Where Are Bunny Yeager’s Daughters Now?

Netflix’s ‘Naked Ambition’ is a documentary that delves deep into the often overlooked career of arguably the most talented pin-up model-turned-photographer of all time. It captures Bunny Yeager’s legacy through not only her own eyes but also the perspectives of loved ones and the industry, thanks to a blend of archival footage and exclusive interviews. Among them were her two loving daughters, Cherilu Irwin DuVal and Lisa Irwin Gilbert, who share drastically different opinions about their mother’s work and its lasting impact.

Cherilu DuVal is a Multifaceted Individual Based Out of Ohio

Born in December 1955 in Miami, Florida, to Bunny Yeager and Arthur “Bud” Irwin, Cherilu Irwin realized at a rather young age that her family’s dynamic was worlds apart from others. She noticed that the former juggled a career while being a happily married mother at a time when it was extremely unusual, which inadvertently made her feel as if she may not have been the top priority. She stated in the original that these sentiments of resentment only grew deeper over time as she learned what kind of work her mother did, as it embarrassed her.

Cherilu has always believed that no matter how tasteful her mother tried to be, her pin-up modeling and photography work on herself or with models still sexualized women in a negative light. Thus, she rarely discussed her profession growing up, and then moved out as soon as she could to maintain a somewhat healthy, stable personal relationship with her entire family. In fact, after graduating from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Art and tying the knot with the love of her life, David DuVal, on September 10, 1977, she relocated to Ohio. She sadly lost her father to suicide weeks later, on October 1, 1977, but it also inadvertently brought her closer to her mother and sister over time.

Cherilu still didn’t ethically or morally agree with Bunny’s brand, but she could see the art behind it as she had evolved into an artist herself. Since 1978, she has been a Freelance Artist, specializing in cartoons, portraits, and room murals, all the while also dabbling in teaching children’s art classes. Today, at 70, she resides in Hamilton, Ohio, where she serves as a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, educator, and artist. She shares an especially tight-knit connection with her daughters, Bethany and Holly, as well as their families, with whom she does her best to spend as much time as possible. The Bethany Baptist Church member is deeply dedicated to her faith, is an animal lover, and is focused on community betterment, too.

Lisa Irwin Prefers to Lead a Private Life Today

Lisa Irwin Packard is the youngest child of Bunny Yeager and Arthur “Bud” Irwin, as she was born roughly three years after they had welcomed Cherilu into the world. According to the documentary, she had come to recognize that her family was not typical early on, too, yet she believed it had more to do with her being deaf than anything else. She experienced the world differently, so she admittedly didn’t know any better until she was well into her teenage years, but her opinion of her mother’s work was always that she was creating pure visual art.

Lisa even grew protective of Bunny over time, and while they still had their differences like any mother-daughter duo, there was still a lot of love between them. In fact, they both eventually became affiliated with the Florida School for the Deaf & Blind in St. Augustine, which brought them closer than they ever imagined. Since the former continued to reside in her home state, she was well aware that her mother’s career and legacy were starting to blow up all over again in the early 2010s, thanks to her new assistant.

In the documentary, Lisa alleged that she believed the assistant Bunny had in the last 4 years of her life was more of a “salesman” for her. Therefore, the show mentions that she even took the legal route to have him removed as the handler of Bunny’s work following her demise from heart failure at the age of 85 on May 25, 2014. She hoped to handle her archival portfolio herself because she felt an innate lifelong connection to it, but, with her elder sister’s encouragement, she ultimately decided to auction it to professionals. Since then, from what we can tell, she has moved to Hamilton, Ohio, to be closer to Cherilu, where she prefers to keep her personal life private while surrounded by the support of loved ones.

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