Lori Falce: Is it fair to critique a nepo baby?

Talent is not necessarily hereditary. It’s also not something you can buy.

Nothing proves that more than the tale of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s daughter North West and her major theatrical debut.

Over the weekend, the 30th anniversary of Disney’s “The Lion King” was celebrated with a star-studded event at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. It merged the dance and costuming of the Broadway stage production with the voices of original animated movie cast members like Ernie Sabella, Nathan Lane and Jeremy Irons.

And then there was North West, 10.

Clips of the performance from every conceivable angle are everywhere online. I’m going to be honest. It was not good.

Trust me, I know from children’s theater with this show in particular. My son was 8 when he played Ed the goofy hyena in a Central Pennsylvania production. I wish that was the kind of opportunity North West had. She would have been judged against other kids of her age. She would have been expected to practice with them for weeks before standing in front of a crowd. She would have bonded with her cast and grown to trust them and allow them to trust her.

But, instead, her parents allowed her to take the stage with giants and become an object of mockery.

It cannot be understated that someone did something very wrong here, and it wasn’t the 10-year-old.

“Nepo babies” are a popular target these days. The term is generally derogatory and used to refer to someone who got their position through the unearned hooks of family. The entertainment industry is rife with them. Oscar winners such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, TV stars such as Dan Levy and Jennifer Aniston, recording artists such as Miley Cyrus and Enrique Iglesias all owe their starts to their family trees.

The difference between them and North West is more than age. It’s talent and effort. Cyrus was barely older than North West when she started as “Hannah Montana” on Disney Channel. Tatum O’Neal was just 10 when she was nominated for an Oscar in 1974.

It is almost unfair to include North West in the category of nepo baby. Her father is at least as famous for his antics as his music career. Her mother is rich and famous for being rich and famous. North West’s performance smacks of stunt and the adage that all publicity is good publicity. If the Kardashians had a family motto, that would be it.

But this was so egregious it borders on abusive. It was offensive to every talented child who auditioned and to those who have done the role for years. It was offensive to people who paid hundreds or thousands of dollars to see a once-in-a-lifetime show.

And it was cruel to a child — their own child — to make her an object of ridicule.

If North West wants to be a real talent, she needs to put in the effort. I am confident that, if I could find a children’s theater in Clearfield County, her parents could dig one up in Los Angeles.