Houston has its share of cultural heirs
Sports icons, business titans keep family ties
A New York Magazine article about Hollywood’s “nepo baby boom” recently went viral, surprising readers as they connected the dots between their celebrity faves and their wellknown parents.
So what, exactly, are nepo babies?
Nepo, in this instance, is short for nepotism. Nepo baby is an all-ages term to describe a successful person who inherits a degree of fame from a parent. So while they may be talented individuals in their own right, a nepo baby has gotten some advantages.
A quick example is Jaden and Willow Smith, the celebrity children of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.
With that, here’s a list of several of Houston’s most notable nepo babies:
Cal McNair
Serving as the Texans’ CEO, Daniel Calhoun “Cal” McNair is the son of the late Bob McNair and billionaire Janice McNair. Cal has worked for the Texans in some capacity since his father paid the NFL $700 million in 1999 for an expansion into Houston. Cal stepped in as chairman when his father was ill with cancer and was promoted to CEO several months after his father died in 2018. His mother inherited her husband’s 80 percent stake in the Texans when he died, according to Forbes.
George W. Bush
The 43rd president was raised in Houston by his mother, Barbara, and father, George H.W. Bush, the 41st president. H.W. Bush began his political career in Houston and became the first Republican congressman from Houston in 1966. George W. Bush’s first election win came in 1994 when he unseated incumbent Gov. Ann Richards.
Joel Osteen
John Osteen, Joel Osteen’s late father, founded Lakewood Church with Joel’s mother, Dodie, in 1959. The church quickly grew and John’s sermons were broadcast on television. When John became ill in 1999, he asked
Joel to preach in his place. Since succeeding his father, Joel’s sermons have an estimated 10 million weekly viewers in the U.S.
Megan Thee Stallion
Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, is the daughter of
the late Holly Thomas, who rapped and released music from 2001 to 2007 under the name Holly-Wood, with one of her biggest hits being a single dedicated to Houston’s DJ Screw, according to Popsugar. Thomas died of a brain tumor in 2019.
Jeremy Peña
Jeremy Peña is the son of Gerónimo Peña Martínez, a former MLB infielder with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians. Although the World Series MVP’s accolades have already surpassed that of his father, Jeremy gave his dad credit for teaching him about baseball in an interview with MLB Network’s Joe Morosi.
Lance McCullers Jr.
Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. followed in the footsteps of his father, Lance McCullers Sr., who pitched in the majors for seven years. McCullers Sr.’s career ended in 1992, one year before McCullers Jr. was born, according to MLB.com.
Michael and Patrick Fertitta
Both sons of billionaire Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, Michael and Patrick are directors of Fertitta Entertainment in the front office of the Rockets, where their father is chairman and CEO. Tilman Fertitta has a net worth of $7.9 billion, according to Forbes.
Kenyon “KJ” Martin Jr.
Rockets forward KJ Martin’s father, Kenyon Martin, played in the NBA for 15 seasons as a power forward. Kenyon played college basketball for the Cincinnati Bearcats and was national college player of the year during his senior year. He was the New Jersey Nets’ first overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft.
Victoria Pappas Bludorn
Restaurateurs Victoria Pappas Bludorn and Chef Aaron Bludorn opened the restaurant Bludorn in 2020 where Aaron is owner and Victoria serves as operations manager. Victoria is the daughter of Chris Pappas, CEO of the popular restaurant business Pappas that includes restaurants including Pappadeaux and Pappasito’s.
Lisa Rydman-Lindsey
The granddaughter of Spec’s Wines Spirits and Finer Foods founder “Spec” Jackson, Lisa Rydman-Lindsey has a frontfacing role for the company, handling charitable giving, marketing and advertising. Her father John Rydman is Spec’s Liquor president and owns the company with her mother Lindy Rydman.
Jacob Rascon
ABC-13 anchor Jacob Rascon got that position after his father, Art Rascon, retired in January 2022 after working in broadcast journalism for 36 years. Jacob’s first day on the job with ABC-13 was his father’s last, with the two co-anchoring for Art’s final broadcast.