Sylvester Stallone Defends Casting Daughter Scarlet in Tulsa King Amid Nepotism Accusations

Sylvester Stallone has responded to accusations of nepotism after casting his daughter, Scarlet Stallone, in his crime drama "Tulsa King." The 80-year-old actor defended his decision to enlist Scarlet, 24, to portray the character Spencer in the Paramount+ series.

In a recent interview with USA Today, Stallone directly addressed the criticism, stating, "Of course it’s nepotism, you idiot." He elaborated on his perspective, suggesting that parents who do not leverage their influence to benefit their children may not be prioritizing them. "First they go, 'Nepotism is terrible.' I said, '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," he said. "That’s why we’re parents. We want the best for our children. So obviously, we let them have every advantage."

Stallone acknowledged that while he may open the door for his children, their ability to succeed is ultimately up to them. "Can they maintain that level of excellence?" he questioned. "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 further commented, "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, who shares daughters Sophia, 30, and Sistine, 28, with wife Jennifer Flavin, is also father to sons Seargeoh, 47, and the late Sage, who died in 2012 at age 36. Sage was from his previous marriage to Sasha Czack.

This controversy follows separate allegations from April 2024, where Stallone and "Tulsa King" director Craig Zisk were accused of making disparaging remarks about background actors on set. According to a since-deleted X post by writer Julie Benson, the pair allegedly called extras "ugly and fat." At the time, Zisk denied the claims. Stallone's representatives did not respond to requests for comment from the Daily Mail.

Rose Locke, a casting director on "Tulsa King," reportedly quit the series following these allegations. Zisk, however, told TMZ that Locke had improperly cast the extras for a scene intended to depict a "a hip, young bar," with actors in their mid-20s to mid-30s. Zisk stated that the cast members were significantly older than requested. He claimed that he ultimately used the cast provided by Locke, who he said quit an hour after a disagreement about submitting headshots, stating, "That's the way I work and everyone I know works that way in extras casting."