Last year, right around this time, Mariah Carey did an interview with a radio station in which she admitted to regularly firing nannies for doing their job, basically. She said “I go through nannies like this [snaps fingers] and I hate to do that but I have to, because if they try to make themselves more important in the baby’s mind than me… [I fire them].” So she said that if a nanny was loving toward her children that was grounds for dismissal, which is ridiculous. Mariah wanted her nanny act to cold and distant toward her twins, who were not yet three at the time, so that they would soak up any scraps of attention that she was able to give them. It’s all about Mariah’s ego and not about her babies having a loving caregiver. The minute they get attached to anyone, Mariah yanks them away.
Now one of Mariah’s former nannies is suing her and her estranged husband, Nick Cannon, for wrongful termination, unpaid wages and damages. TMZ has the details. A woman named Simonette DaCosta, the “full-time nanny when the kids were just infants” claims in her lawsuit that “the singer berated her for showing too much affection” to the children and that she was fired for it. DaCosta also claims to have worked overtime of up to 100 hours a week.
Of course I believe this nanny, because Mariah has already confirmed that she fires nannies for caring about her children. Mariah also said at the time that “I just brought a girl back home with me from Puerto Rico” to nanny. Way to give loving consistency to your children.
Meanwhile Mariah officially announced her Vegas Caesars Palace residency a couple of weeks ago. While it’s unknown how much she’s making, it’s thought that she’ll bank even more than Britney, who is earning $30 million for her two year residency. She may need to save some of that money for both this lawsuit and her divorce. We’ll probably never know what Mariah has to cough up to Nick, who is of course wealthy in his own right. As Kaiser reported earlier this month, there are confidentiality clauses built into their prenup.
Photo of Mariah in blue is the most recent, from 1-15-15. All other photos from December. Credit: FameFlynet and WENN.com
Part of me hopes that we get some really great, crazy-diva stories out of this, but the other part of me feels sorry for her kids. I cannot imagine what growing up in House Carey is like.
I just feel entirely for the children. I love me some juicy gossip (obviously) but those babies’ lives sound so sad, at the very least they have each other, pretty much the only consistency they’ll have is each other.
What a horrible woman. No child can have too many people to love them!
I was a nanny for two years for one family and a nanny to other prior to that, and let me tell you, only crazy and stupidly selfish people hire nannies. I’ve worked for wealthy moms five days a week who would just refer to me as the babysitter, which honestly looking back was preferable because the second the mom or dad came home, I was done for the day and they would take over care for the children. As a nanny, you’re responsible for every aspect of the child’s life from waking to sleeping, even while the parents are there and essentially just focusing on themselves. 100 hours a week is similar to what I used to do for one family and the parents did not want to see the children at all. If I could go back and sue that family, I absolutely would.
Aside from that, I’ve said it before and people called me crazy, how the hell would Mariah bank more money than Britney is Vegas? It makes zero sense to me. Aside from the fact that her heyday ended a decade and a half ago and she hasn’t done anything but become a crazy person since, who would want to see that bloated has been who lost her ability to sing on stage while vacationing in Vegas? What, is she going to sing that Christmas song every night?
Last paragraph made me giggle. Yeah, Mariah bugs. Big time.
I had a nanny when I was little because my parents worked awful hours. If my parents pulled a Mariah with her, I’d be devastated.
That being said, it really depends on the family in how nannies are treated. My parents still talk to and love my nanny, and she’s still a part of my life. Some families I know are pretty selfish with their child are and kids though.
She can’t even sing that Xmas song. Britney may be lethargic and lip syncing, but at least she can still move to the beat. I don’t know what Mariah’s going to do for a show.
I’m a little offended by your comment. I had a nanny for three years, because I didn’t want to put my son in daycare. We’re not wealthy, I’m just a working mom. I don’t think that I’m crazy or selfish. My nanny was loving and took good care of my son and I was glad to be able to provide that consistency for him. She worked when I worked and had off when I was off. I’m a pretty hands on mom, but I still had a nanny. I’m glad that we had the means to be able to scrape together and afford that type of care for my son and I take offense to being categorized as selfish and crazy for it. Likewise, I had a nanny growing up as well. We weren’t wealthy, but my parents had some very bad experiences with childcare prior to hiring our nanny. My nanny is still a part of our family and although she has not worked for us in over 20 years, remains close friends with my mother. Again, not crazy or selfish. I understand that you may have worked for some crazy entitled people and having worked in childcare myself – I know they’re out there, but there are plenty of people who hire nannies specifically because they want individual and loving care for their children.
Uh. I have a nanny and am neither crazy, selfish, not do I expect her to raise my children and keep them out of sight. She goes home when I or my husband get home, if we are not home during a meal, bath time, or bed time she is responsible for that, but a a babysitter would also be required to take care of those things.
That was a very broad stroke Sass Back used. I’m sure they can only speak for their personal account and cannot know why everyone who hires a nanny does so.
Smh
Your family sounds crazy, but why would all people who hire nannies be selfish? A lot of people around here have nannies because they work unpredictable schedules, and there are a lot of moms who are doctors and might work 3 days a week, but extremely long hours for those three days, which doesn’t work for day care. And those who work constant long hours might think it is better for the kids to be home for part of the day, as opposed to being in daycare for so many hours in a row. I am on the opposite end – I work from a home office and I decided to have a nanny when my kids were babies so I could see them more often and nurse without having to pump (also the local daycare was full and only now has a spot open for my son when he turns 2 next fall).
That said, I think it is a situation that can lend itself to crazy demands, and because it is often under the table, there is rarely a written contact with specific job responsibilities laid out, and because you are in someone’s house, raising their kids, the employer-employee relationship can be fraught. I worked as a nanny when I was younger for a stay-at-home mom with three little boys in the summers when they were out of school. I thought she was crazy and spoiled at the time, but now with kids of my own, I can see the temptation of hiring a nanny to give you a few free hours if you were rich enough.
It sounds like you need to hold out for better families. I am also a nanny and I have never worked for a family like that, but I have interviewed with plenty.
If you have such an issue with a caregiver/nanny loving on your children or showing them care and affection then maybe it’s time to quit your career and be the only factor in your babies lives. Pretty simple Mariah.
She’s to busy drinking herself blind. Sad, those poor kids. Mariah has always struck me as odd and not the sharpest knife in the drawer. God blessed her with a voice, but not much else. As long as she is making money for someone, the train wreck will continue.
How about you stop acting like a desperate teenager and be a parent for a little while?
That’s probably very judgy of me. She should have her career if she wants it. However, I do think her children should have some priority in her life other than another audience to worship her, which is how this situation sounds.
Couldn’t care less about her music (all that SCREECHING!) but I’ve always had a teeny soft spot for Mariah. I think because she’s so unashamedly DIVA and it’s refreshing in the face of so many bland, indentikit singers with PR that work like demons to hide any quirks for fear of alienating the fans. She’s proper old-school PERSONALITY.
Having said which, that’s very sad about firing nannies that show any affection for her kids. I echo others sentiments – those poor children.
And – god – I can’t imagine how difficult it must be being married to/working for that.
Gross, just gross.So many working moms would love to be able to afford a private nanny, and this person just talks about these ladies as if they were toilet paper. And I feel so bad for the babies. I hope she gets her head out of her ass.
Booze bloat.
You know the nanny wouldnt sue if they werent rich- BUT, those kids are going to have major issues.
Those poor kids.
I’m there too. Although, there are kids with worse circumstances out there. The worst these kids have is a mother who is a nut that only wants her children to have affection for her.
They are well cared for though in every way. In time they’ll grow up and figure things out.
Woman is half crazy, what do we expect from her anyway. Feel sorry for her kids.
A totally different situation but when I drop my son at day care, I want the carers to like and look after him like do. If I had a nanny I would want them to love and look after my child the same. It can’t be healthy for those twins having nannies that are forced to be cold to them or if they are kind they there shipped off. I can’t see Mariah been a hands on mum. I imagine she would sleep late and would see the children for an hour or two some days. Now this is all hear say but it’s just the vibe I get off her.
What in the hell!? What kind of twisted mentality is that? She obviously doesn’t care about what’s best for her children, which would be a loving nanny since mommy is too selfish and egotistical, she’s insane.
How many different people does Mariah want her kids to know? She’s probably mad and jealous when she sees her kids getting closer to the nannies than they are to her.
Oh THIS is gonna be good! Those kids are almost 4? Combined with their mother’s mental illness and a parade of uncaring nannies, we should be witness to some spectacular shenanigans starting in about 10 years.
It breaks my heart thinking about those poor children having to get used to new caretakers so often! Ugh she’s just the worst.
Some women pray to God and will do anything to have a child or more children and this nutcase could careless about the two she has. Jealous of nannies who love your children. WTF! Mariah is so narcissistic and crazy that she does not deserve to be a mom.
I am waiting for her twins’ tell-all book 20 years from now.
She’s gross. Yes Idiot, they liked the nanny better, and still do! They are hurt and mourning because of your selfishness!
Little kids bond with who is around a lot and is kind too them. If moms put in the time when they get home and on weekends (ALOT of time) no big deal. If not? Sorry but they will like the nanny more. Get over it!
She’s so damn insecure, and it’s her children who have to pay the cost of that.
I’m going to take another angle of this. This nanny wants money. End of Story. I’m sure it was exaplined to her what was expected. The nanny didn’t deliver. Her position was terminated. The world has know Mariah is wacky for some time now. This person wasn’t naive.
Forget how you would want your child to be cared for. This isn’t your child and you did not hire this nanny with strict expectations. The nanny overstepped. It’s really that simple. I’m not going to play the “if” game here because we would all agree.
Yeah, I’m with you. Unpaid overtime she should definitely sue for, but wrongful termination? There’s no law that protects you from being fired if your boss doesn’t like your performance. People look for different things in nannies. My kids are older, so I want a tutor/mentor type. If a babysitter came along and tried to “mother” my kids, I’d be uncomfortable and wouldn’t hire them. I’ve had friends talk about nannies overriding them when it comes to discipline, sleep training, starting solids, etc.
You know, JLo looks fantastic, no one works harder to look good, but for me Mariah is a true diva. She is one hot mess, but she’s got true divatude.
I just think she meant if they try to be too motherly and assume her role that’s not acceptable and I wouldn’t want that either you’re spending more time with their children than the parents no parent wants to see somebody else assuming their responsibility as their mother or father, no one that’s not crazy.