New Kids On the Block singer Donnie Wahlberg and model Jenny McCarthy have been together for almost 12 years and are certainly in love! Wahlberg and McCarthy are the perfect picture of a happy blended family and show their affection for one another through their social media feeds. The couple first sparked dating rumors back in 2013 and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Get the inside scoop on the romance between Wahlberg and McCarthy.
Wahlberg first meets McCarthy in 2012
The now-married couple first met when they both appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. According to Wahlberg, the TV show host told him to ask McCarthy on a date, but he didn’t. Of course, the two would meet again about a year later and begin a relationship.
In March 2013, McCarthy interviewed Wahlberg on The Jenny McCarthy Show and it’s clear that sparks began flying between them. This time, the actor followed Cohen’s earlier advice and asked McCarthy on a date, which occurred two weeks later.
Just a few months after that, it was confirmed that Wahlberg and McCarthy were dating, and they made their first red carpet appearance in August 2013.
McCarthy and Wahlberg tie the knot
The year 2014 was a busy one for the new couple. On The View, McCarthy announced that Wahlberg had proposed to her as she showed off her new bling. “This weekend, I was sitting with Donnie,” McCarthy shared, “and he went into the other room, and out came Evan [McCarthy’s son] with a card that said ‘Will,’ and he handed it to me. Then Evan ran away, [and] Evan came back in with a card that said ‘You’ … I just started crying, and then Evan came back with a card that said ‘Marry’ — but spelled wrong.”
McCarthy added, “Donnie came out with Evan, and Donnie’s shirt said ‘Me’ with a question mark, holding the ring … and he got down on his knee.”
On August 31, Wahlberg and McCarthy exchanged vows in St. Charles, Illinois. McCarthy shared a sweet toast after the ceremony, saying, “As a little girl, you dream of Prince Charming, and you always get disappointed because no one meets the expectations, but he has surpassed it by far …”
The Wahlbergs become a blended family
Although Wahlberg and McCarthy haven’t had any children together, both spouses have kids from their first marriages. Wahlberg has two sons—Xavier Alexander and Elijah Hendrix—with his former wife, Kimberly Fey, while McCarthy has one son—Evan—with ex-husband John Asher.
Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy get a reality TV show
The actor and actress entered the reality TV space in 2015 as they began their own show, Donnie Loves Jenny, which ran for three seasons on the A&E network. The show included moments from behind-the-scenes of their 2014 wedding, newlywed life and balancing their lives and careers. The show came to an end in April 2016 after 26 episodes.
The couple has a vow renewal
After seven years of marriage, Wahlberg and McCarthy decided to have a vow renewal ceremony. The subsequent Instagram post noted, “Seven years — no itch! I love you more than ever, Mrs. Wahlberg. To be blessed with a partner whose goal is to make sure that I love myself more and more each day — is to be truly blessed.”
But that wasn’t their only vow renewal ceremony. The Blue Bloods actor surprised his wife with yet another on their 8th anniversary, which ended up becoming a tradition for the couple. In fact, in 2024 McCarthy confirmed the two have had a total of 10 vow renewals.
“[We’ve had] 10 vow renewals. Our pastor reminisces about the year and gives us a thing to think about as the year goes on,” she said. “There is something nice about it.”
