Other stars have it worse, been worse

A wrongful termination lawsuit filed by the former nanny of singer Halsey made headlines this week, in part because it offers a peek into the privileged private life of a celebrity, courtesy of the person who has lived in the star’s home and cared for the star’s baby.

Over the years, nannies have been a valuable source of personal information about stars. They can talk about the amazing perks of celebrity: luxury homes, going on tour, hanging out on film sets, traveling on private planes and yachts and staying in five-star hotels. They also can offer insights into a star’s personality and private habits, and dish on celebrities who are particularly eccentric and demanding in their bubbles of wealth and fame.

What keeps some celebrity nannies from talking publicly is a sense of loyalty, if they come to feel like a member of the family. But others know there are serious repercussions if they violate non-disclosure agreements. David and Victoria Beckham successfully pursued a lawsuit against a former nanny who worked for them from 2003 to 2005, and then gave an interview in which she disclosed private and confidential information about the couple’s marriage and four children.

Halsey also hit back Thursday, after the former nanny, Ashley Funches, filed her wrongful termination and discrimination lawsuit. Halsey called Hunches’ allegations “baseless” and essentially said she was fired because she was irresponsible.

But in Funches’ lawsuit, obtained by The Blast, the former nanny basically depicts Halsey as a bad bass. She said she was hired to be a “live-in attendant” to 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 work for a medical procedure.

Funches also alleged that Halsey expected her to work “around the clock on consecutive days with little to no day of rest” throughout the “majority of her employment.” The job didn’t just include caring for a baby, but “preparing meals, cleaning, laundry, cleaning breast pump materials, organizing the nursery, and running errands as needed.”

In October 2021, Funches said she began to complain to Halsey about “her long working hours” and not being paid overtime wages. In March, Funches said Halsey fired her when she requested the time off.

In a statement to Entertainment Tonight. a representative for Halsey said Funches was terminated because the singer’s “infant was left unsupervised in an unsafe location while under the nanny’s care.” Even more potentially damaging to Funches’ reputation, the rep said that “the nanny was intoxicated while the child was in her care.”

As Funches’ lawsuit makes it way through the courts, it’s a reminder of other times when the private lives of celebrities have been revealed through revelations about how they interact with their children’s caregivers. Here are some of those revelations:

Oversharing, ‘hippie’ Angelina Jolie 

People who have worked for Angelina Jolie, caring for her six children with Brad Pitt, have opened up quite a bit over the years. One former nanny told the Daily Mail that the actor, director and globe-trotting UN special envoy wasn’t very strict but expected employees to be open to hearing her share private information.

Another former nanny told the Star in 2015 that Jolie and Pitt, before they split in 2016, tolerated a pretty loose “hippie” household where their homeschooled children could decide what that they wanted to study and what they thought wasn’t worth their time.

“It’s like they’re living in a hippie commune most of the time because Angie doesn’t believe in rules. She thinks it’s important for the children to have freedom of expression, but that doesn’t always work well,” the nanny told the Star.

Even if Jolie wasn’t a strict boss, she expected her employees, including a bodyguard, to work long hours looking after the children, the Daily Mail also reported. While accompanying Jolie on lavish vacations, the nannies also were expected to keep an eye on her very rambunctious children, who were free to “run riot” over the luxury properties, according to the Star.

Round-the-clock demands

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 highly exacting mother of six, whose ages range from 9 to 25, also has had other strict rules to follow, including that the children’s clothes do not contain any manufactured fibers, only 100% cotton or wool,  Mommyish.com reported. Newspapers, magazines and TV also were completely banned.

The many nannies of Beyonce and Jay-Z 

As of 2019, Beyonce and Jay-Z employed a total of nine nannies at a time for their three children, Blue Ivy, 10, and 4-year-old twins, Rumi and Sir, Babygaga.com reported. The Carters probably spend in excess of $1 million a year on child care.

In addition to Blue Ivy’s three nannies, the girl also has a personal chef and other staff members who take her shopping and help her with homework at night, Babygaga.com also reported. When Blue Ivy was young, Beyonce supposedly expected the nannies to learn the dance to her hit song “Single Ladies” because it was the only thing that would soothe the little girl. All nannies working for the Carters, who may earn annual salaries of $100,000 or more, also need to be bilingual, preferably in French.

Overly attentive male bosses

It’s almost a Hollywood tradition for male stars (Ethan Hawke, Jude Law, Robin Williams)  to take an interest in the young women who look after their children. Ben Affleck allegedly followed in this tradition in 2015 when he was still married to Jennifer Garner.

Rumors surfaced that he allegedly was seeing Christine Ouzounian, the nanny for his three children. People magazine reported that Affleck’s months-long affair with Ouzounian finally prompted Garner to end their troubled 10-year marriage. While Affleck vehemently denied the claims, his marriage to Garner crumbled and Ouzounian found employment elsewhere.

‘Don’t look at me’ and stars’ other unique demands

Some nannies have been asked to switch their hygiene products and perfumes to make sure their scents match that of the celebrity moms they work for, Popculture.com reported.

Even more curious, several reports say that Charlize Theron doesn’t like her staff speaking to her or making eye contact, expecting the nannies for her children, Jackson and August, to communicate in writing, according to Mommyish.com. Equally as strange, the nannies for Mariah Carey’s 11-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe Cannon, supposedly have to be prepared to tell the diva how beautiful and talented she is throughout the day, Mommyish.com also reported.

Meanwhile, according to a rule book that 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 let out of the coop no later than 8 a.m. and put back in no later than 5 p.m. each day.

A wrongful termination lawsuit filed by the former nanny of singer Halsey made headlines this week, in part because it offers a peek into the privileged private life of a celebrity, courtesy of the person who has lived in the star’s home and cared for the star’s baby.

Over the years, nannies have been a valuable source of personal information about stars. They can talk about the amazing perks of celebrity: luxury homes, going on tour, hanging out on film sets, traveling on private planes and yachts and staying in five-star hotels. They also can offer insights into a star’s personality and private habits, and dish on celebrities who are particularly eccentric and demanding in their bubbles of wealth and fame.

What keeps some celebrity nannies from talking publicly is a sense of loyalty, if they come to feel like a member of the family. But others know there are serious repercussions if they violate non-disclosure agreements. David and Victoria Beckham successfully pursued a lawsuit against a former nanny who worked for them from 2003 to 2005, and then gave an interview in which she disclosed private and confidential information about the couple’s marriage and four children.

Halsey also hit back Thursday, after the former nanny, Ashley Funches, filed her wrongful termination and discrimination lawsuit. Halsey called Hunches’ allegations “baseless” and essentially said she was fired because she was irresponsible.

But in Funches’ lawsuit, obtained by The Blast, the former nanny basically depicts Halsey as a bad bass. She said she was hired to be a “live-in attendant” to 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 work for a medical procedure.

Funches also alleged that Halsey expected her to work “around the clock on consecutive days with little to no day of rest” throughout the “majority of her employment.” The job didn’t just include caring for a baby, but “preparing meals, cleaning, laundry, cleaning breast pump materials, organizing the nursery, and running errands as needed.”

In October 2021, Funches said she began to complain to Halsey about “her long working hours” and not being paid overtime wages. In March, Funches said Halsey fired her when she requested the time off.

In a statement to Entertainment Tonight. a representative for Halsey said Funches was terminated because the singer’s “infant was left unsupervised in an unsafe location while under the nanny’s care.” Even more potentially damaging to Funches’ reputation, the rep said that “the nanny was intoxicated while the child was in her care.”

As Funches’ lawsuit makes it way through the courts, it’s a reminder of other times when the private lives of celebrities have been revealed through revelations about how they interact with their children’s caregivers. Here are some of those revelations:

Oversharing, ‘hippie’ Angelina Jolie 

People who have worked for Angelina Jolie, caring for her six children with Brad Pitt, have opened up quite a bit over the years. One former nanny told the Daily Mail that the actor, director and globe-trotting UN special envoy wasn’t very strict but expected employees to be open to hearing her share private information.

Another former nanny told the Star in 2015 that Jolie and Pitt, before they split in 2016, tolerated a pretty loose “hippie” household where their homeschooled children could decide what that they wanted to study and what they thought wasn’t worth their time.

“It’s like they’re living in a hippie commune most of the time because Angie doesn’t believe in rules. She thinks it’s important for the children to have freedom of expression, but that doesn’t always work well,” the nanny told the Star.

Even if Jolie wasn’t a strict boss, she expected her employees, including a bodyguard, to work long hours looking after the children, the Daily Mail also reported. While accompanying Jolie on lavish vacations, the nannies also were expected to keep an eye on her very rambunctious children, who were free to “run riot” over the luxury properties, according to the Star.

Round-the-clock demands

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 highly exacting mother of six, whose ages range from 9 to 25, also has had other strict rules to follow, including that the children’s clothes do not contain any manufactured fibers, only 100% cotton or wool,  Mommyish.com reported. Newspapers, magazines and TV also were completely banned.

The many nannies of Beyonce and Jay-Z 

As of 2019, Beyonce and Jay-Z employed a total of nine nannies at a time for their three children, Blue Ivy, 10, and 4-year-old twins, Rumi and Sir, Babygaga.com reported. The Carters probably spend in excess of $1 million a year on child care.

In addition to Blue Ivy’s three nannies, the girl also has a personal chef and other staff members who take her shopping and help her with homework at night, Babygaga.com also reported. When Blue Ivy was young, Beyonce supposedly expected the nannies to learn the dance to her hit song “Single Ladies” because it was the only thing that would soothe the little girl. All nannies working for the Carters, who may earn annual salaries of $100,000 or more, also need to be bilingual, preferably in French.

Overly attentive male bosses

It’s almost a Hollywood tradition for male stars (Ethan Hawke, Jude Law, Robin Williams)  to take an interest in the young women who look after their children. Ben Affleck allegedly followed in this tradition in 2015 when he was still married to Jennifer Garner.

Rumors surfaced that he allegedly was seeing Christine Ouzounian, the nanny for his three children. People magazine reported that Affleck’s months-long affair with Ouzounian finally prompted Garner to end their troubled 10-year marriage. While Affleck vehemently denied the claims, his marriage to Garner crumbled and Ouzounian found employment elsewhere.

‘Don’t look at me’ and stars’ other unique demands

Some nannies have been asked to switch their hygiene products and perfumes to make sure their scents match that of the celebrity moms they work for, Popculture.com reported.

Even more curious, several reports say that Charlize Theron doesn’t like her staff speaking to her or making eye contact, expecting the nannies for her children, Jackson and August, to communicate in writing, according to Mommyish.com. Equally as strange, the nannies for Mariah Carey’s 11-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe Cannon, supposedly have to be prepared to tell the diva how beautiful and talented she is throughout the day, Mommyish.com also reported.

Meanwhile, according to a rule book that 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 let out of the coop no later than 8 a.m. and put back in no later than 5 p.m. each day.