Meghan McCain slams 'nepo baby' Violet Affleck for pro-mask UN speech

WASHINGTON, DC: Meghan McCain criticized Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s daughter, Violet, following the 19-year-old’s passionate speech at a United Nations event advocating for continued mask mandates.

The Yale freshman reignited debate over pandemic precautions as she urged the world to keep wearing masks and other protective measures — more than five years after the height of the Covid-19 crisis — during the 'Healthy Indoor Air: A Global Call to Action' summit this week. 

Meghan McCain criticizes Violet Affleck over Covid mask stance

Former 'The View' co-host and conservative commentator Meghan McCain, 40, who is also the daughter of the late Senator John McCain, took to X with a now-deleted post, calling Violet’s remarks "absurd."

The daughter of the late 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain wrote, "Every single thing about all of this is why people hate nepo babies so much. She has no business speaking at the UN and what she is speaking about is patently absurd."

Though McCain quickly deleted the post, she later responded to critics who called her a hypocrite for labeling Violet a nepo baby. 

She defended herself by saying, "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 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 added, "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). Finally—anyone advocating that I mask my kids all day in 2025 I think is insane, and that is my right. Have a nice day."

Violet Affleck says wearing masks remains essential at UN event

Violet, a student at Davenport College, sparked controversy when she insisted that wearing masks remains essential to control the spread of Covid-19. “It is neglect of the highest order to look children in the eyes and say, ‘We knew how to protect you, and we didn’t do it,’” she declared.

The Ivy League student criticized the current generation for recklessly returning to normal life, five years after the pandemic forced widespread lockdowns. “For adults, the relentless beat of 'back to normal,' ignoring, downplaying, and concealing both the prevalence of airborne transmission and the threat of long Covid manifested in a series of choices,” Violet told the audience.

She first made headlines last year when she called for mask mandates in medical facilities, drawing from her own experience with a post-viral condition she developed in 2019. The eldest daughter of Hollywood stars Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, Violet has frequently been photographed wearing a mask at public events, even when she was the only family member doing so.

In the past, she has used fashion as a form of political expression. In 2024, she addressed the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, urging action to confront the growing long Covid crisis.

During a subsequent meeting in July, Violet strongly criticized laws aimed at restricting mandatory mask policies, arguing that such measures put society’s most vulnerable at greater risk. She warned that these policies not only endanger at-risk communities but also limit public participation across Los Angeles.