Gwyneth Paltrow has opened up about her distaste at the "nepo baby" label, saying it's "kind of an ugly moniker".

Nepo baby, short for nepotism baby, is a term referring to the children of celebrities who have been successful in careers similar to those of their parents.

The Oscar-winning actress turned businesswoman, who qualifies as a nepo baby as the daughter of actress Blythe Danner and director Bruce Paltrow, said she hopes her children "feel free to pursue exactly what they want to do" without fear of judgement.

When asked by Bustle magazine about her 19-year-old daughter Apple Martin, whose father is Coldplay singer Chris Martin, Paltrow said: "Now there's this whole nepo baby culture, and judgment that exists around kids of famous people.

"There’s nothing wrong with doing or wanting to do what your parents do. Nobody rips on a kid who’s like 'I want to be a doctor like my dad and granddad.'

"The truth is if you grow up in a house with a lot of artists and people making art and music, that’s what you know, the same way that if you grow up in a house with law, the discussions around the table are about the nuances of whatever particular law the parents practice."

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She added: "I think it’s kind of an ugly moniker. I just hope that my children always feel free to pursue exactly what they want to do, irrespective of what anybody’s going to think or say."

The phrase 'nepo baby' went viral when people realised that a significant number of stars were related to established celebrities, such as Euphoria star Maude Apatow, the daughter of Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, Zoe Kravitz, the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, and Jaden and Willow Smith, son and daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.