Sylvester Stallone isn’t dodging the nepo baby question. He’s practically volunteering for it. In an interview with USA Today, the “Tulsa King” star admitted that casting his daughter Scarlet Rose Stallone on the show is “of course” nepotism, and he made it very clear he doesn’t see a thing wrong with that.
Sly says the quiet part out loud
Most Hollywood parents tiptoe around this topic. Stallone took the opposite approach. According to Deadline, which picked up the USA Today interview, he said: “Of course it’s nepotism, you idiot. That’s why we’re parents. We want the best for our children. So obviously we let them have every advantage.”
So, no notes there. Points for honesty.
He kept going, too. Just Jared reported that Stallone added: “Oh please, you’re not a good parent if you haven’t performed a little nepotism. Then obviously you don’t care about your kids, because they come first.”
That’s one way to frame it. Nepotism as a parenting requirement is a bold position, and Stallone delivered it with zero hesitation.
The interview was dated October 16, 2026, and went viral around October 24, according to The Wrap. Which tracks. A Hollywood legend tossing a “you idiot” into a cheerful defense of nepotism was always going to travel.
But the door only opens so far
Stallone wasn’t arguing that a famous last name guarantees a career. In his view, a parent can get a kid into the room, and the rest is on them.
“Can they maintain that level of excellence? That’s out of our hands. But if you can open the door, we’ll see if they have the ability to go through it,” he said, per Deadline.
He also took on the critics directly. “People will say, ‘She got that job, it’s too easy.’ You’re right. Perhaps it could be. But to maintain that, to be in front of millions of people, you either got it or you don’t,” Stallone said, according to Deadline.
Translation: the first gig might come easy. Keeping it is a whole other story.
Meet Spencer, Scarlet’s ‘Tulsa King’ character
For anyone who hasn’t been keeping up with the Paramount+ crime drama, here’s the setup. “Tulsa King,” created by Taylor Sheridan, premiered in 2022. It stars Stallone as Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a mafia boss exiled to Tulsa, Oklahoma after 25 years in prison.
Scarlet, 24, is Stallone’s youngest daughter, whom he shares with wife Jennifer Flavin, Just Jared noted. She plays Spencer, a barista turned stable hand. The Wrap reported she has been on the show since Season 1 and has appeared in 22 episodes across its four seasons.
And Spencer is getting busier. According to The Wrap, Scarlet’s role expands in Season 4, with her character becoming more involved in Dwight’s criminal operation. Season 4 premiered on Paramount+ on October 16, 2026, per Deadline.
Whatever you think about how she landed the part, the show clearly sees something in her. Deadline reported that on October 5, 2026, Scarlet was promoted to series regular for Season 5, a move also confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter.
So if the door was opened for her, she’s been walking through it for four seasons now.
From co-stars to friends
Working with your dad every single day sounds like it could go either way. For the Stallones, it seems to have landed somewhere sweet.
At PaleyFest NY on October 10, 2026, Scarlet said working with her father had undergone “a complete 180” and that the two had “become friends,” according to Just Jared, citing People.
That’s a genuinely lovely place for a father-daughter duo to end up. It’s even more charming considering the two of them spend their workdays on a show about the mob.
With a bigger Season 4 storyline now streaming and a series regular promotion locked in for Season 5, Scarlet’s “Tulsa King” run is only growing. Her dad has been upfront that he opened the door. By his own logic, what happens next is up to her.
And if anyone wants to grumble about nepotism? Stallone already beat you to it.
