Usher Just Addressed A Rumor That He Was Beyoncé’s Babysitter When They Were Younger

Usher and Beyoncé go way, way back. Further back than many of their fans might have even realized, in fact. The iconic singers have known each other since they were kids, and Usher opened up recently about he was once Beyoncé’s babysitter. Talk about a friendship that stands the test of time. He must have been a very nice babysitter.

The “Yeah” singer sat down for an interview with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay ahead of his upcoming Super Bowl Halftime show performance, and wanted to clear up a little rumor he’d heard about being Beyoncé’s former nanny. He first talked about knowing Beyoncé when she was “12 or 11 years old,” in an interview with UK radio host Roman Kemp last August, saying at the time that that he didn’t “know if I could consider myself their babysitter, but I had a time where I had to watch The Dolls,” which was the original name of Destiny’s Child. He went on to refer to himself as a “chaperone, a nanny, something like that,” but has since changed his title.

“First of all, how can I be a nanny? I’d be a manny,” Usher explained. So he was not a full time “manny,” but the dad of four was, in fact, responsible for babysitting Beyoncé and the other members of Destiny’s Child for a time.

“Daryl Simmons, he had a group by the name of The Dolls, and they came to Atlanta for the first time,” Usher, who is three years older than the “Crazy In Love” singer, explained. “This is before Destiny’s Child became Destiny’s Child. I think I looked over them while they were doing something in the house.”

He went on to explain that he “had to watch ‘em ‘cause I was like the, you know, the authority ‘cause I guess I was the teenager at the time,” going on to add that his job was “making certain that they didn’t, you know, get in no trouble in the house at the time.”

Usher and Beyoncé went on to form a friendship after those early babysitting years. They’ve collaborated several times, including Usher’s 2008 “Love In This Club Part II,” while the singer returned the favor and performed as the lead dancer for the mom of three’s “Naughty Girl” video in 2003.

The former babysitter went on to say he was proud of everything Queen Bey has accomplished, “To see that she’s done so amazing, and continue to thrive and just get bigger and better,” he said. “Whether it’s musically, in life or creativity, or all of it.”