‘Sounds like JLo’: LA nanny reveals absolutely insane rule she had to follow when working for a rich and famous client

A former Hollywood nanny has gone viral on TikTok after revealing the insane rule a rich and famous client enforced on their staff. BBsmalls told the unbelievable story to her 36,000 followers, who couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

BBsmalls had worked as a high-profile nanny for a decade when she was interviewed for a role working for someone who “had several businesses and owned a famous sports team” — and she was taken aback when the would-be client informed her of a crazy rule she would have to follow if she got the job.

So, what was that rule? The client wanted their family’s life to be as “normal” as possible, so the rule was that their household help was not allowed to be seen. Yes, you read that right: The household staff always had to remain invisible.

This involved leaving any rooms the family was likely to enter before they arrived home. Sometimes, due to the large rooms in their massive house, that wasn’t always possible, so household staff would have to hide behind curtains or under a blanket beneath a table. Staff may even have to be in that position for over an hour if the family had a lengthy telephone conversation in that room — because that is definitely “normal” and not at all weird and disrespectful to the fundamental humanity of their staff.

BBsmalls explained that she didn’t take the job, which shocked the client, who obviously believes making people hide is perfectly acceptable. In the video’s description, she wrote, “This is one situation where I knew I wouldn’t do well.”

Naturally, the response was ample, with BBsmalls’ followers having much to say about her wild story.

How did TikTok react to this?

As you might expect, the responses primarily expressed disgust and disbelief. Some commenters attempted to guess who the client might have been, and a common name appeared multiple times.

*Fergie420* queried, “Why does this sound like Adrianne Maloof?” A2theB asked, “The Malouf Family???” and JennCltn wrote, “Tell me this was Adrienne Maloof.” Adrienne Maloof is a businesswoman with stakes in many businesses and a couple of sports teams, so she certainly fits BBsmalls’ description. Another user, Lily, believes the description “sounds like JLO.” However, JLo doesn’t own a sports team.

Despite the various names that cropped up as everyone tried to guess who it was, the comments were unanimous in expressing their disgust, exclaiming they wouldn’t also do it for “any amount of money 💯” and backing up the fact that these “people are sick.”

One came up with a novel idea to avoid having to hide while doing the job, commenting, “Ask them to wear bells so you could hear them coming.” Meanwhile, @louisegilder suggested a great way to exploit the situation, writing, “I would not show up and say I was there but really good at being unseen 😂”

Others pointed out how weird it would be being in your own house and not knowing if staff were hiding in the room you were in. One of the comments accurately summed up the situation, pointing out that “if I were the family I’d feel so creeped out wondering if I was truly alone in the room or if there were 50 people randomly hiding all around me.” Another echoed similar sentiments, stating that they “can’t imagine going to my bedroom to have a private and personal call and someone is hiding behind the curtain or under the bed listening to everything. How is that better than seeing them.”

Bifocals_and_a_baby made an interesting point about the client’s motives, pointing out that maybe this questionable client loves humiliating the “hired help.” Hmm, classic Karen attitude, something America is yet to get rid of.

Thankfully, people with experience in the home help world responded with good experiences, proving that not everyone who employs such people is horrible. mikemannion8 wrote, “My friend was a chef for the Kraft family they bought him a home on Martha’s Vineyard when he retired.” Wellbethere123 reminisced how they “had a nanny and treated her like gold because I never wanted her to leave. She ended up falling in love with my husband’s boss. Her house is bigger than mine. Good for her!”

This kind of thing isn’t common, and BBsmalls was unfortunate to be exposed to the worst of the nannying world. According to a study by nanny payroll service GTM in 2022, 88% of nannies are satisfied or very satisfied with their career choice. Shame on whoever the client was in this instance, but luckily the justified shock at BBsmalls revelations (which shows this bizarre behavior ain’t common) and the many positive stories have restored our faith in humanity.