Celebrities That Cheated With Assistants or Nannies

Workplace boundaries can blur in high profile lives, and when that happens the fallout is both personal and very public. This list looks at well documented cases where a celebrity’s affair involved an assistant, nanny, intern, or staff member, laying out who was involved and what happened next.

You will find names from entertainment, politics, and media because fame crosses industries and so do scandals. Each entry includes clear details on roles, timelines, and consequences so you can see how the situation unfolded without any fluff or speculation.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

In 2011 Arnold Schwarzenegger acknowledged a past relationship with Mildred Patricia Baena, who worked in his home as a housekeeper. A child from that relationship was born in 1997 while he was married to Maria Shriver, and Baena had been employed by the family for many years.

The revelation became public after Schwarzenegger left the California governor’s office, and he and Shriver separated the same year. The situation led to a widely covered divorce process and lasting changes in his family relationships.

Jude Law

In 2005 Jude Law publicly apologized for an affair with Daisy Wright, who had worked as a nanny for his children from his marriage to Sadie Frost. The affair became public through press coverage that year while Law was engaged to Sienna Miller.

After the apology the engagement was called off, and the couple experienced a period of separation before reconciling and later parting for good. Wright’s role as a caregiver in the household made the breach of trust particularly visible to the public.

Bill Clinton

From 1995 to 1997 Bill Clinton engaged in a relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky while he was president and married to Hillary Clinton. In 1998 he acknowledged the relationship during legal proceedings after months of intense public scrutiny.

The matter led to impeachment by the House of Representatives in December 1998 and acquittal by the Senate in 1999. Lewinsky later rebuilt her career with a public education focus, and the case remains a landmark example of power dynamics in the workplace.

David Letterman

In 2009 David Letterman said on the air that he had been involved with women who worked on the ‘Late Show with David Letterman’. His disclosure came after he reported an extortion attempt that targeted those relationships.

Following his statement a former television producer pleaded guilty in the extortion case, and Letterman issued further remarks about workplace conduct. The admission prompted conversations in media about relationships between bosses and staff members.

Jesse Jackson

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson acknowledged in 2001 that he had fathered a child with Karin Stanford, a staff member at his organization Rainbow PUSH. The relationship occurred in the late 1990s while he was married.

After the news became public Jackson took a leave from public ministry to focus on his family. Stanford continued her academic and writing career, and the child’s well being remained a private matter outside of the initial headlines.

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich’s relationship with congressional staffer Callista Bisek took place in the 1990s while he was married to Marianne Gingrich. He later married Callista in 2000 after his divorce.

The timeline overlapped with his years as Speaker of the House from 1995 to 1999, which kept the situation in the political spotlight. The couple has since maintained a public profile that includes diplomatic service and publishing work.

John Lennon

John Lennon began a relationship with May Pang in 1973 while still married to Yoko Ono. Pang had been working as an assistant in their circle and the relationship continued during a period often called the lost weekend.

Lennon and Pang lived together for extended stretches in Los Angeles and New York until 1975 when Lennon reunited with Ono. Pang later wrote about the period, documenting her role and their day to day life during those years.

John Edwards

Former senator John Edwards had an affair with Rielle Hunter, who worked on his 2008 presidential campaign producing web videos. The relationship began in 2006 while he was married to Elizabeth Edwards.

He admitted the affair in 2008 and confirmed paternity of a child in 2010. Subsequent legal cases focused on campaign finance issues tied to payments connected to the relationship, and Edwards stepped back from political life.

Bill Gates

A spokesperson for Bill Gates acknowledged that he had a consensual relationship with a Microsoft employee around the year 2000 while he was married to Melinda French Gates. The company board reviewed the matter many years later.

The couple announced their divorce in 2021 after a long marriage and years of joint philanthropic work. Microsoft addressed the historical workplace situation through internal processes that followed standard corporate procedures.

John F. Kennedy

Mimi Alford, a former White House intern, wrote that she and President John F. Kennedy had a relationship during her internship in 1962 while he was married to Jacqueline Kennedy. Her account provides dates, locations inside the White House, and how the relationship began.

Alford later detailed the aftermath and how she kept the story private for decades. Her memoir adds a first person record of an intern’s experience in a presidential workplace and how it affected her life.

David Petraeus

David Petraeus resigned as director of the Central Intelligence Agency in November 2012 after admitting an extramarital relationship with his biographer Paula Broadwell. The two met years earlier during her research into his military career.

The acknowledgement followed a federal inquiry that uncovered the relationship. Petraeus later resolved a legal case related to mishandling of information, and Broadwell returned to private life after the book’s release and the public attention that followed.

Gavin Newsom

In 2007 Gavin Newsom, then mayor of San Francisco, said he had an affair with Ruby Rippey Tourk, who served as his appointments secretary and was married to his campaign manager at the time. The relationship took place during his first marriage.

Newsom apologized publicly and sought treatment for alcohol issues he cited during that period. The admission led to staffing changes at City Hall and a broader discussion about professional conduct in public offices.

Tim Murphy

In 2017 Representative Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania acknowledged an affair with a woman who worked in his congressional office. Text messages that surfaced during the scandal also drew attention to his private communications about sensitive personal matters.

Murphy announced his resignation from Congress in October 2017. The episode prompted an internal review of office practices and ended a long tenure in public life.

Vance McAllister

Louisiana Representative Vance McAllister was recorded on office surveillance in 2014 kissing Melissa Peacock, who worked as a scheduler in his congressional office. He had campaigned on family values and was married at the time.

After the video became public he apologized to his constituents and family. He did not seek reelection, and the incident became a case study in the risks of workplace relationships in government offices.

John Ensign

Nevada Senator John Ensign disclosed in 2009 that he had an affair with Cynthia Hampton, a staffer who worked for his campaign and whose husband served in his Senate office. The relationship occurred from 2007 to 2008 while he was married.

An ethics investigation followed and Ensign resigned from the Senate in 2011. The case highlighted conflicts that can arise when personal relationships involve multiple people within the same workplace.

Share your thoughts in the comments and tell us which entries you think shaped the public conversation about workplace boundaries the most.