Steve Martin calls Ben Stiller a ‘nepo baby’ in Pepsi commercial for Super Bowl 2023

Steve Martin and Ben Stiller went head-to-head in an insult battle for a Pepsi Zero Sugar commercial for the 2023 Super Bowl.

The iconic actors appeared in a sneak peek of the ad in which they took turns hurling funny insults and shady comments at each other, including Steve, 77, calling Ben, 57, a ‘nepo baby’.

The commercial comes at a perfect time as the nepotistic baby discourse has been at an all time high, with several articles published and ‘nepo babies’ trying to step out of the shadow of their famous parents.

Known for his roles in films such as Zoolander, Night at the Museum, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Ben is the son of comedic couple Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.

In the ad, the Only Murders in the Building actor and the Madagascar actor stood next to each other and spoke to the camera about acting.

“As actors, in a way, we never stop acting,” Ben said. Steve then chimed in, adding, “For example, Ben is acting right now like he’s not intimidated by being next to me.”

Ben continued the relationship, saying, “And Steve is acting like he’s not lucky to be here.”

The Cheaper by the Dozen star then responded: “Oh, and Ben is acting like all that awkward thing he does is a character and not his actual personality.”

The Tropic Thunder actor tried to respond to the joke about his discomfort, but instead he searched for words and Steve said, “Look what I mean.”

Ben then called Steve a ‘banjo player’, and Steve responded by calling Ben a ‘nepo baby’.

After the nepotism comment, which Ben took with grace, he then turned to Steve and expressed that he is actually a huge fan of his.

Steve then came back and said that he was a big fan of Ben too.

Ben replied, ‘Really?’ and Steve replied: ‘he was acting’.

The controversy over nepotistic babies has been the talk of the entertainment industry for years; however, recently it has become an especially hot topic of conversation.

It is clear that not all ‘nepo babies’ were created equal. Some have been handed almost their entire careers on a silver platter, while in others, the general public didn’t even know about their practical ties until well into their careers.

In December 2022, Vulture published an article titled The Year of Baby Nepoabout the backlash against second-generation actors and media stars with famous parents.

Since the article’s publication, many so-called ‘nepo babies’ have spoken about their inevitable privilege within the industry.

Lily-Rose Depp, the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, spoke with elle about being branded a baby of nepotism.

‘The Internet seems to care a lot about that kind of thing. People are going to have preconceptions about you or how you got there, and I can definitely say that nothing is going to get you the part except being right for the part.’

Maya Hawke, the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, said Rolling Stone“I feel like the only way to handle the nepotism thing, which definitely gives you huge advantages in this life, is that you will get opportunities for free, but the possibilities will not be endless.”

She continued: ‘So you have to keep working and do a good job. If you do a bad job, chances will stop. That is my spirit.

Included in the article was a large graphic showing the heads of babies with noticeable nepotism photoshopped onto the bodies of the babies.

There was also a breakdown of almost all of the nepotistic celebrity babies and who their parents are.

Some of the more famous ‘nepo babies’ include Timothee Chalamet, son of Marc Chalamet and Nicole Flender; Brooklyn Beckham, the son of David Beckham and Victoria Beckham; and Kate Hudson, the daughter of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.

Others are Maude Apatow, the daughter of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann; Lily Collins, the daughter of musician Phil Collins; and Jack Quaid, the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.