Nanny Frost worked as a nanny for over 30 years, beginning in 1989, when she was 18 years of age. She was employed in the United Kingdom and the United States and Frost's clients included celebrities such as
John Lloyd, a television producer.
Television , Massachusetts, U.S. in 2009 Frost was hired for the Channel 4's
Supernanny television show that launched in the United Kingdom in 2004. In each episode she visited a family and implemented consistent disciplinary, behavioral, and entertainment techniques to improve troubled families' lives. In their book
Handbook of Psychological Assessment, Case Conceptualization, and Treatment, Children and Adolescents, Michel Hersen and David Reitman state, "With considerable skill,
Super Nanny Jo Frost implements standard, evidence-based contingency management procedures, as well as heavy evidence of creating alternative positive activity structures." The show has had its critics, and not all child-care experts agree with her approach. Some people find that the children's right to privacy has been violated and that children are embarrassed when put on the "naughty step".
Newcastle University media and cultural-studies lecturer Tracey Jensen believes that the format results in the mother being "shamed before she is transformed". The show was viewed by 6 million people in its first year. Shows were created in 48 countries by 2014 that were tailored after
Supernanny. The British show ran for 6 seasons. The American version aired on
ABC. Like the British version, the American
Supernanny was also a success and garnered Frost invitations to
Late Show with David Letterman,
The Oprah Winfrey Show, and
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno..
Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance aired in the UK for Channel 4 beginning in 2010. It had an issue-based format, with limited home visits.
Family S.O.S. with Jo Frost premiered 28 May 2013, on
TLC in the United States with a 90-minute episode.
Supernanny focused on discipline issues, but
Family S.O.S. tackled serious, complex issues, such as blended families, addiction, abuse, and marital problems in family's homes. TV critic Hank Stuever commented, "For all its noise and uncomfy moments,
Family S.O.S. is relatively genuine stuff, especially for the current incarnation of TLC. Viewers who know Frost's previous work will have no trouble believing that she cares about the outcome and sincerely wants to help these families patch things up." Frost was one of the executive producers for the show. Beginning 18 April 2014, she hosted the talk show
Family Matters for
ITV. Prior to the show, families underwent taped interviews about the nature of their difficulties, to be addressed during the talk show. The show relied on Frost's intuition and experience to resolve difficult situations, sometimes dealing with parents more directly than she may have done in other shows. Over time, Frost has softened her image, including stopping her common gesture of pointing her finger at people, and stopped wearing severe suits, both of which had been iconic during her time on
Supernanny.
Twofour Broadcast planned in July 2014 for a new British show with Frost that would "help to restore harmony and balance to their family life" over the course of a family retreat. A 20-episode revival season of the American
Supernanny premiered on
Lifetime on 1 January 2020, 8 years after the ABC version finished. In 2020, Frost was announced as the star of Australian program
The Parent Jury. However, due to restrictions during the
COVID-19 pandemic, she was unable to travel for filming and the show's production proceeded without her. ==Activism==