Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde Sued by Former Nanny

Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde are facing a wrongful termination lawsuit from their former nanny, Ericka Gernaro. She claims she faced increased stress and anxiety before she was abruptly fired when she needed a three-day break from working for them during their split. Genaro made headlines in October 2022 when she made claims about the end of their relationship in an interview with The Daily Mail, claims Sudeikis and Wilde denied in a rare joint statement.

Genaro accused Wilde and Sudeikis of firing her and retaliating against her because of “her disability of anxiety/depression, and for seeking the reasonable accommodation of a three-day leave of absence,” according to legal documents obtained by Entertainment Tonight. The former nanny said the leave of absence was requested by her doctor. She filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Genaro claims she was hired in 2018, and everything started off well until Widle moved out of the home she shared with Sudeikis two years later. She claimed Sudeikis leaned on her for support while taking care of his children with Wilde, Otis, 8, and Daisy, 9. After Wilde moved out, Genaro took an increased role in the lives of the children, even working weekends when she was usually off. She allegedly faced added stress and anxiety from conversations with the Ted Lasso star, and she felt she had to “pick sides.”

The situation became unbearable for Genaro by November 2020, she claims in the lawsuit. At one point, she met Wilde in Palm Springs to report how she was “becoming anxious and stressed with the situation in the home because of Wilde’s absence and Sudeikis’ late-night conversations regarding Wilde’s absence.” Genaro felt a “sense of relief and [camaraderie]” with the Don’t Worry Darling director, who “reacted sympathetically” to her point of view, the lawsuit reads. She thought “she got enough off her chest to be able to function without anxiety as the live-in nanny for Wilde’s and Sudeikis’ children, with Wilde as a reliable ear.”

Unfortunately, Sudeikis told Genaro that Widle shared the entire conversation with him, according to the lawsuit. Genaro’s “heart sank” and she believed she could find “no peace when confiding” in Wilde. At this point, Genaro’s anxiety and stress increased as Wilde and Sudeikis’ split played out in the media. The two agreed to hold group therapy sessions with Genaro as they “recognized the emotional toll the situation was having,” the lawsuit reads. Genaro also sought therapy.

In January 2021, Genaro claims she told Sudeikis she was experiencing physical pain, anxiety, and stress. She was treated by an osteopath, who told Genaro in February 2021 she should stop working for Sudeikis and Wilde. Still, Genaro agreed to work for them for at least another five months. After telling Sudeikis about this, Genaro spoke with the osteopath again. The doctor requested Genaro take a three-day break and break off communication with Sudeikis and Wilde during this time.

The osteopath told Sudeikis about this restriction, the lawsuit claims. Instead of agreeing to this, Sudeikis allegedly “demanded” to speak with Genaro immediately. When Genaro responded and told him about the osteopath’s request, Sudeikis “terminated her on the spot,” the lawsuit claims, and told the nanny services company to move her out of his house immediately. “[Genaro] reached out to Wilde for support in an attempt [to get help] to merely have her restrictions honored, to no avail,” the lawsuit reads.

When Entertainment Tonight reached out to Sudeikis and Wilde’s reps, they directed the outlet to the statement they released in October after Genaro spoke out to The Daily Mail. “As parents, it’s is incredibly upsetting to learn that a former nanny of our two young children would choose to make up such false and scurrilous accusations about us publicly,” the statement read. “This is the unfortunate apex of a now, 18-month-long campaign of harassing us, as well as our loved ones, close friends, and colleagues. We will continue to focus on raising and protecting our children with the sincere hope that she will now choose to leave our family alone.”