Zooey Deschanel has raised eyebrows after declaring she doesn't consider herself to be a nepo-baby – a term coined for any offspring of celebrities and Hollywood figures – despite her dad being a cinematographer with six Oscar nominations, and her mom being an actress.
Recently speaking on The School of Greatness podcast, the New Girl alum declared: "It's funny because people will be like, 'Oh, nepotism.' I'm like, no. My dad's a DP [director of photography]. No one's getting jobs because their dad's a DP. It's definitely not [nepotism]." Netizens were quick to express their disagreement with the sentiment, and not only criticize her apparent disregard for the industry connections a DP can offer, but also note how roles like that of her dad's can often be undermined compared to that of actors and directors.
Below, catch up on just who Zooey's famous family is, not just her dad, but also her famous sister and fiancé.
Why is Caleb Deschanel famous?
Caleb, Zooey's dad, is both a cinematographer and director, who has worked on over 40 films in his celebrated career.
He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography six times, for The Right Stuff (1983), The Natural (1984), Fly Away Home (1996), The Patriot (2000), The Passion of the Christ (2004), and Never Look Away (2018). Caleb, 79, is also a member of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress, as a representative of the American Society of Cinematographers.
Who is Zooey Deschanel's mother?
Mary Jo Deschanel (née Weir) has been married to Zooey's dad since 1972, and among other film credits, has appeared in some of his movies.
She starred as Eileen Hayward in the cult-classic series Twin Peaks, which ran from 1989 to 1991, and reprised the role for the 2014 feature film Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces, which assembled together some of the deleted since from the 1992 prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me that she had also starred in.
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She has also had roles in her husband's movies The Right Stuff and The Patriot, as well as appearances in TV series such as Criminal Minds, House, and Law & Order: Trial by Jury.
Are Zooey and Emily Deschanel twins?
Not only are Zooey's parents established members of the entertainment industry, but her sister Emily Deschanel is a famous actress as well. Despite their identical looks, they aren't twins; Emily, 47, was born in 1976, while Zooey, 44, was born in 1980.
Emily is best known for playing the main character of Dr. Temperance Brennan on the hit Fox police procedural Bones, which ran for 12 seasons from 2005 to 2017.
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She starred alongside David Boreanaz (Seeley Booth), and her character, nicknamed Bones, was a forensic anthropologist who helped solve crimes thanks to her unique ability to analyze and get clues from victims' bones.
Are Jonathan Scott and Zooey still together?
Zooey is also engaged to quite the familiar face: Jonathan Scott, of The Property Brothers fame. The couple met back in August of 2019 thanks to James Corden's beloved segment Carpool Karaoke, when, quite fittingly, they appeared alongside their celebrity siblings, Zooey's sister Emily, and Jonathan's twin and HGTV co-star, Drew Scott.
They announced their engagement with an Instagram post in August of last year, posting a sweet selfie that showcased the stunning engagement ring, a slew of diamonds and sapphires arranged to form a band of flowers.
Zooey was previously married to Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard from 2009 to 2012, and to producer Jacob Pechenik from 2015 to 2020, with whom she shares kids Elsie Otter, eight, and Charlie Wolf, six.
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