After North West's controversial "Lion King" casting, Marc Lamont Hill is tired of hearing people whine about nepo-babies in Hollywood. On "TMZ Live," he stood up for Kim Kardashian's oldest daughter, who, in spite of her lack of singing skills, used her fame to get a part in the Hollywood Bowl rendition of the Disney classic. Marc spoke out about the unspoken thing that almost everyone in show business already knows. Nepotism is everywhere in Hollywood, and he used that idea as the basis of his defense of North West’s performance.
He said to TMZ, "In every movie, every play, every domain of pop culture, somebody casts somebody who's not that good ... We've put rappers in movies for the last 30 years ... and the reason we do it is because people are famous and famous people bring in tickets." As an example, even if North's performance of Simba's song, "I Just Can't Wait to Be King," didn't sound perfect, it went viral because of her. Therefore, there may be even greater attention focused on the next Disney stage show. Marc continued by denouncing North's detractors as hypocritical, arguing that any parent, famous or not, would utilize their connections to support their children's success.
Marc Lamont Hill Defends North West Getting Lion King Role
Marc Lamont Hill continued, adding, "A lot of the people who are complaining about that are the same people who want legacy admissions for their kids ... Everybody wants their kid to get the hookup, but then they get mad when it's a Kardashian or West getting the hookup. Get over yourselves!" While Hill’s defense makes sense, it doesn't take away from the fact that many people feel like the role should have gone to someone with actual talent. There have been several social media users posting children's auditions for the role North West received, where they blew her performance out of the water.
Marc Lamont Hill says parents will use their connections to ensure their kids' success. That is true, but the fact that North West is who she is means she is already inherently successful. Her mother is a billionaire, and her father is Kanye West. Her lineage means she will always have everything; it's just that she also has access to opportunities she might not deserve but will receive anyway. Overall, North West’s performance has caused quite a stir.
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