Catherine Zeta-Jones defends her 'nepo babies' with Michael Douglas as they go into showbiz... after son Dylan, 26, was humiliated in TV debate

Catherine Zeta-Jones has raved about her children with Michael Douglas, praising their work ethic as they venture into the family business of acting.

Douglas, 82, and Zeta-Jones, 57, have been married since 2000 and share a son  Dylan, 26, and daughter Carys, 23.

Zeta-Jones, who recently denounced the phrase 'nepo baby' as 'horrific,' has now mounted a spirited defense of her kids's decision to become entertainers.

'We told them all the [Hollywood] horror stories to see if their passion for the art and the craft was genuine,' she insisted to AARP Magazine.

'But they’ve done every production, they went to every theater camp. Sometimes it was like: "Can you just come home from theater camp? Can we have two weeks to see you at the summer break?"' the Chicago actress shared.

In spite of her entreaties, Dylan and Carys remained determined to pursue their passions and 'worked every college film and musical and straight play,' Zeta-Jones said.

Catherine Zeta-Jones, who recently denounced the 'horrific' phrase 'nepo baby,' has now mounted a spirited defense of her children's decision to follow her and Michael Douglas into acting

'We told them all the [Hollywood] horror stories to see if their passion for the art and the craft was genuine,' the Welsh star insisted to AARP Magazine

'It’s a very small percentage of our business that can really make a living out of doing what we love. But they certainly do love it,' she said.

'Look at the world and the life that acting has given me. I mean, it’s amazing. I would give anybody the opportunity that I’ve had, and they’re loving it, they’re working hard, they’re auditioning and they’re making their way by themselves, their own path. And I’m very proud of them both,' Zeta-Jones added.

Both of her children graduated from Brown University, where Dylan studied political science and Carys earned a degree in film and international relations.

Zeta-Jones was pregnant with Dylan during her wedding to Douglas and with Carys when she won her best supporting actress Oscar for Chicago. 

In an interview that ran earlier this month, she said her children were 'plugging away' at acting, adding that 'it’s hard for them to forge a way forward on their own.'

She grumbled: 'This horrific phrase "nepo baby" is horrible because these kids didn’t ask to be born into this, they’re finding their own way in life,' in the Times.

'But they love it, and they’re good. Otherwise Michael and I would be the first to go: "You know what? Maybe law school looks really good."'

Douglas is himself a showbiz legacy, the son of Old Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas and his first wife Diana Dill, who featured on Days of Our Lives.

In spite of her entreaties, Dylan, 26, and Carys, 23, remain determined to pursue their passion for stage and film. Above, the three in 2019

Their father Michael Douglas, 82, who has been married to Zeta-Jones since 2000, is the ultimate nepo baby as the son of Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas. Above, with his kids in 2024 

Dylan embarked on a foray into political punditry that led to his humiliation last year during a fiery debate on CNN with Republican commentator Scott Jennings 

Dylan embarked on a foray into political punditry that led to his humiliation last year during a fiery CNN debate with Republican commentator Scott Jennings.

As they argued over which party was responsible for the latest government shutdown, Dylan, who leapt to the Democrats' defense, was left flummoxed and stuttering in a clip that went viral and brought him in for a deluge of online mockery.

In the wake of their son's embarrassment, sources claimed that Douglas felt CNN had 'crossed a line' and that Zeta-Jones regarded the segment as 'unfair and exploitative.'

'Dylan’s never been spoken to like that in his entire life,' one insider told showbiz reporter Rob Shuter. 'He’s always been the golden boy — adored, protected. CNN gave him a taste of the real world, and his parents hated every second of it.'

The family were said to have felt the debate was an ambush and a 'total betrayal,' and to have vowed they would stop granting interviews to CNN.

Jennings expressed bemusement at their purported outrage, saying he was 'more than willing to apologize personally to Catherine Zeta-Jones over a nice seafood dinner if she wants to do it,' on Meghan McCain's podcast Citizen McCain.

'Actually, I have to say Dylan was really nice off the air. I think he was honored to be there,' said Jennings, who served in the George W Bush administration.