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A wrongful termination lawsuit filed by singer Halsey’s former nanny made headlines this week, in part because it offers a glimpse into a celebrity’s privileged personal life, courtesy of the person who lived at the star’s home and took care of the star’s baby.
Over the years, nannies have been a valuable source of personal information about stars. You can talk about the amazing perks of being a celebrity: luxury apartments, touring, hanging out on movie sets, traveling on private planes and yachts, and staying in five-star hotels. They can also provide insight into a star’s personality and private habits, and address celebrities who are particularly eccentric and sophisticated in their bubbles of wealth and fame.
What stops some celebrity nannies from speaking publicly is a sense of loyalty from making them feel like family. But others know that violating non-disclosure agreements will have dire consequences. David and Victoria Beckham successfully pursued a lawsuit against a former nanny who worked for them from 2003-2005 and then gave an interview in which she revealed private and confidential information about the couple’s marriage and four children.
Halsey also hit back Thursday after former nanny Ashley Funches filed her wrongful termination and discrimination lawsuit. Halsey called Hunches’ allegations “baseless,” essentially saying she was fired for being irresponsible.
But in Funches’ lawsuit, which was obtained by The Blast, the former nanny basically portrays Halsey as a bad bass. She said she was hired to be the “housekeeper” for the singer’s newborn son. Halsey gave birth to son Ender in July 2021. His father is screenwriter Alev Aydin. Funches said she was fired from her position after requesting time off from work for a medical procedure.
Funches also claimed that Halsey expected her to work “consecutive days around the clock with little to no rest day” during the “majority of her employment.” The job involved not just caring for a baby, but “preparing meals, cleaning, doing laundry, cleaning breast pump supplies, organizing the nursery, and running errands when needed.”
In October 2021, Funches said she had begun complaining to Halsey about “her long hours” and non-payment of overtime wages. In March, Funches said Halsey fired her when she asked for the time-out.
In a statement to Entertainment Tonight. A representative for Halsey said Funches was terminated because the “singer’s child was left unattended in an unsafe place under the care of the nanny.” The rep said that “the nanny was drunk while the child was in her care,” further damaging Funches’ reputation.
As Funches’ lawsuit makes its way through the courts, it’s a reminder of other times when celebrities’ private lives were exposed through revelations about how they interact with their children’s caregivers. Here are some of those revelations:
Oversharing, ‘hippie’ Angelina Jolie
People who worked for Angelina Jolie and took care of her six children with Brad Pitt have opened up quite a bit over the years. A former nanny told the Daily Mail that the actress, director and global UN special envoy is not very strict but expected staff to be open about sharing private information with her.
Another former nanny told the star in 2015 that before their split in 2016, Jolie and Pitt tolerated a fairly easygoing “hippy” household where their homeschooled children could choose what they wanted to learn and what they thought after wasn’t worth her time.
“It’s like they live in a hippie commune most of the time because Angie doesn’t believe in rules. She thinks it’s important that the kids have freedom of expression, but that doesn’t always work well,” the nanny told the star.
Though Jolie wasn’t a strict boss, she expected her employees, including a bodyguard, to work long hours to look after the children, the Daily Mail also reported. While accompanying Jolie on lavish vacations, the nannies were also meant to keep an eye on their very wild children, who, according to the star, were free to “romp” about the luxury properties.
24/7 requirements
Madonna reportedly expected all members of her household staff, including her nannies, to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the Daily Telegraph reported in 2009.
The extremely demanding mum-of-six, ranging in age from 9 to 25, also had other strict rules to follow, including ensuring that the children’s clothing contains no artificial fibers and only 100% cotton or wool, Mommyish.com reported. Newspapers, magazines and television were also completely banned.
Beyonce and Jay-Z’s many nannies
As of 2019, Beyonce and Jay-Z employed a total of nine nannies simultaneously for their three children, Blue Ivy, 10, and 4-year-old twins Rumi and Sir, Babygaga.com reported. The Carters probably spend more than a million dollars a year on childcare.
In addition to Blue Ivy’s three nannies, the girl also has a personal chef and other staff who take her shopping and help her with her homework at night, Babygaga.com also reported. When Blue Ivy was young, Beyonce reportedly expected the nannies to learn the dance to her hit song “Single Ladies” because it was the only thing that would calm the little girl down. All nannies who work for the Carters and can earn an annual salary of $100,000 or more must also be bilingual, preferably French.
Overly attentive male bosses
It’s almost a Hollywood tradition that male stars (Ethan Hawke, Jude Law, Robin Williams) take an interest in the young women taking care of their children. Ben Affleck is said to have continued this tradition in 2015 when he was still married to Jennifer Garner.
Rumors surfaced that he was allegedly dating Christine Ouzounian, the nanny to his three children. People magazine reported that Affleck’s month-long fling with Ouzounian eventually prompted Garner to end their troubled 10-year marriage. While Affleck has vehemently denied the claims, his marriage to Garner fell apart and Ouzounian found employment elsewhere.
“Don’t look at me” and other unique demands from stars
Some nannies have been asked to swap out their hygiene products and perfumes to ensure their scents match those of the celebrity moms they work for, Popculture.com reported.
Even stranger, multiple reports say that Charlize Theron doesn’t like it when her co-workers speak to her or make eye contact and expect the nannies for her children Jackson and August to communicate in writing, according to Mommyish.com. Just as oddly, the nannies for Mariah Carey’s 11-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe Cannon, reportedly need to be prepared to tell the diva how beautiful and talented she is throughout the day, Mommyish.com also reported.
According to a rule book Kate Gosselin wrote for her nannies, she expected them to look after her chickens in addition to her twins and sextuplets, Radar reported in 2014. That meant cleaning up the flock’s droppings daily and making sure they were bring them out of the barn every day by 8:00 a.m. at the latest and back in by 5:00 p.m. at the latest.