Is the nanny of Tiger King's Jeff Lowe real, or simply a fake publicity stunt? Netflix's Tiger King examines the world of Joe Exotic and big cats in America, with a number of players within it featured. Among those is Jeff Lowe, who enters into business with Exotic. One of his memorable moments comes in the seventh episode, where Lowe and his wife Lauren discuss hiring a nanny for their soon-to-be-born child, and where Lowe's priorities seem rather out-of-sync with his partner's.
Lowe, smirking smugly, holds up an Instagram photo of model Masha Diduk, explaining, "I said you can get a nanny as long as I get to pick her. If you're gonna bring in one, why bring in one that's not enjoyable to look at?" While Tiger King doesn't follow-up on this, it seems like Jeff Lowe got what he wanted, at least according to Diduk's Instagram. The model has posted a number of photos from what was formerly Joe Exotic's zoo, Greater Wynewood Exotic Animal Park, in recent weeks, and even appeared briefly with Jeff and Lauren on Lights Out with David Spade, passing the baby to Lauren before sitting on Jeff's lap.
Given the questionable nature of Jeff Lowe's role in Joe Exotic's downfall, his history of violence against women alluded to in Tiger King, and his generally disrespectful on-camera demeanor, viewers were understandably skeptical of his relationship with this so-called nanny. According to some Instagram screenshots that have circulated on Twitter (h/t Busted Coverage), Diduk admitted that she's "not the nanny," and just "got paid to go there to pretend" to be the "hot nanny." However, she later told TMZ that she is working for the Lowes as a nanny, albeit only part time, leaving the truth of the matter somewhat unclear.
Jeff and Lauren Lowe doubled down on their "hot nanny" claims in the new Tiger King follow-up episode, "The Tiger King and I". When host Joel McHale asked about her, they replied enthusiastically and affirmed her existence in their lives. "The nanny's excellent," said Jeff, "you've seen her," while Lauren chimed in, "she's hot." Whether or not Masha Diduk is "really" their nanny is almost irrelevant. It's clear from her Instagram that she is first and foremost a model. Any previous professional nannying experience is conspicuously absent from her online presence, which is not to say that she's unqualified for childcare. What matters more is whether she's actually with them or not, and for the Lowes and Diduk, that people remain talking about them post-Tiger King.
Masha did appear to be holding a baby in the Lights Out appearance, even if she did hand the child off to Lauren rather quickly. While it's no surprise that Tiger King's Jeff Lowe would hire a nanny for dubious reasons, who's to say she's not actually taking care of Lauren and Jeff's child while also acting as a model-in-residence? Whether she was hired for childcare or not, it's likely that Masha would now have to be quarantined with the Lowes after the coronavirus outbreak, which in turn means she may well be helping out to look after Sarah anyway.