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donnie wahlberg looks back on his 11-year marriage to Jenny McCarthy.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, “Boston Blue” star The actor, who is currently starring in the Blue Bloods spin-off, detailed how his past romantic failures helped shape his relationship with McCarthy.
“Well, we’ve both been divorced before, so we did a lot of individual therapy, and when we got together, we decided, let’s do it together in a pre-emptive sense, because every new relationship, no matter what, brings new challenges, and sometimes we don’t even know what turns us on, what makes us respond to certain things, what brings out our vulnerabilities,” Wahlberg said.
Donnie Wahlberg knows where Hollywood couples are ‘wrong’ in their marriages
“Boston Blue” star Donnie Wahlberg admitted that past mistakes shaped his marriage to Jenny McCarthy. (Bob Kubens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“But intimate new relationships usually begin by surfacing,” he continued. “Some of us are very good at work and with friends. We can give advice and deal with things, but when you get into a relationship, things that didn’t bother you in other parts of your life can suddenly start bothering you. That’s because that’s the most vulnerable relationship you’re going to be in, and that’s where the vulnerability comes in.”
mccarthy They began dating Wahlberg in July 2013 and married in August 2014. Wahlberg has two sons from his previous marriage to Kimberly Faye, and McCarthy has one son, Evan, from his marriage to John Asher.
The former Playboy model and Usher divorced in 2005. At the time, the couple had been married for six years and were grappling with their son’s autism diagnosis.
McCarthy has a 23-year-old son, Evan, with ex-husband John Asher. (Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)
In 2008, McCarthy told Oprah Winfrey that the diagnosis was a huge blow to their marriage.
“I felt very alone in my marriage,” she said at the time. “He never sat down and said, ‘What did you find on Google?'” There was never a connection between wanting to know and being there. ”
Wahlberg said he and McCarthy are making it a priority to “put the relationship first” as they prepare for their second marriage.
“We both think [put kids before our marriage] With our first relationship, we are not going to make that mistake again. ”
“That means working to protect and strengthen relationships,” he said. “And we also put trust at the center of our relationships. It’s a huge foundation for us and it’s huge for us. But in any relationship, you have to put the relationship first.”
“It’s always hard to reconcile that. Especially when you’re a parent, on a plane, if something happens, you’re told to put your mask on before your kids. And I always thought that was the craziest thing. We have to put our kids first. But in theory, we can’t help our kids if we don’t put our masks on first. It’s easy to put your kids before everything and forget about your partner. And it’s understandable.”
“I think we both made something similar in our first relationships, and we’re not going to make the same mistake again,” he added.
Wahlberg said it is essential to “put relationships first.” (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images, iHeartRadio)
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Do you have another piece of advice? Let’s go on a date, Wahlberg said.
“Dating is fun!” he said. “Everything we do when we first meet, we stop. We end up quitting. We become complacent. I don’t mean it seriously, but we stop asking questions, we stop being curious, we stop trying, we stop trying. We tend to stop because we just start to trust that the relationship is solid and there. But I think if we keep giving that fuel and that energy, that love that we started, it will really continue.”
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Earlier this year, the New Kids on the Block star detailed the moment she knew McCarthy was “the one.”
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Wahlberg said his wife of more than 10 years has never been jealous of his female fanbase, even when he kisses another fan at the end of each show.
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“Jenny, when we first started dating, one of the reasons I knew she was a great woman for me, among many other reasons, was because I said to her, ‘Look, I’m in this band. My fans are going to be there too. For example, if I walk into a hotel with you and I know there’s 50 fans outside screaming, I can’t just walk past and run into the hotel.’
The two married in 2014. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images, iHeartRadio)
“‘I had to stop and take a picture. I had to stop and say thank you. I had to stop and sign.’ And she said, ‘Okay.’ So I said, “Okay, is that okay?” She said, “Yes, I’ll take a picture with you.” It’s okay,” Wahlberg said.
He continued, “I knew it right then. I thought, ‘Oh, it’s her.'” I already knew, but you know, I had that conversation with her. ”
In 2023, McCarthy shared her husband’s feelings on what makes a relationship work.
“It’s about respecting each other, communicating and being each other’s friends. Finding date nights and working,” McCarthy told Fox News Digital.
“You know this saying…your partner is your best teacher. It’s so true. Anything you need to work on manifests itself in your relationship. And we’re both always willing to work on things as they come up, and we’re still willing to work on them. And it really is, it makes a world of difference.”
Throughout their marriage, the two have strived to support each other on a professional level as well.
Wahlberg said his latest show, “Boston Blue,” which premiered Oct. 17 on CBS, offers “an incredible opportunity to preserve faith, family and tradition on television.”
“It’s fun,” said Wahlberg, who played Detective Danny Reagan for 14 seasons. “There’s a lot going on, but first and foremost I think it’s a great opportunity to keep the Blue Bloods world and Reagan’s legacy alive.” “This is a great opportunity to honor our faith, family, traditions and feature our law enforcement families on television.”
“Blue Bloods” aired its final episode in December 2024. (Craig Blankenhorn/CBS via Getty Images)
“Of course, it’s a new family, a new world, a new city, and Danny faces new challenges and becomes a father in the police department for the first time in his life,” he continued. “But it created a lot of opportunities to explore the character in new ways that we hadn’t experienced before.”
‘Blue Bloods’ spin-off could bring familiar faces to our screens – Tom Selleck.
“Of course, we already have some surprise guests on the show,” Wahlberg said. “I would do anything to work with Tom again, and I fought hard to keep working with him on Blue Bloods, but that wasn’t meant to be. So, hopefully, this show, like I said, is great in a lot of ways.” I hope it’s a unique opportunity, but it’s certainly an opportunity to keep the Reagan legacy alive. And of course, that means if I get the chance to work with any of the original cast, I’ll take it.”
“Boston Blue” airs Fridays on CBS and streams the next day on Paramount+.
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