“Before, I’d be scared to show anyone that I’m not as tough as I think I am,” McCarthy (with Wahlberg) tells Us. “It’s so important to make sure you tell your secrets to your partner.”
Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg have really committed to PDA, and their version leans heavily on private displays of affection, too. “We like to sneak off at parties,” admits McCarthy, 52. “If someone has a Christmas party, we’re going to find the basement bathroom, take advantage of the moment.” Which is not to say they’re neglecting the public aspect. One of their more memorable makeout sessions took place in a hallway during the 2014 Creative Arts Emmys. “We hear this voice say, ‘Get a room,’” Blue Bloods alum Wahlberg, 55, recalls. “I was like, ‘That sounded like the voice of God.’ It was Morgan Freeman. He walked by and winked at us.”
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1494518166/1737457036/articles/Wp_lItmed1737717644219/PPSIT4fxK1737720300956.jpg]
Getting called out by a legendary actor is a small price to pay for maintaining their obvious chemistry after a decade of marriage. “We work at keeping it hot,” Wahlberg says. The New Kids on the Block member and the Masked Singer judge met in 2012 and wed in 2014; he shares sons Xavier, 31, and Elijah, 23, with first wife Kimberly Fey, and McCarthy is mom to 22-year-old Evan with ex-husband John Asher. She and Wahlberg live with Evan and their five dogs outside Chicago in St. Charles, Ill., close to McCarthy’s hometown. “Of course we love each other and we’re attracted to each other, but we also give it care,” says Wahlberg. “That’s how you keep [the spark] alive. We don’t take for granted that it’s been 10 years and we don’t have to do that stuff anymore. Keep doing it.”
Having found each other later in life, Wahlberg and McCarthy — now teaming up on the ID true-crime special Very Scary Lovers (Feb. 2, 10 P.M., after the 9 P.M. finale of Wahlberg’s Very Scary People) — are determined to get it right this time around. To that end, they take a proactive approach to every aspect of their relationship, from sexy date nights to therapy to affectionate gestures. “We’ve both been through stuff in our past relationships and have had to work hard to navigate that in a healthy way,” says Wahlberg, adding, “From the moment we said ‘I do’ to forever, everything has been about making our marriage the best it can be.” Read on for more words of wisdom — as told exclusively to Us — from the so-in-love pair.
You celebrated your 10th wedding anniversary last August. Do you feel like you have marriage figured out?
DW I don’t think it took 10 years for us to figure it out. I don’t want to sound like we’re the greatest marriage experts in the world, but we had similar journeys: We’ve both been divorced, and we learned a lot before we met each other. I knew when we started dating there was no turning back. When we decided to get married, we were all in.
JM We’re always learning from each other. Our goal in life is to grow spiritually and get better as human beings, and we’re constantly welcoming the lessons that come our way.
Romantic Gestures Galore!
FlowersWahlberg sends his wife fresh blooms every Monday. “I work on my rela-tionship with Jenny harder than I work on anything else,” he tells Us.
Sharing a Bed Nightly“When we’re away, we FaceTime sleep with each other,” McCarthy reveals. “He’s on my pillow.”
Mushy Letters“Writing a love note that doesn’t cost a thing,” McCarthy offers, “that’s everything.”
Vow RenewalsEvery Aug. 31 since their 2014 wedding, the two retie the knot — and, she notes, “we both cry.”
Cozy Time for TwoAt one point, the duo would enjoy mugs of hot chocolate together every evening.
Thoughtful Gifts“If I see her looking at something on TV or scrolling and she stops and looks twice at a pair of boots, I secretly take a picture,” Wahlberg says.
What's the secret of your success as a couple?
JM We do the work.
DW Prioritizing the marriage. If we put things before the relationship, we have a weak foundation. We went in [saying], “Let’s give it everything we’ve got and make it the center of our lives.”
You've both said divorce is not an option...
DW It’s not something that is even remotely possible.
JM It is ‘til death do us part. We know that.
What's something you've overcome together?
DW There was a challenging thing early on because of past trauma we’ve had in relationships. One time she was backstage at my concert and she slammed her laptop shut when I walked in the room. I was like, “What is she hiding?” Because of my journey, I immediately thought, “She’s hiding something.” What I didn’t know is that because of her journey, she was afraid I’d yell at her for being on her laptop.
JM I was in a relationship where I had a phone casket at the front door. I was forced to put my phone in and then I could continue into the house and be in the relationship. If I ever snuck it out and he walked in, it was like, “I’m going to get in trouble.” That’s a perfect example of someone projecting their past into their current relationship. I wasn’t conscious of it. We were smart enough to talk it out, and then Donnie had such empathy for me.
DW We were vulnerable enough to share that with each other, and it brought us closer.
JM It was really hard for me in the beginning because I’ve gone through quite the history of hardships in relationships. I’ll put it nicely like that. I had built up such a shield. Being able to take that armor off has been wonderful.
Did you have any reservations about the other when you first got together?
DW I didn’t want to be in a public relationship. And she says a lot on TV, whatever the hell she wants. Jenny [is] very outspoken. The year before I met her, she kissed a cop at midnight on [New Year’s Rockin’ Eve]. By getting over that insecurity and trusting her, I got to know the private Jenny, which is the greatest Jenny of all.
How do you deal with conflict?
DW If something comes up that bothers one of us, we choose peace. That doesn’t mean we don’t work on it and resolve it, but we choose a peaceful path to that. If something ruffles my feathers, I take a look at myself before I say a word to Jen. If I go, “Hey, you hurt my feelings,” I’m not choosing peace. I [have to] look inside and say, “What bothered me about that? Oh, I have a sensitivity to that.” It could be from a past relationship. That gives me a better way into the conversation. It’s not, “You did this to me.” It’s, “I felt something, and I wanted to talk to you about it.”
JM That’s a secret weapon in relationships, and it’s really powerful. It’s about finding the space in between your reaction. You pause, you go inside, question it, and then you have a different reaction — and sometimes no reaction. That’s where true peace comes in. It’s not swallowing what you wanted to say.
DW Peace doesn’t mean ignore reality and don’t communicate. But it doesn’t have to be rooted in conflict, especially with the person you love so much.
They Like to Clock in Together
The new ID special Very Scary Lovers is only the latest collab for the duo
“[It was] too much to pass up,” says Wahlberg of the opportunity to spin off his ID series, Very Scary People, with his better half. And true-crime fan McCarthy was thrilled to cohost Feb. 2’s hour-long special Very Scary Lovers, profiling married serial killers Benjamin and Erika Sifrit. “I’m that person who does deep dives into rabbit holes,” she says. “I love figuring out the psychology behind all of it.”
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1494518166/1737457036/articles/Wp_lItmed1737717644219/3349349749.jpg]
It’s not the first time they’ve mixed business with pleasure: Wahlberg surprised his wife on The Masked Singer in 2021, and in November, they released their third annual holiday card (above) for her clean makeup line, Formless Beauty. “[With Donnie,] it doesn’t feel like work,” McCarthy says. “And it’s nice to have someone there who has your back.”
Who is usually quicker to apologize when the situation calls for it?
JM It’s equal. Some days I don’t feel like it, so he’ll do it. Even though he might be right. DW A wise [therapist] once told me, “You’re going to right yourself right out the front door of the relationship if you keep trying to be right.” Even if you don’t know exactly what you did wrong, “I’m sorry” can take the sting out, and it allows the other person space to be vulnerable.
What do you bicker about?
JM You’re going to hate us — there’s nothing. DW I’m thinking about things I wish I didn’t do. I wish I could stay awake when we’re binge-watching stuff. I doze off. JM That’s not annoying at all. DW It annoys me on your behalf! We’re binge-watching Game of Thrones for the sixth time, but I don’t fall asleep anymore because I love it and I’m catching eve...
Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg have really committed to PDA, and their version leans heavily on private displays of affection, too. “We like to sneak off at parties,” admits McCarthy, 52. “If someone has a Christmas party, we’re going to find the basement bathroom, take advantage of the moment.” Which is not to say they’re neglecting the public aspect. One of their more memorable makeout sessions took place in a hallway during the 2014 Creative Arts Emmys. “We hear this voice say, ‘Get a room,’” Blue Bloods alum Wahlberg, 55, recalls. “I was like, ‘That sounded like the voice of God.’ It was Morgan Freeman. He walked by and winked at us.”
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1494518166/1737457036/articles/Wp_lItmed1737717644219/PPSIT4fxK1737720300956.jpg]
Getting called out by a legendary actor is a small price to pay for maintaining their obvious chemistry after a decade of marriage. “We work at keeping it hot,” Wahlberg says. The New Kids on the Block member and the Masked Singer judge met in 2012 and wed in 2014; he shares sons Xavier, 31, and Elijah, 23, with first wife Kimberly Fey, and McCarthy is mom to 22-year-old Evan with ex-husband John Asher. She and Wahlberg live with Evan and their five dogs outside Chicago in St. Charles, Ill., close to McCarthy’s hometown. “Of course we love each other and we’re attracted to each other, but we also give it care,” says Wahlberg. “That’s how you keep [the spark] alive. We don’t take for granted that it’s been 10 years and we don’t have to do that stuff anymore. Keep doing it.”
Having found each other later in life, Wahlberg and McCarthy — now teaming up on the ID true-crime special Very Scary Lovers (Feb. 2, 10 P.M., after the 9 P.M. finale of Wahlberg’s Very Scary People) — are determined to get it right this time around. To that end, they take a proactive approach to every aspect of their relationship, from sexy date nights to therapy to affectionate gestures. “We’ve both been through stuff in our past relationships and have had to work hard to navigate that in a healthy way,” says Wahlberg, adding, “From the moment we said ‘I do’ to forever, everything has been about making our marriage the best it can be.” Read on for more words of wisdom — as told exclusively to Us — from the so-in-love pair.
You celebrated your 10th wedding anniversary last August. Do you feel like you have marriage figured out?
DW I don’t think it took 10 years for us to figure it out. I don’t want to sound like we’re the greatest marriage experts in the world, but we had similar journeys: We’ve both been divorced, and we learned a lot before we met each other. I knew when we started dating there was no turning back. When we decided to get married, we were all in.
JM We’re always learning from each other. Our goal in life is to grow spiritually and get better as human beings, and we’re constantly welcoming the lessons that come our way.
Romantic Gestures Galore!
FlowersWahlberg sends his wife fresh blooms every Monday. “I work on my rela-tionship with Jenny harder than I work on anything else,” he tells Us.
Sharing a Bed Nightly“When we’re away, we FaceTime sleep with each other,” McCarthy reveals. “He’s on my pillow.”
Mushy Letters“Writing a love note that doesn’t cost a thing,” McCarthy offers, “that’s everything.”
Vow RenewalsEvery Aug. 31 since their 2014 wedding, the two retie the knot — and, she notes, “we both cry.”
Cozy Time for TwoAt one point, the duo would enjoy mugs of hot chocolate together every evening.
Thoughtful Gifts“If I see her looking at something on TV or scrolling and she stops and looks twice at a pair of boots, I secretly take a picture,” Wahlberg says.
What's the secret of your success as a couple?
JM We do the work.
DW Prioritizing the marriage. If we put things before the relationship, we have a weak foundation. We went in [saying], “Let’s give it everything we’ve got and make it the center of our lives.”
You've both said divorce is not an option...
DW It’s not something that is even remotely possible.
JM It is ‘til death do us part. We know that.
What's something you've overcome together?
DW There was a challenging thing early on because of past trauma we’ve had in relationships. One time she was backstage at my concert and she slammed her laptop shut when I walked in the room. I was like, “What is she hiding?” Because of my journey, I immediately thought, “She’s hiding something.” What I didn’t know is that because of her journey, she was afraid I’d yell at her for being on her laptop.
JM I was in a relationship where I had a phone casket at the front door. I was forced to put my phone in and then I could continue into the house and be in the relationship. If I ever snuck it out and he walked in, it was like, “I’m going to get in trouble.” That’s a perfect example of someone projecting their past into their current relationship. I wasn’t conscious of it. We were smart enough to talk it out, and then Donnie had such empathy for me.
DW We were vulnerable enough to share that with each other, and it brought us closer.
JM It was really hard for me in the beginning because I’ve gone through quite the history of hardships in relationships. I’ll put it nicely like that. I had built up such a shield. Being able to take that armor off has been wonderful.
Did you have any reservations about the other when you first got together?
DW I didn’t want to be in a public relationship. And she says a lot on TV, whatever the hell she wants. Jenny [is] very outspoken. The year before I met her, she kissed a cop at midnight on [New Year’s Rockin’ Eve]. By getting over that insecurity and trusting her, I got to know the private Jenny, which is the greatest Jenny of all.
How do you deal with conflict?
DW If something comes up that bothers one of us, we choose peace. That doesn’t mean we don’t work on it and resolve it, but we choose a peaceful path to that. If something ruffles my feathers, I take a look at myself before I say a word to Jen. If I go, “Hey, you hurt my feelings,” I’m not choosing peace. I [have to] look inside and say, “What bothered me about that? Oh, I have a sensitivity to that.” It could be from a past relationship. That gives me a better way into the conversation. It’s not, “You did this to me.” It’s, “I felt something, and I wanted to talk to you about it.”
JM That’s a secret weapon in relationships, and it’s really powerful. It’s about finding the space in between your reaction. You pause, you go inside, question it, and then you have a different reaction — and sometimes no reaction. That’s where true peace comes in. It’s not swallowing what you wanted to say.
DW Peace doesn’t mean ignore reality and don’t communicate. But it doesn’t have to be rooted in conflict, especially with the person you love so much.
They Like to Clock in Together
The new ID special Very Scary Lovers is only the latest collab for the duo
“[It was] too much to pass up,” says Wahlberg of the opportunity to spin off his ID series, Very Scary People, with his better half. And true-crime fan McCarthy was thrilled to cohost Feb. 2’s hour-long special Very Scary Lovers, profiling married serial killers Benjamin and Erika Sifrit. “I’m that person who does deep dives into rabbit holes,” she says. “I love figuring out the psychology behind all of it.”
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1494518166/1737457036/articles/Wp_lItmed1737717644219/3349349749.jpg]
It’s not the first time they’ve mixed business with pleasure: Wahlberg surprised his wife on The Masked Singer in 2021, and in November, they released their third annual holiday card (above) for her clean makeup line, Formless Beauty. “[With Donnie,] it doesn’t feel like work,” McCarthy says. “And it’s nice to have someone there who has your back.”
Who is usually quicker to apologize when the situation calls for it?
JM It’s equal. Some days I don’t feel like it, so he’ll do it. Even though he might be right. DW A wise [therapist] once told me, “You’re going to right yourself right out the front door of the relationship if you keep trying to be right.” Even if you don’t know exactly what you did wrong, “I’m sorry” can take the sting out, and it allows the other person space to be vulnerable.
What do you bicker about?
JM You’re going to hate us — there’s nothing. DW I’m thinking about things I wish I didn’t do. I wish I could stay awake when we’re binge-watching stuff. I doze off. JM That’s not annoying at all. DW It annoys me on your behalf! We’re binge-watching Game of Thrones for the sixth time, but I don’t fall asleep anymore because I love it and I’m catching eve...
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Us Weekly (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 03, 2025