Actress Melanie Lynskey is generating praise for a one-of-a-kind acceptance speech that highlights the importance of caregivers. Last night, the actress took home the Critic’s Choice award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the TV hit “Yellowjackets,” and she used her moment in the spotlight to say “thank you” to a very important person who helps make her work possible: her nanny.
“The most important person I have to thank before I finish is my nanny, Sally,” Lynskey said at the end of her speech. “I love her. She’s an absolute angel. She’s with my child and I know my child is safe and taken care of, and she allows me to go and do my work. Thank you, Sally. I love you so much.”
The moment caught the attention of many people on social media who found it refreshing to see caregivers praised and to hear a working mom in Hollywood openly admit how much help it takes to make a successful career possible.
“I was already a @melanielynskey fan, but I love that she made a point to thank her nanny in her award speech,” one person writes on Twitter. “A lot of people’s labor often supports the careers of high-achieving moms, and that labor is only invisible if we let it be.”
“Very much here for @melanielynskey thanking her nanny at the @CriticsChoice awards because we need to normalize talking about childcare as part of how women and really all people do things,” another person writes.
Nannies and other caregivers also sung the actress’s praises. “Melanie Lynskey shouted out her nanny in her Critic’s Choice award acceptance speech and as a nanny, I just want to cry,” one person writes. “I love this woman so much.”
About a third of the U.S. workforce, or close to 50 million workers, has a child under the age of 14. It’s no secret that many of those working parents rely on nannies, day cares, after-school programs and other forms of child care in order to be able to do their jobs. Often, the busier a parent’s career is, the more they need outside help to make it all work. But it’s still rare to see the labor of child care workers acknowledged, especially on stage by celebrities during a glitzy awards show. It’s also rare to see celebrity parents themselves normalize the idea that many moms and dads need help to be able to “do it all.”
On Twitter, some tried to figure out if they’d ever before heard a celebrity thank a caregiver during an acceptance speech. “I think Melanie Lynskey’s award speech is the first time I’ve ever seen an actor thank their nanny for providing child care,” one person writes.
Some mentioned that Amy Poehler and Alec Baldwin are examples of celebrities who’ve done this in the past; however, it’s still an exception, rather than the rule. Lynskey’s special shoutout to her nanny is an acknowledgement not only of the amazing work that nannies and other caregivers do, but also of the reality that many working parents simply cannot do it alone.
Her powerful praise for her nanny helps normalize the reality that caregiving is important and essential work. During a time like the pandemic, when parents and caregivers have been pushed to their breaking points and Congress is dragging their heels to make child care better for both workers and families, her refreshing perspective is more necessary than ever.
