Staying at a US brothel is all in a day’s work for Stacey Dooley as she tackles more controversial issues in her latest series
WORDS: LAUREN MORRIS
Stacey Dooley is flying back to the States for another instalment of her Sleeps Over USA series – but this time, she’s also taking daughter Minnie along for the trip.
The TV presenter is stopping by America’s most interesting homes for the W show’s return visit as she explores the extremes of US culture. From a legal brothel in Nevada to a family of Mormon polygamists, Stacey explores the ups and downs of her hosts’ way of living.
While Stacey’s partner, ex Strictly Come Dancingpro Kevin Clifton, was looking after Minnie away from set, Stacey admits that fitting in breastfeeding sessions outside of filming could be hectic.
“Kev and Minnie were in America at the same time for this series, obviously not on location but nearby so I was able to see them in between shoots, which was super handy,” she says.
“Minnie’s still on the boob – so there’s a lot of juggling that goes into making these docs.”
Series two isn’t technically Minnie’s first time in America, as Stacey was secretly pregnant with the now-14-month-old when filming in 2022. The first series of Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over USAsaw the Strictly winner visit a nine-year-old gun-wielding YouTuber and a transgender mum and dad, as well as lovers with a 37-year age gap “I was staying in a trailer with the gun-tuber family, and I was having to run round the back of the trailer and throw up in 40-something degree heat!” she laughs. “So yeah, there was none of that this time round, which was quite nice.”
Across the three new episodes, Stacey shares mealtimes, activities and celebrations with her sleepover hosts – and at the Nevada brothel, she was far more immersed than she originally expected to be. “My room was directly opposite the brothel’s oldest worker, 68-year-old Erica, so I could always hear when she was working,” she says. “I almost felt like shouting, ‘Go get ‘em!’ I was really rooting for her and thrilled that she was so busy. You could hear everything!”
Meeting the courtesans at the legal, female-run brothel – the Mustang Ranch – reaffirmed Stacey’s attitude to sex work.
“For years I’ve said that I don’t understand why all brothels aren’t just made legal and above board,” she says.
“I think it would ultimately mean that women are safer and that they are able to
