Vault: These Are Some Wild Nanny Horror Stories

Summary

The Bert Show

Episode Title: Vault: These Are Some Wild Nanny Horror Stories
Date: February 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, The Bert Show dives deep into the reality of being a nanny by sharing candid, sometimes shocking “nanny horror stories.” Featuring live calls from nannies, the cast explores inappropriate employer behavior, family drama, outrageous job demands, and the hidden dynamics of private childcare. With both funny and jaw-dropping tales, the episode sheds light on what nannies endure and why these untold stories deserve more attention.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Living the Nanny Experience: Boundaries and Betrayals

• Amanda, a seasoned nanny (10 years' experience, voice-disguised), recounts how nannies frequently encounter blurred boundaries—especially when parents forget “there is another person in their home” [03:23].
• Affairs and Secrecy: Amanda describes witnessing extramarital affairs and being threatened to stay silent:
  • “I caught one father with his hand in the cookie jar. I mean, red handed. And later he approached me and told me if I breathed a word of it to his wife, I would be fired on the spot with no severance pay.” – Amanda [04:05]
• Attachment to Kids vs. Toxic Households: Amanda emphasizes the emotional toll—while caring for the children, she’s forced to navigate the fallout of adult secrets.

2. Parental Blindspots & Gender Dynamics

• The hosts and Amanda discuss how many moms act “oblivious” to inappropriate behavior from their husbands, especially in affluent families.
  • “The more wealthy the people were, the worse this would be. Generally, the dads would just look at you like you’re a piece of meat or you’re there to do more than take care of kids.” – Amanda [05:32]

3. Interview Tactics and Lessons Learned

• Amanda describes the importance of meeting both parents before accepting a job: “Those are things you learn from experience—definitely what to look for and what not to” [06:33].

4. Listener Call-Ins: More Shocking Stories

A. Accusations Leading to Court (Custody Case)

• Caller’s Story: Worked for a single dad; ex-wife accused them of an affair, violating custody agreement. She was taken to court and lost a month of work while custody issues were resolved.
  • “His ex-wife … decided she was gonna take us to court because she assumed we were sleeping together.” – Caller [07:07]

B. Nanny from New Zealand: Grimy and Degrading Chores

• Caller (from New Zealand): Came to the US after a phone interview, only to become a combination nanny, housekeeper, and general cleaner. Describes disgusting chores and false promises.
  • “The father actually had his own private bathroom because the wife wouldn’t use it after him … He would put his nose contents on the wall in the bathroom.” – Caller [08:21]
  • Promised a car for mobility: “I did not get a car to use. So basically, I was … imprisoned. It was just horrible.” – Caller [08:58]

C. False Job Advertising & Living Conditions

• Amanda adds her own travel-for-nannying horror: Family lied over the phone, then offered her no private bedroom and terrible working/living conditions [09:18].

5. The "Nanny Stealing" Phenomenon

• Amanda explains that good nannies often get poached by other families—especially at the neighborhood pool.
  • “The moms ... they’re always so interested to know, like, if you like your job, if you like the family, what’s going on with them. It pays to be nice to your nanny … if she doesn’t like you, she will air out all your dirty laundry.” – Amanda [10:36]

6. Nanny Salaries & Negotiation

• Earnings Discussion: Pay varies widely, but Atlanta nannies can make $40,000–$50,000/year plus room, board, and travel [11:13].
  • “No matter how much your nanny tells you that she loves you and she loves your children, at the end of the day, it’s a job. And generally … a lot of them can be bought.” – Amanda [10:10]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You have to find that line. But it happens, like, in your neighborhood. It's not just with movie stars.” – Amanda [03:23]
• “It can only get worse. The worst part is … you’re attached to the children because they’re the reason that you’re there.” – Amanda [05:00]
• “They promised me a vehicle … I did not get a car to use. So basically, I … felt like I was imprisoned.” – Nanny caller from New Zealand [08:58]
• “If she doesn’t like you, she will air out all your dirty laundry. I’ve heard it a lot.” – Amanda [10:36]
• On negotiations: “The nanny stealers are a good thing. It puts you in demand, your cost goes up.” – Host [11:52]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:09] Introduction to Amanda, the voice-disguised nanny guest
• [03:23] Amanda’s perspective: boundaries, betrayals, and parental misbehavior
• [04:05] First-person account: caught a dad having an affair, threatened for silence
• [06:41] Listener calls open; first caller with legal drama
• [07:47] Nanny from New Zealand's story: disgusting chores and false job promises
• [09:18] Amanda: Families lie about job perks and housing
• [10:10] “Nanny poaching” explained
• [11:13] Nanny salary discussion and lifestyle
• [11:43] Conclusion of the segment, with laughs and negotiation advice

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Episode Tone & Final Thoughts

The tone is a signature Bert Show blend: candid, witty, sometimes irreverent, but grounded in empathy for nannies’ predicaments. While the show delivers laughs and light-hearted banter, it also lays out serious issues—power imbalance, emotional labor, exploitation, and the high stakes of childcare work. Both hosts and callers underscore a need for better understanding and respect for nannies’ emotional and practical realities.

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Transcript

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[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

The Birch Show Right now we are joined by Amanda, who is gotta be on the voice disguise. Are you on the voice disguise, Rashawn? Hey, Amanda. Just say hello.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Hello.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

That's voice disguised. How are you?

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Yes, I'm good. How are you guys?

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Good. We always like to test the voice disguise when Bert's not here to make sure it's working so we can protect your identity because we know that that's when the good stories come out.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Yep.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

How long have you been nannying?

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Almost 10 years now.

[Co-host or Caller]

For the same family?

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

No, definitely not. For several different ones.

[Co-host or Caller]

Okay.

Okay. Yeah, I like the definitely not. Is that Definitely not. Because they all have an expiration date, I think.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

So. I hate to say it, but yeah.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Now tell us how you came to be on the Burt show. Now, because Tracy scheduled this, I'm assuming you emailed, sent something in.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Well, I heard Bert mention a few weeks ago in passing, something about the father's hitting on babysitters and nannies. And I was like, you know, I think everyone needs to understand what nannies go through every day because it gets to be pretty ridiculous.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Okay, well, let me give the phone number out first at 404-741-Q100. And we're gonna leave the phone lines open for any nannies listening who want to share similar stories. But now it's your turn, so enlighten us as to what nannies go through.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Okay. Well, I mean, you can go a number of places with this, but I think that first of all, the biggest mistake that parents make is they forget that there is another person in their home. And there's a line, you know, where things just become, like, inappropriate. And, you know, this whole mess just came out. Well, not just, but with Rob and his nanny and accused him and his wife of doing, like, inappropriate things. And you have to find that wine. But it happens, like in your neighborhood. It's not just with movie stars.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

And, you know, give us a first person example of something that's happened to you or somebody, you know, where the line's been crossed.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Well, with me, I think, like, the biggest example I can tell you about is just the extramarital affairs I have witnessed. And I caught one father with his hand in the cookie jar. I mean, red handed. And later he approached me and told me if I breathed a word of it to his wife, I would be fired on the spot with no severance pay. And, you know, I was living with them in a city not close to home, so, you know, you have no choice. You have to keep your mouth closed.

[Co-host or Caller]

How was that when you were hanging out with the wife?

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

It was horrible because she was so nice and just a really nice lady, and she had no clue. It was really hard for me when

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

something like that happens. And do you immediately start and you know that it's never going to be the same in the house? Do you immediately start looking for another job?

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Yeah, well, yeah, pretty much. You have to, because, you know, once a line like that has been crossed, it can only get worse. And the worst part is that, you know, you're attached to the children because they're the reason that you're there. And I have Witnessed. You know, fathers especially, they can be really flamboyant about their mistresses, or they just hit on you, the nanny, like, right out in front of everyone. And that is always awkward in front

[Co-host or Caller]

of the wife, too.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Yeah.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

And I don't understand. I'd be really interested to hear if other people can put some input on this, but I don't understand how some of the moms, they just act oblivious to it. And I was working as a temporary nanny for a while, and it seemed like every family I went into, and I hate to say it, but the more wealthy the people were, the worse this would be. Generally, the dads would just look at you like you're a piece of meat or you're there to do more than take care of kids. And they can be really, really adamant about what they want. And, you know, it's shocking sometimes. So I definitely have a great job now with a family that I love, and they're wonderful, and, you know, I don't have to deal with that kind of stuff, but, you know, it definitely happens.

[Co-host or Caller]

Through your years of experience, like, when you're interviewing for the job, do you now make sure that you meet the husband and the, you know, the mom and the dad before you take the job?

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Yes, absolutely. And those are things that you learn from experience. Definitely. What to look for and what not to and things like that.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

The calls are coming in, backing you up. Hey, Tasha. Hi, Tasha. Hey. How are you?

[Caller (Nanny from New Zealand)]

I'm good.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Good. You want to contribute to the nanny horror stories?

[Caller (Nanny from New Zealand)]

Yeah. I just want to say, like, not all ones are bad.

[Caller (Nanny with custody court story)]

I work for a really good family now, but I did have a family I worked for. I worked for a single dad, and he. His wife actually accused us of sleeping together and took us to court.

[Co-host or Caller]

Took you to court.

Okay.

[Caller (Nanny with custody court story)]

His ex wife, because I guess part of their custody agreement was that he can't have other women in the house or sleeping over if they're, you know, not married or anything like that. So I was working for him, and I did overnights for him, but when I did overnights, he was out of town. But apparently she decided she was gonna take us to court because she assumed we were sleeping together.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

When that happens, do you have to pay for your own lawyer and your own representation?

[Caller (Nanny with custody court story)]

No, he paid for everything.

[Caller (Nanny from New Zealand)]

The only sucky thing is they took the kids.

[Caller (Nanny with custody court story)]

So I didn't work for a month until the whole custody thing was over.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

We have a different Amanda who's not on the voice disguiser going to a non infidelity extreme. Hey, Amanda.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Hi.

[Caller (Nanny from New Zealand)]

How's it going?

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Good. How are you?

[Caller (Nanny from New Zealand)]

Good, good. Well, I have a couple of experiences, actually. I came over from New Zealand to work as a nanny for a family that I interviewed over the phone. And I came over, and it was insane. Basically, when I got there, I was bas housekeeper for the first couple of months until she had her second baby. And some of the things that they expected me to do and for the

[Caller (Nanny with custody court story)]

amount of pay was just ridiculous.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Give us a couple examples.

[Caller (Nanny from New Zealand)]

Okay. Well, the father actually had his own private bathroom because the wife wouldn't use it after him. It was disgusting. I was cleaning all kinds of stuff off the wall. He would put his nose contents on the wall in the bathroom.

[Co-host or Caller]

I like that. Yeah. It's not boogers. No.

[Caller (Nanny from New Zealand)]

I was expected to wash the kitchen floor three times a week, and it was a huge kitchen. Also do the windows once a month, clean the oven, clean all the ceiling fans, and for the amount of hay, which was just absolutely ridiculous.

[Co-host or Caller]

And you thought you were going to be taking care of children.

[Caller (Nanny from New Zealand)]

Exactly. And they promised me a vehicle when I came over, and I didn't get it. I did not get a car to use. So basically, I was. Felt like I was imprisoned. It was just horrible.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Hey.

[Rocket Money Advertiser]

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[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

I'm sorry.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Ooh.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

I just cut her off. Hey. Voice disguise demanded. Does that happen a lot? Is that something? That's typical.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Actually, that happened to me twice. Once I did a phone interview, and I actually moved out to New Orleans, and nothing was what the family said it was at all. They had me sleeping in the bedroom with the children, in the bed with them. They didn't even have a bedroom for me. That was, like, the worst one. But that's the thing, is that people, couples, if they like you and they want you to work for them, they will lie to you. They will tell you, you know, they'll offer you all these things and tell you how great it will be to live with them and how they have these fabulous things that you'll be allowed to use, and then it never pans out.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Is it true that, like, if you're a nanny and you're a good nanny, like, people will try to steal you away? Wasn't it a Sex in the City episode where she was, like, hitting on the nanny in a park?

[Co-host or Caller]

Yeah.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Trying to get the good nanny. So can you.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

It is. And no matter how much your nanny tells you that she loves you and she loves your children, at the end of the day, it's a job. And generally, a lot of them can be bought. Really yeah, it's true. And it's sad. I'm just being honest with you, but it's true.

[Co-host or Caller]

Where were you hanging out with other parents when they were trying to steal you?

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

I'll tell you, the number one place is the neighborhood pool during the summer.

[Co-host or Caller]

Oh, that's funny.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Yeah, because. And the moms, like, the moms that stay home with their children, they're always so interested to know, like, if you like your job, if you like the family, what's going on with them. And so it pays to be nice to your nanny, especially if you're sending her out to be around your neighbors, because if she doesn't like you, she will air out all your dirty laundry. I've heard it a lot. Oh, wow.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

So that's how the nanny flirting starts. It's like, so how's the family you work for? Are they treating you well?

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Right.

[Co-host or Caller]

How much?

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, you got it. That's it right there.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

How much? Is it too personal for us to ask how much a nanny can make or how much a nanny should expect to make?

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Well, it varies. It varies on what you do, if you're a housekeeper and a nanny, if you have a college education, if you're a professional or not. So it just depends on what exactly you're looking for. But nannies in Atlanta can make upwards of 40 or 50 a year.

[Co-host or Caller]

Okay, that's great.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Plus, you get a place to live and I assume they take care of your meals when you're in the house. Right. You eat with the family.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Yeah, generally. And vacations and things like that, too.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Cool. Thank you for the call, Amanda.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Thank you.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

Good luck. Good luck fighting off the horny husbands.

[Amanda (Voice Disguised Nanny)]

Oh, no.

[Co-host or Caller]

And the nanny stealers and the nannies.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

The nanny stealers are a good thing. I put you in demand, your cost goes up.

[Co-host or Caller]

Helps you negotiate.

[Show Host (The Birch Show)]

The Birch Show.

[Co-host or Caller]

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