The Truth About Celebrity Nannies Baby Nurses
When we see our favorite celebrities posing for photoshoots with serene babies, or posting perfect Instagrams of their homes, we can’t help but wonder if some people just have a knack for parenting. Thankfully, there are also honest celebrity moms and dads out there who reveal the truth about how they “do it all”: with the help of really good nannies, babysitters, and night nurses.
In fact, unless they’ve said otherwise, you can assume that a lot of the actors, designers, and musical artists you love are getting a little help in the childcare department. After all, there is someone holding up the phone for those perfect Instagram photos and watching the kids while they work on movie sets. For years, many celebrity moms have been a little bit bashful about this fact, and they kept their nannies, baby nurses, and babysitters out of the picture, never mentioning them. The only times we ever had hints that nannies existed in Hollywood was when straying husbands were caught cheating with them (ahem, Ben Affleck), or when some caregiver had enough of their demanding famous bosses (looking at you, Mariah Carey) and leaked their life details to the press.
Thankfully, we find ourselves in an age of a more “confessional” style of parenting. Everyone is admitting that it’s nearly impossible to raise kids in this world, and a handful have been ready to tell us about the women (and sometimes men) who keep things running at home to make their career successes possible. If it was okay for important men of history to rely on stay-at-home wives to make their work possible, important women can get help, too. That’s why nannies are coming out of the shadows and getting shout-outs on Instagram, publishing deals, and even cameos in an SNL video by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. Oversharing moms like Amy Schumer are giving night nurses credit for their postpartum mental health, too.
“I don’t know how not to be honest,” Shonda Rhimes told USA Today of why she credits her nanny when she answers that age-old question of how she does it all. “It does such a disservice to any other woman who’s out there reading and thinking, ‘Oh, it’s so easy for somebody else,’ And it’s not easy. It’s not easy for me. So I know it can’t be easy for somebody who doesn’t have any help. It felt like [I] should absolutely be honest as to how it works and how it is.”
When we learn that busy and accomplished women like this have help, it makes the rest of us feel better about not doing as much as they do. At the same time, we still feel super jealous. What would the rest of us be able to accomplish with a household staff? Or even just with good maternity leave and affordable childcare?
Well, we can ponder our desire for an equitable economy another time. For now, let’s just enjoy these famous moms and dads being honest about their awesome nannies.
A version of this story was originally published on July 30, 2020.
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Allison Holker
So You Think You Can Dance judge and mom of three Allison Holker said in 2024 that her nanny of eight years is like her sister. The two care for
“My kids see her as their big sister, second mom,” she told People. “Some people probably meet us and think we’re married at this point because every decision I make, we make together. And I’m not shy about that.”
“Of course I’m the parent, but I respect her so much that her opinion matters in our home as well, even if it’s different than mine,” she continued. “And so I just really respect that she has been such a player in our lives for so long.”
Chrissy Teigen
“We have 4 incredible people, not all at once,” Teigen responded to a question on Twitter about how many nannies she has. “One will rotate and stay through the night.”
On Mother’s Day 2023, Teigen was praised for transparency after she shouted out her four nannies in a sweet Instagram tribute. The post featured photos of the nannies snuggling her kids, and was captioned, “Grateful for all the people who make it possible for me to be the best mother I can possibly be. I am endlessly thankful for your presence in this home and all our lives. we love you.”
Tamron Hall
“I’ve talked about the fact that our nanny lives with us,” Tamron Hall told SheKnows in February 2023. “It’s impossible to do it without her; my nearest family members are 2 thousand miles away. And I made a very conscious and deliberate decision to make sure people knew this about my life. I wasn’t going to pretend and I also felt that [to do so] was diminishing this great woman who chose a career to care for my son when I’m not able to be there.”
Busy Philipps
Busy Phillips graciously wished a Happy Mother’s Day to all the nannies she’s had throughout the years in a poignant Instagram post.
“Being a mom isn’t a called a job for nothing,” the post was captioned, alongside a carousel of photos featuring her kids and their nannies. “And I wouldn’t have made it this far as a mom and a human without the incredible women who’ve helped me show up for my kids as my best self. Their love and care for my kids has allowed me to go to work and travel with the knowledge that the two humans most important to me will be taken care of.”
Philipps concluded the post by saying, “Happy Mother’s Day to all who mother, especially the ones who maybe don’t always get the credit for it.”
Jemima Kirke
Jemima Kirke shared a blatantly honest tidbit in an Instagram post that people rarely say out loud (even if they agree). The Girls actor “can’t stand playing with children.” And so, she gave her children’s nanny a big thank you on Mother’s Day.
“You’ve saved them and me a whole lot of boredom,” she said. “Thank you for making me a better mother and for being nothing short of another mom to my children.”
Amy Schumer
Though she had a hell of a pregnancy, Amy Schumer told the What to Expect podcast that she didn’t experience postpartum depression, for which she credits the help she got: “I had a baby nurse, and I have an assistant. So I think that if I didn’t have those luxuries, I’m sure I would be in that club.”
Ali Fedotowsky-Manno
“I think for a while I was too embarrassed to get someone to help me because I was worried about being judged for not being able to do it all myself,” Fedotowsky-Manno wrote on Instagram. “And ya know what, I’m kind of upset with myself for waiting as long as I did because not only am I a better mommy now but I feel like I have some of my sanity back.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry opened up about the invaluable role their son Archie’s former nanny played in not only their son’s life, but their family’s life.
“She just took care of, not just Archie, but she took care of us,” Markle said. “She definitely took care of me.”
When Lorren Khumalo first visited the family’s then-home of Frogmore Cottage, she felt instantly at ease when she saw Prince Harry walking barefoot in the garden. She soon fell into a routine with the family and asked if she could incorporate Zimbabwean traditions into her caregiving.
“She said, ‘Is it ok if I tie him on my back with a mud cloth like we do in Zimbabwe?'” Markle remembered. “I said, ‘Yes! Let’s do that.'”
Prince Harry remembers Archie sleeping soundly while holding Khumalo’s back.
“It was brilliant,” he said.
Melanie Lynskey
After winning the Critic’s Choice Best Actress in a Drama Series award in 2022 for her performance in Yellowjackets, actor Melanie Lynskey took to the stage and thanked a pivotal person in her life.
“The most important person I have to thank before I finish is my nanny, Sally,” she said. “I love her. She’s an absolute angel. She’s with my child, and I know my child is safe and taken care of, and she allows me to go and do my work. Thank you, Sally. I love you so much.”
In the eyes of many, that public display of gratitude was just as (if not more) praise-worthy as the award itself.
Amanda Kloots
In a May 2021 episode of The Talk, co-host Amanda Kloots said her manny, nanny, and amazing friends “will literally help me at any moment of the day,” but it is understandably still hard to be a single mom while navigating the immense grief of losing her late husband Nick Cordero to COVID-19.
In a moving Instagram tribute, she expressed just how much one manny means to her and her son Elvis, 3.
“After Nick passed and I realized I needed a lot of help, this wonderful human stepped into our lives as his manny. I really wanted a manny because I knew Elvis needed male energy in his life. What I didn’t know was how much he would help us both,” she said. “Thom, you have been the best example to my son. You brighten his day, taught him manners, kept him (well put him) on a schedule, cared for him like he was your own, helped us through so many life transitions, stayed late, arrived early…. there is nothing ever that you said you couldn’t do for us or help us with. I honestly don’t know what we will do without you. You are one of the most fantastic human beings I know and everyone that knows you thinks the same.”
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper’s son Wyatt was sleeping through the night at just 3 months old, and the broadcast journalist was quick to give credit to Wyatt’s “amazing” caregiver for making that possible.
“I have an amazing nurse…I’m not sure what she’s done, but I’m told there’s no Ambien or whiskey involved,” he joked.
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried has been vocal about just how much she appreciates the childcare her mother provides. She moved into Seyfriend’s house after her daughter Nina was born, and she hasn’t moved out. And honestly, Seyfried told The Sunday Times, she doesn’t want her to.
In an intervew with Molner’s Table, she said her mother is not only Nina’s nanny, but her “third parent.”
“I am so lucky, I know I am,” the Mamma Mia star said.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
Blake Lively leans on her parents for help with her and husband Ryan Reynolds’ children. They are “pretty much the nannies,” she said, and she is quick to sing their praises.
“They are the best baby nurses you could pray for,” she said. “They raised five kids so they know what they are doing.”
Megan Fox
When Megan Fox’s son Noah was an infant, she and her then-husband Brian Austin Green hired a night nurse. This choice was not only made for the sake of their baby’s wellbeing, but for the sake of their marriage. She told TV host Jay Leno that she “overestimated her abilities,” and so she didn’t hire help originally.
“I had no idea how difficult babies could be, so Brian and I were exhausted,” she said.
It’s a reality all parents face, no matter how happy they are to have a child. The Transformers actor said she always wanted to be a mom and that she gets more satisfaction from motherhood than her career.
“But I said to Brian, ‘We have to get a night nurse or we’re going to get a divorce because someone’s got to sleep in this house or we’re going to kill each other.'”
Zoe Kazan
In a 2022 interview with Marie Claire, actress Zoe Kazan explained that the only way she and her husband, actor Paul Dano, could continue their careers after having a child was to rely on a nanny and family support.
“We started filming [She Said] the exact same day that Paul started filming in Los Angeles. Our daughter had two parents who were working 17-hour days on opposite sides of the country. And the only way that we could make that work was that I had to have a really extraordinary nanny, who I am so indebted to. And my parents relocated for almost three months.”
She continued, “My mother was a working mother who did not have someone doing that for her. And the reason that she feels so missionized, I think, to do this for us is to give me a different experience than she had. And so that was on my mind every day when I went to work.”
Speaking of her upcoming movie, Kazan explained, “Those scenes of motherhood in the movie were actually some of the most important scenes to me. Everyone talks about work-life balance, but it’s also really hard to balance your priorities. I wanted to be the person who took my daughter to her first day of preschool, and I couldn’t do that because I felt like this job, this work was as important as that. And vice versa. I was just really relieved to read a script where that was represented and where I could put that part of myself in there… It made me feel not alone.”
In a 2020 tweet, she said urged more people who win awards on TV to thank their children’s various caregivers. She went on to say that though she and her husband were only parents for a little over a year at that point, they had “employed more than a dozen women over three continents in that time.”
“All of whom have made it possible for us to do our jobs; this is not to mention our family & friends who have pitched in,” she said. “The debt is immense.”
Michelle Obama
During a conversation with NPR, Former First Lady Michelle Obama opened up about adding a nanny to her support system while shedding a light on the fact that most women aren’t able to do so for their families.
“There is no shame in getting support. Your kids will value it; they will value you being less stressed. The guilty part of that piece, if you’re a woman who has the resources, is that we all know women who don’t have that choice.”
She continued, “Sometimes we hide it because it’s like, ‘Dang, how am I talking about a nanny and a this and a that when I know that there are women, my peers, my cousins, who don’t have that support. They’re doing just as much as I’m doing but they don’t have access to affordable childcare. They couldn’t think of having a nanny. They don’t have flexibility in their work schedules.’ So part of it is that there’s kind of survivor’s remorse about what you’re able to do.”
George Clooney & Amal Clooney
George and Amal Clooney don’t have a parade of caretakers in and out of their home. They rely on just one to care for their twins Ella and Alexander, who were born in 2017.
“We don’t, because it’s so important to Amal [to be involved],” the actor told The Guardian in December 2021. “We have a nanny four days a week and the rest of the time it’s just us. And during lockdown it was just us – for a full year! I felt like my mother in 1964, doing dishes and six loads of laundry a day.”
Brooklyn Decker
“As far as how I do it all, to be totally frank, I have help,” the Grace and Frankie actress told SheKnows in an exclusive interview. “I have a wonderful nanny who makes it so that I know my kids are safe and taken care of when I have to travel. And I have a husband who’s retired… We have this unique luxury of really being able to offer each other professional support and have the resources to be able to have childcare. And that’s the only way I can do it. That’s the only way.”
Shonda Rhimes
“I’ve read a lot of books written by and about working women and I’m struck by the fact no one ever seems to want to talk about having help at home,” the TV producer wrote in her book, Year of Yes. “Which I think is not so helpful to the women who don’t have help at home.”
Gwyneth Paltrow
“I have an amazing nanny,” Paltrow told V Magazine in 2008. “I didn’t have one till Apple was 14 months old, but then, because we were going on tour, we found someone fantastic. She’s been with us ever since.”
Later, after switching nannies, she told Harper’s Bazaar, “She’s French, so she’s teaching them French, and their previous nanny was Spanish, so they’re fluent in Spanish.”
Gwen Stefani
“I’m super-unorganized, a real procrastinator, time management is non-existent,” Stefani told Stylist magazine in 2016. “When I had [my children], I realized I couldn’t be selfish anymore. … My time away needs to be productive, and my time with them needs to be productive. It’s a lot of depending on a lot of other people. I had to interview 67 nannies alone, in this room, to get the people I have now.” (And yeah, this was after ex Gavin Rossdale was rumored to have slept with a previous nanny.)
Hilaria Baldwin
“It’s so interesting with the whole nanny conversation,” the yoga entrepreneur and Mom Brain podcaster told podcast Mom School. “People will write to you and say, ‘Ugh, she has a nanny’ — but that doesn’t mean that you don’t take care of your own kids. It literally means I am also working. I work every single day. And for people to make you feel badly about that is not fair. … Neither my family or Alec’s family live close … It is OK to accept help, and there is no shame that other people should give you because of that.”
Jessica Alba
“I’d like to introduce y’all to a very special person. My sweet @nannyconnie,” Alba wrote on Instagram when Connie Simpson released her book, The Nanny Connie Way. “Nearly 10 years ago she came into my life and showed me the ropes with my newborn baby Honor — even though it was for only 3 weeks, as a new mom, it set the stage for me to take on the biggest, most important thing that had ever happened to me. She taught me how to bathe, breastfeed and soothe my new baby. And taught me about the importance of taking care of myself and gave me the space to have all the feels and not feel so alone.”
Jessica Biel
“Our story with Nanny Connie started the day we brought our son home from the hospital,” Biel wrote in nanny Connie Simpson’s book (yep, the same Connie who worked for Jessica Alba and many other celebs). “That may sound like a normal statement coming from new parents, except our birth plan was anything but normal. … When all our plans fell apart and the serene, natural childbirth we had envisioned ended with a transfer to the hospital and an emergency C-section, we arrived home exhausted, disillusioned, and totally in shock.”
Jessica Biel said on The Drew Barrymore Show in May 2022 that she is thankful for her support system, specifically her two wonderful nannies.
In the interview, she said, “There’s no way my life … would exist without the two wonderful nannies that take care of my beautiful kids. Thank you to everyone out there who’s making everyone else’s life possible outside of the house, we could not do it without the support teams that we have — and we shouldn’t be ashamed to tell the truth about that.”
Amy Poehler
“I have thought very hard and long about what has influenced me over the past couple of years,” she said at the Time 100 gala in 2011. “And it was the women who helped me take care of my children. It is Jackie Johnson from Trinidad and it is Dawa Chodon from Tibet, who come to my house and help me raise my children. And for you working women who are out there tonight who get to do what you get to do because there are wonderful people who help you at home, I would like to take a moment to thank those people, some of whom are watching your children right now, while you’re at this event. Those are people who love your children as much as you do, and who inspire them and influence them. So on behalf of every sister and mother and person who stands in your kitchen and helps you love your child, I say thank you and I celebrate you tonight.”
Ali Wong
“I didn’t expect to be so comfortable handing my child off to a nanny without getting any of her information,” Wong told Paste magazine. “As soon as she arrived at my house, I threw my baby in her arms and went to Target. She gave me her driver’s license a week after—she was like, ‘Uh, you should probably have my address, since you gave me the keys to your house and your child.’ And we were like, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s probably a good idea.’”
Charlize Theron
“In the beginning, I wanted to do it all and didn’t reach out for as much help as I actually needed,” she told Elle. “I felt, If I don’t do all of this, then maybe I am a bad parent. The second time, I realized I am happier and my kids are happier if I ask for more help. People think I have a staff of 40, but I don’t. I have one nanny and my mom up the street and amazing friends and family. I call them my village. But I’ve learned to balance things out more. I look at my fuel gauge and think, Is it full or is it empty? Then it’s up to me to decide how to fill that tank back up or just remain empty. But what can you do on an empty tank?”
Zoe Saldana
Asked how she balances home and work, Saldana told ItstheVibe.com, “Our assistant, our nanny, and our housekeeper. They are literally raising our children with us. It’s because of them I am able to rip myself away as long as I can, and my husband as well, to do what we do. They’re teaching us how to manage our pain as they’re raising our kids with us.”
Victoria Beckham
“If there’s a parents’ night or Easter bonnet parade or nativity parade, I plan around that so I can be heavily involved,” she said at the Vogue Festival in 2013, according to the Evening Standard. “But it’s difficult juggling working, having the children, having a husband who travels. I do have a bit of help, I have a nanny, I can’t do it all myself. I really enjoy being a mum. But I also love what I do. I think anyone who says it’s easy is lying.”
Channing Tatum
“I am sleeping a little, probably a little more than most,” Tatum told the Hollywood Reporter. “A lot of people who have a baby probably don’t have as much rest as I do. We have [a nanny] helping us manage all the risks of having a newborn.”
Mariah Carey
“Unfortunately, I have to have nannies.” she told New York’s Power 105.6. “But I’m very hands on. I fire nannies like this. I hate doing it, but I have to [in case] they try to make themselves more important in the baby’s mind than me.”
Andy Cohen (and Anderson Cooper)
“I’ve been talking about my nanny [saying] she’s leaving, that she’s gonna go help out a friend. And the moment Anderson announced it, I got a bunch of DMs from eagle-eared Radio Andy listeners saying, ‘Wait… is that where your nanny went?’’ Cohen explained of handing off his son’s nanny to Cooper on his SiriusXM radio show. “The answer is yes, that is where my nanny went.”
Jennifer Garner
“I see my kids’ nanny liking everything you put up with your gorgeous kids and I’m here to tell you, don’t get any ideas, either one of you,” Jennifer Garner commented on one of Chrissy Teigen’s Instagram post of Luna and Miles. This was not, by the way, the nanny who had an affair with Garner’s ex-husband, Ben Affleck.
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