O’Shea Jackson Jr. continues to show his gratitude every chance he gets. Yesterday (Feb. 23), the Los Angeles-born actor stopped by “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” where the host complimented his stance on the conversation around children of nepotism, often referred to as nepo babies. Jackson Jr. then delved into his reasoning behind why he’s proud about his status and lineage.
“I’m forever grateful for everything that my dad had to do to give me the opportunities that I have,” said the young star, who is the son of iconic rapper and actor Ice Cube. “And if I were to run away from that or shy away from it in any way, in my eyes, that’s disrespectful to everything he had to go through. He didn’t work as hard as he did for me to not accept and appreciate it.”
The 32-year-old emphasized how proud he is to be blessed with his father. “A lot of people, when they see me, naturally [they say], ‘Hey, you’re Ice Cube’s son.’ You’re damn right I am, 100 percent, that’s my hero. That’s my coach,” he continued. “At the same time, the door can be open, but you gotta walk through.”
Jackson Jr. made his acting debut back in 2015 when he portrayed his father in Straight Outta Compton, a biographical film about N.W.A. Since then, he has booked roles in movies like Ingrid Goes West, Den of Thieves, and most recently, Cocaine Bear.
In a previous interview, Ice Cube also shared how gratifying it was to see his son’s performance in the N.W.A biopic. “To have him be in the movie and do a great job, and organically be the best person for the part… That, to me, [is] what I’m proud of. I got him ready, but he had to do it. He had to have Donna Langley give [him] the stamp of approval, not me,” he stated.
Check out the full clip of O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” down below.