Meghan McCain is not backing down from her nepo baby criticisms of Violet Affleck, the daughter of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, and the 19-year-old’s speech Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly.
Wearing an N95 mask, Affleck addressed global leaders at the U.N. headquarters in New York City as a youth advocate at the inaugural Healthy Indoor Air: A Global Call to Action event. During her speech, the Yale University student advocated for increased investment in clean, filtered air programs and slammed the government-endorsed move back toward a maskless society. Affleck also spoke about the symptoms of long COVID, which she has been affected by.
“I am terrified for the children who do not or soon will not know a world without debilitating pain and exhaustion, who cannot trust their bodies to play, explore and imagine,” Affleck said in her speech, warning of the dangers that repeated exposure to the COVID virus could have on young people in the future. “I’m furious for them.”
“It is first-rate negligence to look children in the eye and say, ‘We know how to protect you, and we didn’t. We have access to technology to prevent airborne diseases,’” Affleck added, pointing to her N95 mask. “‘Something that millions of our ancestors and millions of people around the world would kill for today, and we refuse to use it.’”
In response to a clip of Affleck’s speech, McCain tweeted early Wednesday, “Everything about all of this is why everyone hates nepo babies so much.” When she received pushback for her tweet, McCain doubled down.
“Some journalist[s] are clutching their pearls mad I called Violet Affleck a nepo baby so I’m giving you all a response here instead of answering your emails: First, it takes one to know one. I’m clearly a nepo baby, check my twitter bio,” McCain wrote on X, referring to the self-ascribed “Nepo Baby” description in her profile.
“Say whatever you want about me, my parents would have NEVER been okay with me speaking in front of the United Nations at 19 about a health issue I had no background, training or experience in,” McCain continued. “Having famous parents is a double edged sword and if you’re going to put yourself out there, you gotta take the heat (as I have always done).”
The former “View” co-host went on to specifically call out Affleck’s advocacy for ongoing mask mandates. “Anyone advocating that I mask my kids all day in 2025 I think is insane, and that is my right,” McCain concluded. “Have a nice day.”
Some journalist are clutching their pearls mad I called Violet Affleck a nepo baby so I'm giving you all a response here instead of answering your emails:
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) September 25, 2025
First, it takes one to know one. I'm clearly a nepo baby, check my twitter bio.
Say whatever you want about me, my parents…
This week’s United Nations General Assembly was not the first time Affleck has spoken publicly about the effects of long COVID and advocated for greater access to clean air. In July 2024, she spoke in front of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to argue against mask bans.
Affleck also published a paper about her experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Los Angeles wildfires in January, titled “A Chronically Ill Earth: COVID Organizing as a Model Climate Response in Los Angeles,” in the Yale Global Health Review in May.
