Nepotism? You gotta be kidding.
Molly Shannon says she doesn’t pay attention to the whole “nepo baby” freak-out because her actress daughter is just “following her heart.”
“I want her to do what she wants to do, if those are her passions,” the “Saturday Night Live” star tells Page Six.
Shannon’s 19-year-old daughter, Stella, recently began studying drama at New York University.
Meanwhile, a New York Magazine article, “The Year of The Nepo Baby,” published in December set off much hand-wringing, finger-pointing and name-calling a successful Hollywood types with famous parents.
“I feel like Stella always followed her heart,” Shannon said, “Whether you have a family member in showbiz or not, it’s about following your heart.”
“I just want her to follow her passion,” she added, “She is loving starting drama and she is just having the time of her life. So I am so happy for her.”
The 58-year-old will return to “Saturday Night Live” as the host on April 8. She was a cast member on the long-running NBC show from 1995 until 2001.
“People are going to say what they want regardless of what you do in life, good or bad,” Shannon said, “So I am no different. When you are in the public eye, you get even more scrutiny when your children want to follow in your footsteps.”
The mother of two’s most memorable characters include Catholic schoolgirl Mary Katherine Gallagher, Sally O’Malley and Terry Rialto.
The “White Lotus” star, who is also a graduate of NYU, doubts that her daughter would want to make her acting debut on the comedy sketch show.
“She’s into drama,” said Shannon, “Drama is more of her thing than comedic acting.”
