Sylvester Stallone sparks massive debate with nepotism comments after casting own daughter in his show

Sylvester Stallone has made it clear he has no problem giving his children a helping hand, even if that means accusations of nepotism.

The Rocky star sparked a heated debate this week after defending his decision to cast his daughter, Scarlet Rose Stallone, in his hit TV series Tulsa King, immediately dividing a whole host of social media users.

Speaking to USA Today, Stallone hit back at critics who believe celebrity offspring have an unfair advantage in the entertainment industry.

"First they go, 'Nepotism is terrible'," the 80-year-old actor began. "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.'"

Stallone admitted of his decision: "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."

The pair star together in Tulsa King (Paramount+)

Scarlet, 24, plays Spencer in the Paramount+ crime drama, which stars her dad as Dwight 'The General' Manfredi.

Having appeared in the series since its first season, her character is set to have a bigger role in the fourth season.

But while father-of-five Stallone - who shares two sons and three daughters with wife Jennifer - is happy to open doors for his baby girl, he insists that staying in the industry is another matter.

"Can they maintain that level of excellence? That’s out of our hands," the Hollywood veteran. "But if you can open the door, we’ll see if they have the ability to go through it."

He also acknowledged that critics might have a point when it comes to how easily celebrity children can land opportunities, adding: "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."

Scarlet's father defended his decision to cast her (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Paramount+)

And, as you can imagine, his comments have got people talking.

Some social media users are firmly on Stallone's side, arguing that helping your children get ahead is simply part of being a parent.

One person wrote: "I agree. All this nepo baby stuff annoys me. We all love self-made people who come from nothing … but isn’t the goal to always give your kids the life you wish you had?

"And then when they have it… they get hated on for being privileged? That’s the whole point."

Another agreed, commenting: "Exactly! We all would do it if we was in the other shoes."

A third added: "If you wanted to be a lawyer, and your father owned his own firm, I’m sure he’d give you an internship. No difference."

However, not everyone is convinced by the actor's argument.

Stallone is father to three daughters (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

One critic simply wrote: "That's privilege."

Another commented: "It wasn’t earned it was given smh some legacy lol."

A third was equally unimpressed, writing: "Disagree but they’ll never have to ACTUALLY work a day so it doesn’t really matter."

Scarlet has previously spoken about how working alongside her dad has changed their relationship, telling PEOPLE that they have grown closer and developed mutual respect.

"We’ve grown as friends," she gushed. "We’ve really become friends. We really got to know one another and really respect each other throughout this whole process, through the ups and downs."