Nepo babies are using the ‘holy airball’ TikTok trend to humble brag about their famous parents

The “holy airball” trend that’s all over your For You page is the latest way the internet is sharing humble brags. 

The videos, which have amassed millions of views on TikTok over the past few weeks, follow the same formula: A person shares a statement, the next slide is an assumption often leveled at them, and follow-up slides reveal the more impressive truth.

The videos are soundtracked to “Soul Survivor” by Jeezy featuring Akon, and the final slide always references the now viral phrase “holy airball”—a basketball term for when someone takes a shot and misses the basket. 

Many have used the trend to brag about their achievements or joke about their unexpected personality traits or life circumstances. An example would be if someone assumes that your family owns a local store, but your family actually owns a huge conglomerate.

As the trend has gained momentum, the nepo babies have now entered the chat. 

“Told him my mom’s a lawyer,” Ava Phillipe wrote in a TikTok video posted on Monday. “He said, ‘Oh, what firm does she work at?’ ” The following slides are of the Elle Woods from the 2001 film Legally Blonde. Reese Witherspoon, who played Woods, is Phillipe’s mother. 

“Told him my dad was in the music industry,” Alianna Thiam wrote in a TikTok posted last week. “He said ‘Oh, like a manager?’ ” Next are pictures of Thiam with her father, the singer Akon. “Bro literally made the trend,” she added.

Akon cowrote and is featured on the song that accompanies the trend. “The fact this trend is to his song is iconic for you,” one person commented. “Trend over, you win,” another added. 

A third example comes from the TikTok account of Francesca Scorsese. “I told him, ‘My dad is a filmmaker,’ ” she wrote. No prizes for guessing who appears on the following slide. “OK, we can’t top this y’all,” one comment read. 

Other TikTok accounts are capitalizing off their famous last names and confusing the internet in the process. There’s Abigail McDonald, who wrote: “Told him my family owns a food place. He said, ‘Oh, so like a small business?’ ” The next slide shows an image of the fast-food chain McDonald’s. 

A TikTok account for Gracie Abercrombie posted: “Told him ‘my family owns a clothing store.’ ” The next slide is a photo of the popular clothing store Abercrombie & Fitch.

Fast Company could not find verify nepo baby connections for either of these creators. However, both videos have pulled in millions of views. 

Holy freakin airball. 

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