Horrible Bosses! Hollywood's Assistants Reveal The Outrageous Demands Of Their Honchos

Being a celebrity’s personal assistant may sound glamorous, but before you brush off your résumé and give your favorite star a call, read these cautionary tales…

Sleeping With Lady Gaga…Allegedly

Jennifer O’Neill’s lawsuit against former boss Lady Gaga has been making headlines for months. In court documents the singer’s former assistant testified: “I was by her side virtually 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That includes sleeping in the same bed with her, because she did not sleep alone.”

Naomi Campbell And The Lily-Scented Candles

Naomi Campbell’s former personal assistant Rebecca White claims the supermodel had very specific requirements that had to be met before she stayed in any hotel suite. Rebecca told the New York Post the Brit demanded 25 lily-scented candles be placed in specific spots. She said: “There always had to be five candles in the bathroom, 10 in the bedroom and 10 in the living room.”

Frank Sinatra’s Bald Spot

In his memoir Mr. S: My Life With Frank Sinatra, the singer’s faithful butler George Jacobs revealed that he had to spray cover-up on his boss’s bald patch every day.

‘I Need More Toilet Paper!’

Bonnie Low-Kramen – co-founder of New York Celebrity Assistants – told the New York Post that a PA based in the Big Apple once received an “urgent” phone call from her boss, an unnamed actor, at 4am. She says: “He was five hours ahead in London, and he was asking her to call the hotel because his bathroom was running out of toilet paper.”

‘I Need More Toilet Paper!’

Bonnie Low-Kramen – co-founder of New York Celebrity Assistants – told the New York Post that a PA based in the Big Apple once received an “urgent” phone call from her boss, an unnamed actor, at 4am. She says: “He was five hours ahead in London, and he was asking her to call the hotel because his bathroom was running out of toilet paper.”

‘My Butter Is Too Warm!’

Former Hollywood assistant Lydia Whitlock has written a book charting the outrageous requests she has received. The author of To My Assistant told RadarOnline.com: “I had a boss who screamed at me once because the butter that came with his lunch was too warm…From then on, every day, I had to squeeze the packets of butter to make sure they were the right temperature.”

Cat Whisperer

An anonymous assistant who worked for an executive producer of a major national news show told Fortune in 2009 about the bigwig’s strange requests. He allegedly wanted the assistant to have conversations with each of his cats, which included pre-scripted chats and questions. The boss then supposedly asked his assistant to report back revealing how each cat “responded.”

‘My Alarm Clock Rings Funny!’

Lilit Marcus – author of Save The Assistants: A Book For The Beleaguered – kept an email from an unnamed but apparently well-known Hollywood manager. The note included the following requests: “My alarm clock rings funny – find one that’s more soothing,” and “Are bagels different with LA water? They seem different. Find out!”

‘My Alarm Clock Rings Funny!’

Lilit Marcus – author of Save The Assistants: A Book For The Beleaguered – kept an email from an unnamed but apparently well-known Hollywood manager. The note included the following requests: “My alarm clock rings funny – find one that’s more soothing,” and “Are bagels different with LA water? They seem different. Find out!”

In The Delivery Room

An award-winning cinematographer and his family once asked his assistant to film his wife giving birth. The unnamed former assistant told CNBC.com: “They said I was the only person they trusted enough to handle this task. While I was terrified at the thought…I was honored to have been asked.”

Odd Weekend Request

Lydia Whitlock also revealed that she once had to give up “two consecutives Saturdays,” making sure to be at a boss’s home at 7am to “wait around for someone to come install his television just because my boss didn’t want to be forced to stay inside his own home for a few hours.”

Odd Weekend Request

Lydia Whitlock also revealed that she once had to give up “two consecutives Saturdays,” making sure to be at a boss’s home at 7am to “wait around for someone to come install his television just because my boss didn’t want to be forced to stay inside his own home for a few hours.”

‘I Need A Tampon!’

Jennifer O’Neill – who is suing Lady Gaga for $390,000 in unpaid overtime –also alleges that she had to fulfill the pop singer’s basic needs. The disgruntled former employee says: “She might have said: ‘I need some tea… can you get my computer for me…I need a tampon, the toilet doesn’t flush’.”

Summer Camp

A TV production assistant told BuzzFeed.com she had to make summer camp arrangements for the daughter of a former boss. In between asking questions about the child’s clothes size and which activities and sports she liked, the assistant says she thought: “It’s your child, you do it. People in this industry should not be parents.”

Schedule A Vasectomy

One film production assistant confessed to BuzzFeed.com about scheduling a vasectomy for one boss. The assistant said: “When I called to confirm meeting number two, the procedure, the nurse told me to tell my boss to, ‘Remember to trim the hair around his scrotum, but don’t shave it!’”

Schedule A Vasectomy

One film production assistant confessed to BuzzFeed.com about scheduling a vasectomy for one boss. The assistant said: “When I called to confirm meeting number two, the procedure, the nurse told me to tell my boss to, ‘Remember to trim the hair around his scrotum, but don’t shave it!’”

Skipping Thanksgiving For A Conference Call

Ever the diligent assistant Lydia also said: “I once missed Thanksgiving dinner with my family because my boss wanted me to get on a conference call – not to participate in it, just to listen in.”

Hedgehog Poop

Actress Cheryl Hines admits she gets her assistant to clean out the animal cages in her daughter’s room. The pets include two dogs, two guinea pigs, a gecko, a hamster, two turtles and a hedgehog. Cheryl told TheWrap.com that “it’s not easy to handle a hedgehog” saying: “They are prickly and there’s a lot of poop involved.”

Hedgehog Poop

Actress Cheryl Hines admits she gets her assistant to clean out the animal cages in her daughter’s room. The pets include two dogs, two guinea pigs, a gecko, a hamster, two turtles and a hedgehog. Cheryl told TheWrap.com that “it’s not easy to handle a hedgehog” saying: “They are prickly and there’s a lot of poop involved.”

Tennis Balls

Leon Renyop – an assistant to a film and TV director – once received a phone call at 9:30 on a Saturday demanding he get 200 tennis balls before noon because his boss wanted to teach his girlfriend how to play tennis. Each ball had to cost around $10. In between hopping country club fences and buying balls from “a crooked groundskeeper,” Leon says he hit his target by 12:15.