Wolfgang Van Halen calls nepo baby term a bit…
Wolfgang Van Halen, the son of the late rocker Eddie Van Halen and actress Valerie Bertinelli, is talking 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 youngsters of actors, singers, fashions and entrepreneurs who often benefit due to the connections and energy of their household identify.
“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, changing 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.
Wolfgang Van Halen of Mammoth performs at Little Caesars Arena on Nov. 20, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. Getty Images
Van Halen also talked about Jack Quaid, the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, while speaking about nepotism.
“People say Jack Quaid is one of the ‘good ones,’ and it’s like, who decides that?” he requested.
Jack Quaid, 33, made his performing 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.
Eddie Van Halen and Wolfgang Van Halen of Van Halen carry out during “A Different Kind of Truth” tour at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 28, 2012 in New York City. WireImage
“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 famous.
Wolfgang performed bass on Van Halen’s remaining album, “A Different Kind of Truth,” which was launched in 2012.
The musician was also the bassist for the band Tremonti for their 2012 tour.
He grew to become an official member of Tremonti the next 12 months, even showing on two of their albums: “Cauterize” and “Dust.”
Van Halen launched his debut solo album called “Mammoth WVH,” under the band identify Mammoth.
He wrote and performed every instrument on the album, and toured following its release.
The musician’s music “Distance” from the album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2022.
He adopted up the album with two more: “Mammoth II” in 2023 and “The End” in 2025.
Eddie Van Halen and Wolfgang Van Halen signed at the Righa Royal Hotel in New York City on May 17, 1993. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Van Halen appeared on the music “I’m Just Ken” from the “Barbie” soundtrack. He also carried out the music on stage with Ryan Gosling at the 96th Annual Academy Awards in 2024.
The musician married his longtime accomplice Andraia Allsop in October 2023, after courting for eight years.
Last 12 months, Wolfgang appeared on Billy Corgan’s podcast “The Magnificent Others,” and spoke about his late father Eddie.
Wolfgang Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen at the Meadowlands on June 22, 2004. KMazur
“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 arduous for him to settle for 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 vanity, 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.
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