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Wolfgang Van Halen, the son of the late rocker Eddie Van Halen and actress Valerie Bertinelli, is speaking out about the term “nepo baby.”
He said the label is “a bit unfair” in an interview with Metal Hammer.
The term is used to describe the children of actors, singers, models and entrepreneurs who often benefit due to the connections and power of their family name.
“I’m one to talk, but I think the term ‘nepo baby’ is a bit unfair. I think it takes the individuality of the person away,” he told the outlet.
Wolfgang, 34, joined his dad Eddie Van Halen’s rock band Van Halen when he was 15, replacing Michael Anthony as the band’s bassist.
He toured with the band from 2006 until 2020, ending after Eddie’s death at age 65 following his battle with throat cancer.
The band Van Halen disbanded after Eddie’s death.
Van Halen also mentioned Jack Quaid, the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, while talking about nepotism.
“People say Jack Quaid is one of the ‘good ones,’ and it’s like, who decides that?” he asked.
Jack Quaid, 33, made his acting debut in 2012’s “The Hunger Games.” He went on to star in “The Boys,” “Oppenheimer,” “Scream” and “Novocaine.”
“I’m not going to name names, but in some cases it does apply: the idea of people getting a leg up when they have no artistic merit or talent,” Van Halen explained.
“All I’m trying to do is be myself and have my own artistic integrity and my own voice. I hope that people can see that,” he said.
“I’m certainly trying to forge my own legacy. That’s my goal every day,” Van Halen said. “The one way I’d be like, ‘You know what? We made it,’ is if we’re able to sell out a show at the Hollywood Bowl, because that was the last place I ever played with my dad,” the artist noted.
Wolfgang played bass on Van Halen’s final album, “A Different Kind of Truth,” which was released in 2012.
The musician was also the bassist for the band Tremonti for their 2012 tour.
He became an official member of Tremonti the following year, even appearing on two of their albums: “Cauterize” and “Dust.”
Van Halen released his debut solo album called “Mammoth WVH,” under the band name Mammoth.
He wrote and played every instrument on the album, and toured following its release.
The musician’s song “Distance” from the album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2022.
He followed up the album with two more: “Mammoth II” in 2023 and “The End” in 2025.
Van Halen appeared on the song “I’m Just Ken” from the “Barbie” soundtrack. He also performed the song on stage with Ryan Gosling at the 96th Annual Academy Awards in 2024.
The musician married his longtime partner Andraia Allsop in October 2023, after dating for eight years.
Last year, Wolfgang appeared on Billy Corgan’s podcast “The Magnificent Others,” and spoke about his late father Eddie.
“We’re coming up on the four-year-anniversary of his passing and it’s not any easier. And I believe Zelda Williams, Robin [Williams’] daughter, said it in the best way that I could ever imagine, which is, even a truckload full of roses still weigh a ton,” he said.
On why it’s hard for him to accept he’s gone, Wolfgang said: “Because there’s so much that I can’t share with him.”
Adding: “He never got to see what happened with Mammoth. He never got to see me get married. He never got to see me have kids eventually. And those are some tentpole moments that will always have a tinge of sadness no matter what.”
Wolfgang also said that his dad uplifted him and his self-esteem, a void he still feels today.
“In the absence of my father, which is a heavy absence that I feel with me to this day, you know, his pride in me was so large that his absence, there’s just this kind of black hole sitting there. But I have my mother, I have my wife… there are people that see through my insecurities and try and pull me out,” he said on the podcast.
English (US)