Quick Links

Babysitting is one of those jobs that almost anyone can do and thus is a great source of income money for teenagers and young adults who don’t yet know what to do with their lives. Or even for those who need an odd job here and there as they are working towards their goals.

Can you imagine famous celebrities working as babysitters? Neither can we. And yet, once upon a time, when the below celebrities were not famous – or not as famous – they had no problem helping out stressed parents look after their kids.

Indeed, some of them made excellent babysitters. But they didn’t just babysit anyone – without knowing what the future held, famous celebrities to-be were babysitting other famous celebrities to-be! What are the chances, right?

With a few exceptions, most of the below celebrities were described as great babysitters. They often extended bedtime and even sneaked in a few sweets to treat those they were looking after.

Cher Babysat Anthony Kiedis

Every teenage boy’s fantasy is to be babysat by a pretty girl or woman. For Anthony Kiedis, the lead singer and lyricist of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers, this fantasy became reality when he was 12 years old. And it wasn’t just any pretty woman who babysat him – it was Cher!

According to Express, during the band’s strip with James Corden for Carpool Karaoke, Kiedis reminisced about the days when Cher was his babysitter. Kiedis and Cher even slept in her bed – “I was 12 years old. She was fit and fine, I knew that and I'd just hit that hormonal plateau. We hung out, I slept in her bed. I was in my jammies, getting ready to get some zzz's. She, like, dropped her negligee and I was like, 'Ok, this is happening.'”

Zac Posen Babysat Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham is a lucky girl: the American fashion designer Zac Posen often sends her his latest creations. You see, Posen and Dunham go way back. In fact, at one point Posen was Dunham’s babysitter.

In her first Vogue cover feature Dunham revealed that Posen babysat her when she was a child, and that in the early 2000's he even handmade Dunham a dress for her high school graduation.

You have to admit, that was pretty nice of him although Dunham’s mother was also very kind to Posen – for his 16th birthday she got him a costume from Madonna’s concert that was, to Posen’s delight, a John Paul Gaultier creation.

Bethenny Frankel Babysat Paris Hilton

Before Bethenny Frankel found fame in Real Housewives of New York City, she wrote a number of self-help books and founded her own drink company SkinnyGirl Cocktails. And before she did any of that, she worked as a babysitter. But she didn’t just babysit anyone!

Frankel was actually a babysitter to Paris and Nicky Hilton, and she got the job thanks to her friendship with Kyle Richards of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

According to E! News, Frankel said – “I've known Kyle [Richards] for years. I used to work for Kathy Hilton and take Paris and Nicky to school and so I knew them through Kyle who's a friend of mine and she was coming into town so I got together with her in the Hamptons."

Kiefer Sutherland Babysat Gwyneth Paltrow

Few know that the actress Gwyneth Paltrow was babysat by Kiefer Sutherland, better known for his role as Jack Bauer on the Fox series 24. Sutherland did not babysit Paltrow consistently but he did babysit her for an hour or two here and there. He was called to arms when Paltrow's mother, with whom he worked with at a theater in Williamstown, Massachusetts, asked him to do so.

Sutherland said, according to The Bosh that he couldn’t believe how fast Paltrow grew up – "I think it was very funny because it's unbelievable how fast someone goes from 13 to 18 and obviously they look so different that when Gwyneth started to work I thought 'Well that must be another girl because I always remember her as being 11 or 12 years old.'”

Andy Warhol Babysat Jade Jagger

Andy Warhol is apparently a really cool babysitter, at least according to the jewelry designer and former model Jade Jagger. Jagger confessed that after her parents – Sir Mick Jagger and Bianca Jagger – divorced, she was often babysat by Warhol.

Warhol was a great babysitter because he gave Jagger lots of freedom.

It was at Warhol’s that Jagger had her first glass of champagne. It was also at Warhol’s that she relieved herself on his work. The latter might have upset some but Warhol thought the effect was pretty cool and asked Jagger to do it again. Jagger said, according to Evening Standard – “He didn't freak out, he liked the effect and later asked me to do it again."

Keira Knightley Babysat Dani Dyer

There’s something about the actress Keira Knightley that makes her look as if she’d make an excellent babysitter. And, according to the actress Dani Dyer, the daughter of Danny Dyer, she actually did make a great babysitter, at least once upon a time.

When Knightley was still a school girl, she was employed by Danny Dyer to babysit his daughter who paid her a few pounds an hour. Apparently, at the time Knightley was just starting her career in acting.

According to Irish Mirror, Dani said – “She was really nice and fun, and let me stay up past my bedtime, but we didn’t tell my parents. Sometimes she let me have sweets too. I would love to see her again and see if she remembered me”.

Tia And Tamera Mowry Babysat Mary-Kate And Ashley Olsen

Can it get any cuter than this – twins babysitting twins? Few know that Tia and Tamera Mowry, probably still best known for their roles in the sitcom Sister, Sister, babysat Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

According to US Magazine, Tia Mowry revealed on the Meredith Vieira Show – “My brother, he played Teddy [on Full House], and so we would always go and visit the set. We would actually babysit the Olsen twins ... The producers that would hang around on the set, they're like, 'These girls, they're so adorable.' We even did a guest spot on Full House. It's kind of like where we got our first start."

Chloe Sevigny Babysat Topher Grace

Once upon a time the stunning actress Chloe Sevigny used to babysit the actor Topher Grace, best known for his role as Eric on That ‘70s Show. Grace has confessed that Sevigny was a really cool babysitter, which we assume means that she consented to late bedtimes and plenty of sweets.

Grace also revealed that he had a serious crush on Sevigny, which makes sense for she was only four years older than him and went to the same school as him. Of course, once both Sevigny and Grace grew up they could have given it a shot but perhaps it is better for childhood crushes to remain in the past. (Source: UsMagazine)

Alice Cooper Babysat Keanu Reeves

Can you imagine the singer Alice Cooper babysitting? Neither can we and yet that did happen.

Apparently, Cooper babysat the actor Keanu Reeves, although the latter has a blurry memory of his babysitter at best.

Reeves reminisced about his famous babysitter on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and according to Loud Wire, said – “I grew up in Toronto and I lived on a street called Hazleton and there was a recording studio Nimbus 9 and my mother was in costume design. She was in rock and roll and she was in the business and they had friends and he had friends and Alice Cooper, I'm told, babysat me. I mean I don't know how that could possibly happen, but it did.”

While Reeves can’t remember much about Cooper he does remember that he never wore his scary concert outfits and that he was very much into practical jokes.

Wayne Gretzky Babysat Robin Thicke

Few know that the singer Robin Thicke was babysat by Wayne Gretzky, the former professional ice hockey player and head coach. However, he wasn’t a great babysitter if only for the fact that he had to leave midway through his babysitting duties!

No, Gretzky was not annoyed by Thicke’s bad behavior – rather he was traded from Edmonton Oilers to the L.A Kings which meant he had to leave immediately.

Thicke’s father, Alan Thicke, later recalled, as documented by Washington Post – “I called home, and I learned Wayne left early in the morning; he got traded last night. He got the call at about 9 p.m., and he was gone by six the next morning. So we had to find a substitute nanny instantly, which is not as bad as what Edmonton had to find to replace him.”

William H. Macy Babysat Joan Cussack And Jeremy Piven

Once upon a time William H. Macy was so broke that he took all the odd jobs he could get his hands on, including babysitting. Indeed, that’s how he ended up babysitting Joan Cussack and Jeremy Piven. Macy was just out of college when he moved to Chicago and got involved with Chicago theater where he met the actor Byrne Piven.

Piven quickly became Macy’s mentor and gave him odd-jobs such as babysitting and carpentry because he knew that the latter needed the money.

Macy admitted that he could see that both Joan Cussack and Jeremy Piven had great acting potential since they were kids – they were even members of the Piven Theatre Workshop. (Source: AccessOnline)

Michael Bolton Babysat Paula Abdul

Not all babysitters are good with children. Take Michael Bolton for example. Paula Abdul revealed that when she was a child the teenage Bolton was her babysitter.

But even though he sang songs to get the 7-year-old Paula to fall asleep, he was generally very inattentive.

Indeed, Abdul revealed that Bolton never helped her with her homework and spent most of his time jamming with the other musicians that resided in her building. Bolton's lack of attention was so upsetting that Abdul revealed to Kimmel that at one point she jammed a pencil into her leg just to get his attention which forced him to bring her to the hospital. (Source: UsMagazine)

Liza Minnelli Babysat Ron Howard

Liza Minnelli is probably one of the most famous women in Hollywood probably best remembered for her role as Sally Bowles in Cabaret which won her an Academy Award. So it comes as a bit of a shocker to learn that once upon a time Minnelli was so broke she had to work as a babysitter to support herself. This was, of course, at the very start of her acting career.

Minnelli's babysitting career was no bad - she got to babysit people such as the actor and filmmaker Ron Howard. She must have been a good babysitter because when the crew of Arrested Development couldn’t find anyone to play the character of "Lucille 2", Howard – the show’s narrator – asked Minnelli to play the part as a favor. She of course agreed. (Source: Ritley)

Christopher Hitchens Babysat Olivia Wilde

The deceased British writer Christopher Hitchens once babysat his friend’s daughter, the actress Olivia Wilde best known for her role as Dr. Remy “Thirteen” Hadley on the TV series House.

Apparently, it was obvious to Hitchens from the start that Wilde would go on to become an actress.

According to Huffington Post, the British writer said – “With Olivia you could tell it was going to be the movies or stage or TV or nothing. Olivia sort of lived the part—very pretty, and, well, the Victorian term for it is headstrong. She wasn’t going to be overlooked or ignored.”

Destiny’s Child Babysat Blue Ivy

Blue Ivy, the daughter of Beyonce, is already a celebrity in her own right. Of course, since Beyonce is a busy lady who is always touring on concerts, she has to find reliable babysitters. And who better to babysit her precious little daughter than Destiny’s Child?

Indeed, during one of her concerts Beyonce thanked Michelle Williams from Destiny’s Child for babysitting her daughter during the show, although Williams confessed that she had some help – apparently another members of Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland, helped look after the famous little girl when Michelle sneaked down to watch some of Beyonce’s show. (Source: MTV)