Matthew Broderick is set to kick off a brand-new interview series that promises to look past the buzzword and into the lived experiences of those who grew up in the spotlight. The podcast, called NEPO, Baby!, comes from co-hosts Jake Robards and Emily Wachtel, both of whom bring deeply personal and professional ties to the entertainment world. The first episode drops October 22, with Broderick sitting down for a candid conversation that will be followed by a roster of notable guests across music, film, and television.
Beyond the “nepo baby” debate, the new interview series explores the humor, challenges, and realities of growing up in a famous family
The series is produced by Robards’ Shake Left Productions and Wachtel’s Better Late Productions, with Isabel Robertson serving as producer and Jill BC Du Boff as executive producer. The first season will be released in both audio and video formats across all major podcast platforms, offering listeners a chance to see and hear these intimate exchanges.
Robards and Wachtel are aiming for something deeper than the usual online discourse. Through long-form, unfiltered conversations, they dig into the personal narratives behind family fame—covering connections, secrets, victories, wounds, and the often complicated bonds that shape a life in the public eye. The tone is thoughtful, curious, and laced with wit, and the central question is a familiar one: is being born into a famous family a blessing or a curse? The answers, they suggest, will resonate far beyond celebrity circles.
“We all have messy families. Some are just better known than others. And the bottom line is, you don’t get to choose your parents,” says Robards.
Robards knows the territory well. He is the son of two-time Academy Award winner Jason Robards and the grandson of silent-film actor Jason Robards Sr., placing him squarely in a theatrical dynasty. Wachtel, on the other hand, is not a nepo baby herself but has spent a lifetime surrounded by them. That mix of insider perspective and outsider observation gives the show a dynamic edge, as the two hosts trade viewpoints and humor while exploring family history, love, art, and the ties that hold people together.
New episodes will arrive weekly, with each installment running roughly 45 minutes.
Upcoming guests include musician John Mellencamp and his son Hud Mellencamp, actors Travis and Sosie Bacon, and actor Matthew Arkin, among others. The lineup suggests a broad range of experiences, from music legends to acting families, each with their own story of navigating legacy and expectation.
About the Hosts
Jake Robards is an actor whose selected credits include Broadway’s Our Town with Paul Newman, Off-Broadway productions, films such as Arranged and Honeysuckle, and television roles on Billions, Feud, and Quantico. He has also voiced national campaigns for Verizon, Bounty, Advil, Domino’s, and Ford, and appeared in Zootopia 2.
Emily Wachtel is a producer and filmmaker who originated and produced the award-nominated HBO Max docuseries The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke. She also produced and co-wrote the feature film Lucky Them, starring Toni Collette, Thomas Haden Church, and Johnny Depp. Wachtel is currently developing projects in the U.S. and abroad for film, television, and theater, and serves on the board of The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
Producer
Isabel Robertson is an award-winning producer and writer whose clients have included Marvel Entertainment, Yale’s David Geffen School of Drama, National Public Media, and more.
Executive Producer
Jill BC Du Boff is a veteran sound designer and audio producer with Broadway and Off-Broadway credits. She worked at WNYC, including taking Radiolab on the road, served as senior audio producer at The New Yorker, and was director of audio at Marvel, where she launched 16 podcasts. She currently heads the Sound Design master’s program at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale and oversees NEPO, Baby!’s audio identity, editorial flow, and post-production quality.
About NEPO, Baby!
Hosted by Jake Robards and Emily Wachtel, NEPO, Baby! explores fame, family, legacy, and the ties that connect us, famous or not. The first season premieres October 22 in audio and video formats. Website: https://nepo.baby. Follow: @thenepobabypod on IG, TikTok, FB, and YouTube. A percentage of proceeds will benefit SeriousFun Children’s Network, the nonprofit founded by Paul Newman that provides free camp experiences for children with serious illnesses and their families.
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Why it matters: This podcast shifts the conversation around nepotism in Hollywood from a reductive label to a nuanced, human discussion. By pairing those who grew up in famous families with a host who has observed them from the outside, the series offers a rare chance to understand the emotional weight of inherited fame—something that resonates in an era where celebrity culture is more scrutinized than ever.
