Hollywood works in mysterious ways. The likes of Jay-Z and Beyoncé are willing to pay a premium when it comes to the services of a nanny. However, the opposite holds true for other couples, such as Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, who decided to be hands-on with their parenting approach.
Opting for a nanny is not a bad thing, however, it does not always end well. Just ask Jennifer Lopez, who went through several nannies as her kids grew up. Turns out, her schedule was just way too demanding for a nanny to stick.
It was a similar situation with Mariah Carey, who also struggled to maintain a nanny. We will look back on why she was sued by a former nanny, along with other struggles she faced with former employees, including an ex-assistant.
Updated on April 10, 2023: Due to the big court case with her former nanny, Maria Burgues, Mariah Carey has been much quieter about her nanny situation in recent months. It appears that she is trying to be more involved with her twins now that they are older (11 years old). Whether she has help with childcare on the down-low or she has attempted to go about parenting on her own, there has definitely been a shift in Carey's parenting dynamic.
Mariah Carey Hasn't Had The Best Success With Former Employees, Getting Taken To Court On Multiple Occasions
Things were not always running the smoothest between Mariah Carey and her team. Her former assistant Lianna Shakhnazaryan filed a lawsuit against Carey, claiming she was tormented by Mariah's manager, Stella Bulochnikov.
It all took a crazier turn when Carey decided to counter-sue her former assistant, claiming that Lianna attempted to extort and record her on multiple occasions.
People wrote, "Court documents obtained by PEOPLE state that the singer is suing Lianna Shakhnazarian, Carey’s executive assistant from March 2015 to November 2017, for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, extortion and invasion of privacy. Carey is seeking damages upwards of $3,000,000."
People continues, "The lawsuit alleges that Shakhnazaryan, also known as Lianna Azarian, 'turned out to be a grifter, a Peeping Tom(asina) and an extortionist,' alleging that Shakhnazaryan secretly filmed Carey without her knowledge."
It was also revealed that the assistant wanted to release personal and intimate videos of the singer. Nonetheless, the entire ordeal was eventual taken care of outside of court, with both sides coming to an agreement. As it turns out, it would not be the only time Carey got sued by an employee...
Mariah Carey Got Sued By Her Nanny For Being Over-Worked And Making A 'Low Salary'
While fighting a lawsuit with her assistant, Carey had another court battle come her way in late 2019. This time around, it was Carey's nanny who took offense to her working conditions.
According to former nanny Maria Burgues, she was underpaid for her job, making $25 an hour, while receiving no compensation for lengthy hours of travel alongside the family.
In her lawsuit, the nanny also made mention that the working conditions were less than ideal. Burgues had complained about the treatment she was getting from Carey's bodyguard. Despite her complaints, nothing was addressed.
Variety wrote, "Carey’s children had a bodyguard, Marcio Moto, who routinely yelled at Burgues and made her feel threatened."
"In December 2017, Burgues claims that they were all driving to Las Vegas together, and Moto started yelling at Burgues and threatened to kick her out of the car and leave her by the road. She complained about the incident, but says nothing was done."
Without a doubt, Carey must regret getting a nanny in the first place, as years prior she told Hello Magazine that a nanny would not stick in her household... and it turns out she was right.
Mariah Carey Was Never Into The Idea Of A Nanny And Fired Several In The Past
Speaking alongside a New York radio station back in 2014, even then, Mariah Carey revealed nannies in her household were not ideal and generally did not stick, "Unfortunately I have to have nannies," she said. "But I’m very hands-on. I fire nannies like this (snapping her fingers)."
Carey further revealed that she did not like giving the nannies the boot, but it was necessary.
"I hate doing it," she revealed. "But I have to [in case] they try to make themselves more important in the baby’s mind than me."
She continued, "I wouldn’t be just like, ‘Oh, I’m having a child, yay! Let me get a nanny so I can give her the baby. Take the kid’," she said. "That doesn’t work for me, I don’t believe in that."
Well, Carey may have gone back on her words a few years later down the road. Obviously, looking back, Carey did not have a good record with her nannies.