Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg: From Reality TV to Happily Ever After

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Just when you were wondering what’s up with Jenny McCarthy, she and husband Donnie Wahlberg posed in their birthday suits. The money they collect is going to fund McCarthy’s vegan cosmetics line, Formless Beauty.

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Given that many of us didn’t already know Jenny McCarthy has a perfume line, it begs the question: What is life like for her and Donnie Wahlberg, eight and a half years after they married?

We checked in on each actor’s career, as well as their decision to start a family and tackle whatever challenges may come their way.

Jenny McCarthy’s Fleeting Acting Career

Jenny McCarthy came onto the radar of pop culture in 1993, when she became Playboy’s Playmate of the Year. That nude photo spread was enough to emblazon her into the collective memory of mainstream America.

Just two years later, McCarthy found herself co-hosting the MTV game show Singled Out from 1995 to 1997. 

That gig set up Jenny McCarthy to star in her own sitcom, Jenny (1997 to 1998) — and win a chair at the table of The View. While she got the job, though, the difficulty for McCarthy came in convincingly articulating one’s stances on various hot topics of the day.

McCarthy inserted herself into more than she bargained for by becoming the face of the anti-vax movement. Incorrectly stating as fact that vaccines cause autism is “dangerous” and “reckless,” according to Insider

Accordingly, Jenny McCarthy turned to another medium for some stability: reality TV, which gives contestants a much longer leash in expressing their views. McCarthy started appearing on The Masked Singer as a judge in 2019 and is still doing so now.

Donnie Wahlberg’s Acting Skills Are in His Blood

Despite his dozen-year run on Blue Bloods and a freaky cameo in The Sixth Sense, Donnie Wahlberg will always be known as the “bad boy” on the block. Or, rather, from New Kids on the Block — a group he co-founded.

In addition to the aforementioned roles, Wahlberg’s film credits include the Saw series, Zookeeper, Righteous Kill, Ransom, and HBO’s Band of Brothers.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering whether Donnie Wahlberg is related to a better-known Wahlberg, he’s not afraid to amid that it’s true: He and Mark Wahlberg are brothers.

Tying the Knot

Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg tied the knot in August 2014. They had dated for more than a year in public and got married at the historic Hotel Baker in St. Charles, Illinois. McCarthy posted their first selfie as a married couple in September 2014.

“Mr & Mrs Wahlberg, checking in from heaven,” McCarthy Tweeted, sharing pictures of husband Donnie Wahlberg smooching her hand.

“He’s the most amazing man, and we have become a great team,” she told People. “Although I haven’t told my dad yet, my son, Evan, will walk me down the aisle before he goes back to school in the fall.”

McCarthy and Wahlberg: Happily Ever After?

Wahlberg likened their marriage to a business operating, noting that many of his current projects are collaborative with Jenny McCarthy.

“I appreciate what you said about us being a successful couple, especially in Hollywood, but we don’t think of ourselves as a Hollywood couple,” Wahlberg told a Fox News personality.

McCarthy announced the launching of her cosmetics line last year. She spoke up about the benefits of working on projects with your spouse.

McCarthy later told People: “It was fun to bare it all with my husband for this shoot. I definitely have a thing for chestnuts roasting and large packages adorned with red ribbons.”

Making Love Work After 50

Not being ashamed to show off their aging bodies wins them some points for maturing in a mature way. The promotional pics feature McCarthy, 50, and Wahlberg, 53.

“I love having fun with Jenny, and she asked me right before ‘in-shape New Kids Donnie’ became a ‘doughnut-eating Blue Bloods Donnie,’ so the timing was perfect,” Wahlberg told People earlier this month.

Talking in a transparent way helps a couple steer clear of minefields too, and neither Wahlberg nor McCarthy seems to mince words when it comes to sharing their opinions — and photos of themselves, naked or note.

READ MORE: “Shania Twain Is Proud to Show Her Naked Body in Her Late 50s

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