa” in 2003—the latter of which ended up being his last film. He also appeared in a number of television shows, including “Felicity,” “Scrubs,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and he even lent his voice to “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” for which he received numerous Emmy nominations.

Sadly, John passed away from aortic dissection in 2003 while rehearsing for the show “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter,” just six days before his 55th birthday. While John left this world too soon, his son Jason is continuing his legacy.

In an interview with SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show,” Jason recounted his origins in Hollywood, which he largely credited to his father, John. While on the issue, Jason could not help but weigh in also on one of Hollywood’s ongoing issues – the “nepo-baby” drama. Read on to learn more about Jason’s opinion about the issue and how his acting debut came about. 

As much as Hollywood was created to entertain people, it also became a business for some, especially for those families whose talent is overflowing that they could not help but ingrain it in their children. 

On Dec. 19, 2022, Vulture published a now-controversial article titled “How A Nepo Baby Is Born.” The lengthy report summarized in painstaking detail the concept of how children of celebrities or prominent people in the entertainment industry were given a head start on their careers, almost by birthright. 

The conversation on nepotism babies blew up when a user found out that an actress on HBO’s “Euphoria," Maude Apatow, is actually the daughter of actress Leslie Mann and director Judd Apatow. Since then, the internet has researched and fallen into a rabbit hole identifying which artists are children, nieces, nephews, or relatives of other industry figures. 

Zoe Kravitz, the daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet said that the label gave her “deep insecurity.” Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis’ daughter Lily-Rose Depp was even subjected to harsh criticism online from her fellow models. Artists like Gwyneth Paltrow, Hailey Bieber, Kate Hudson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and even Lily Allen have expressed their sentiments on the issue.

Since the issue blew up, celebrities who have parents and relatives breathing the same air in Hollywood could not go through an interview without being asked their thoughts about the very divisive issue. 

Like the rest of the other “nepo-babies” in Hollywood, Jason can also be called one, especially because of the prominence and influence that his father and even grandparents had that came before him. 

As early as 1990, then 10-year-old Jason has already become an actor, making his acting debut on “The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story,” as the author Harry Neal Baum. 

Jason, who is fully aware that he was a son of an influential actor, acknowledged that he had an advantage at the time. 

When asked at the “The Jess Cagle Show” what his first acting debut was, the actor recalled that it was when his father was working on “The Real Story Of Christmas Tree,” an animated short film. He became a voice actor for a little acorn in the film while his father played his Uncle Piney. 

“I will say, without any hesitation, that this was a full-on nepotism hire,” Jason admitted. However, he also confessed that he has “try to stay away from that” since his acting career progressed. 

Upon seeing the recording of the film again when he was older, Jason thought that his voice was sped up because of how high his voice was back then. It was only after his mom told him that his voice was indeed high at the time. 

Ever since he was young, Jason was exposed to the arts and entertainment. He graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied at the Atlantic Theater Company. He is best known for his role as Kevin Girardi in the television series “Joan of Arcadia,” Ethan Haas in “The Class,” Sean Walker in the NBC series “The Event,” and Mark Cyr in “Parenthood.”

"When I was a kid, it was a lot of fun; I did a lot of plays in my elementary school," he said in an appearance on Good Morning America in 2017. "I really loved it so much," he added. 

What can you say about Jason Ritter’s revelation? Do you think children of celebrities and actors deserve the opportunities handed to them by their parents? Let us know, and pass this on to someone who you think has an interesting opinion!