Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson’s son, Ryder Robinson, turned 22 last month. I remember when he was born, so this makes me feel so old! Kate and Chris have both talked about Ryder, as well as their other children, in interviews, but have done a good enough job protecting his privacy that we don’t know much about him. He also stays out of the public eye, despite coming from a Hollywood family. Well, Ryder is graduating from NYU this spring and proud papa Chris did a bit of bragging on him at a Grammy viewing party last weekend. While talking to People, Chris shared that Ryder is considering getting into both acting and music after he graduates. He also weighed in on the obvious: his son being a nepo baby.
Chris, who is the lead singer of the rock band The Black Crowes, recently caught up with PEOPLE exclusively at Steven Tyler’s 7th Jam for Janie Grammy Awards Viewing Party in Hollywood, Calif. During the conversation, he shared that Ryder, 22, is gearing up to graduate from college — and is thinking about careers in both music and acting.
“He’s about to graduate from NYU this May. Very excited about that,” Chris, 59 said.
“I think he’s kind of leaning into maybe [pursuing] acting more, but he’s a very, very good singer, and he’s a really good guitar player, and he loves music. And, yeah, I just couldn’t be more proud of him,” he added.
And while Chris said he’s certainly proud of his son’s talent, he’s even more proud that he’s grown up to be “a good dude.”
“I mean, I love him no matter what, but I’ve always been impressed with my son. He’s a young man with great character. He’s very charming, very smart, very handsome, and the world really is his for whatever he wants to do. But underneath it all, I’m a proud dad because he’s a good dude in the world. And that’s really all you can really ask for,” he explained.
He also noted that Ryder already has experience in both industries, having grown up on movie sets with his mom Kate, 46, as well as on music tours with his dad.
“He grew up on sets with his mom. He grew up on the tour bus with me, and going on tour even in my solo project, which was a lot smaller scale,” Chris said.
As to whether this makes Ryder a “nepo baby”? Chris noted that following in the footsteps of one’s parents isn’t a new phenomenon, regardless of the industry.
“It used to be like, if your dad was a plumber, it was like, you know, Smith and Sons Plumbing. I don’t think it’s that horrible,” he said.
I laughed out loud a little bit when Chris gave the plumbing example because that’s exactly how Tom Hanks once phrased it, too. Ryan Phillippe also used that same reasoning when talking about his son with Reese Witherspoon. No one is saying that there is anything wrong with a kid wanting to be like their parents. It also doesn’t mean that they’re not talented enough to have an acting or singing career. It’s perfectly natural to want to get into the family business! But, just like with any family business, they’re going to have a leg up, whether it’s having connections in that industry, an already-established clientele, or financial security. It’s even more important when that industry is notoriously difficult to break into. Being Chris Robinson’s and Kate Hudson’s son and Goldie Hawn’s grandson is, at the very least, going to get you opportunities that people equally as talented and deserving may never get. The nepo baby label doesn’t have to be “horrible.” It’s just about acknowledging that privilege.
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- Venice, ITALY – Kate Hudson and her son Ryder Robinson at the Max Mara event in Venice, Italy. Pictured: Kate Hudson BACKGRID USA 11 JUNE 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: COBRA TEAM / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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I can’t believe this is still a topic of discussion. Whether your parents are famous, rich or both, Ryder doesn’t owe any of us an acknowledgement of his privilege.
They really don’t get it, do they? Because if your Dad is a plumber, you would still have to get an apprenticeship and learn the trade. The term Nepo Baby started because famous kids got jobs solely on their name with zero experience, skills or acting classes.
But even with learning the trade – its a lot easier if you’re moving into your father’s business, rather than trying to start your own right out of your apprenticeship or joining another business that you might not like etc. So nepotism can still be hugely beneficial to the plumber, the lawyer, etc.
But I do think the training is what seems to set hollywood apart – well that and the salaries. and the investment of the parents. if Robinson and Sons plumbing sucks because the son is awful, then people are going to stop calling that company. So the parent is invested in making sure the child is competent. And that seems to be missing in hollywood.
Nepotism isn’t getting you through law school (although it will help you get in) or helping you pass the bar.
Whether one is good at modeling or being an actor is subjective, so having a recognizable name is going to help much more than it would in other professions. I just don’t see it as comporable.
Just the language “I think he’s kind of leaning into maybe [pursuing] acting more” screams nepo. That’s a kid — and parent — who knows the doors are wide open.
Exactly, but I do applaud him for getting an education first. And not to split hairs but Kurt Russell is most definitely a family connection, too. He’s very much Ryder’s grandfather, even if not biologically.
So is his uncle Wyatt Russell. And Oliver Hudson may not be A list but he’s carved out a decades long career. He knows people too.
💯
“I think he’s kind of leaning into maybe [pursuing] acting more, but he’s a very, very good singer, and he’s a really good guitar player, and he loves music. And, yeah, I just couldn’t be more proud of him,” he added.
Nobody’s parent brags this way about their grown a$$ kid unless they know their kid’s success is guaranteed.
This young man is graduating from NYU. He isn’t some 14 yr old getting modeling gigs. Or an 18 yr old high school graduate with an acting job in a movie mom’s directing. The nepo baby question seems to be a stretch right now.
I know a couple of people with kids who graduated from NYU recently, one of whom already did a sitcom with some pretty well known TV actors. Both struggling to make it in this business, get good auditions, etc. His name and connections absolutely still matter. And I’m not saying he isn’t talented or deserving. But he’s also lucky.
I don’t have an issue with nepo babies per se. I have an issue when it starts to feel like the majority of new actors are nepo babies and there is a lack of new fresh faces in the mix. That’s my general feel and has nothing to do with Ryder.
Ryder is young Kate’s twin!!
Hollywood’s next gen are nepo grand babies.
I think the lack of acknowledging your privilege in being able to get an agent without trying and audition for roles is always going to be a problem. However, neither of Tom Hanks son Truman or Ryan Phillippe’s son have seemingly made any impact in the film business or they are deliberately keeping a low profile. So even with the nepotism it’s not helping them.
Truman isn’t really an actor. He does some extras work. He’s interested in cinematography.
Kate herself is a nepo baby
Am I the only one wondering how Kate gave birth to Jonathan Rhys-Meyers?
I knew he looked familiar! 😉
It’s a joke to compare the entertainment business to plumbing or any other business…just don’t.
“Just like a plumber” is a nonsense argument and I hope they know that.
Ugh, these people. Just acknowledge your privilege! And the plumbing comparison is obnoxious (and I’m frankly disappointed in Tom Hanks, too, for using it). Pleased with Jack Quaid’s answer; I hadn’t heard that before.
If you go into the family business, great, but it means the kid’s already starting with great privilege and opportunities. If the family business is acting—a notoriously difficult business to break into—the fact that the kid has a famous name and, often, *a famous face,* is going to help them! The increasingly risk adverse industry will be more likely to take a chance on the famous name and face.
It doesn’t mean they don’t need to do the work to maintain success but they’re already several rungs up on the ladder. Refusing to even acknowledge that is weird and irritating.