{"id":3840,"date":"2025-10-20T06:04:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T06:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=3840"},"modified":"2025-10-20T06:04:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T06:04:15","slug":"donnie-wahlberg-says-past-mistakes-helped-shape-his-marriage-to-jenny-mccarthy-were-not-going-to-make-that-mistake-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=3840","title":{"rendered":"Donnie Wahlberg Says Past Mistakes Helped Shape His Marriage to Jenny McCarthy: \u201cWe\u2019re Not Going to Make That Mistake Again\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

After more than a decade together, Donnie Wahlberg<\/strong> says the success of his 11-year marriage to Jenny McCarthy<\/strong> is built on intention, honesty, and lessons learned from past relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n

In an exclusive conversation with Fox News Digital<\/em>, the \u201cBlue Bloods\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cBoston Blue\u201d<\/strong> star opened up about how he and McCarthy approached their marriage differently the second time around \u2014 this time with maturity, self-awareness, and faith at the center.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve both been divorced before,\u201d<\/strong> Wahlberg shared. \u201cWe did a lot of individual therapy, and when we got together, we decided to do some together\u2014preemptively. New relationships uncover new vulnerabilities.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Learning From the Past<\/span><\/h3>\n

Wahlberg, who was previously married to Kimberly Fey<\/strong>, and McCarthy, who divorced John Asher<\/strong> in 2005, both came into their relationship with children and emotional history. Wahlberg has two sons, while McCarthy has a son, Evan, whose autism diagnosis deeply affected her first marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n

McCarthy had previously spoken about that time in her life, telling Oprah Winfrey<\/strong> she felt alone in her marriage due to a lack of emotional connection.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wahlberg says that understanding their past mistakes \u2014 particularly putting everything, including parenting, ahead of their partnership \u2014 changed how they built their new life together.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI think both of us put kids before our marriage in our first relationships,\u201d<\/strong> he said. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to make that mistake again.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cPut the Relationship First\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n

The actor explained that while prioritizing children is instinctive, it\u2019s easy for couples to lose connection in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOn an airplane, they tell you to put your mask on first before helping your children,\u201d<\/strong> he said. \u201cIt sounds strange \u2014 but if you\u2019re not okay, you can\u2019t care for your kids the way they need. The same is true in marriage.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Wahlberg says he and McCarthy are intentional about maintaining energy, romance, and curiosity in their relationship \u2014 something many couples forget after the early stages of love fade.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cDates are fun,\u201d<\/strong> he said. \u201cWhen we first meet someone, we send flowers, we ask questions, we\u2019re curious. Then we stop. We get comfortable. But if you keep feeding that connection, it keeps the fire going.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Faith and Fun \u2014 The Wahlberg-McCarthy Formula<\/span><\/h3>\n

Wahlberg credits faith<\/strong> and consistent effort<\/strong> as the foundation of their marriage. And for all their structure and communication, he says one thing remains essential: joy.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also recalls the moment he knew McCarthy was the one \u2014 when she embraced his life on tour with New Kids on the Block<\/strong>, even when large crowds and fan culture were part of the package.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI told her, \u2018There are going to be fans screaming outside hotels. I can\u2019t just walk past them.\u2019 And she never made me feel guilty about it. That told me a lot about who she is.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

A Marriage Built on Growth, Not Perfection<\/span><\/h3>\n

More than a decade in, Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy credit their stability not to luck, but to deliberate work, mutual respect, and choosing love daily<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe do the work to protect and fortify the relationship,\u201d<\/strong> Wahlberg said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t just happen. You have to choose it.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

From past missteps to present clarity, their story is less about perfection \u2014 and more about growth, humility, and learning to love on purpose<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

If you\u2019d like, I can create a headline package, pull quotes, or a version adapted for digital magazine layout or social media storytelling<\/strong>. Just let me know!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After more than a decade together, Donnie Wahlberg says the success of his 11-year marriage to Jenny McCarthy is built on intention, honesty, and lessons learned from past relationships. In an exclusive conversation with Fox News Digital, the \u201cBlue Bloods\u201d and \u201cBoston Blue\u201d star opened up about how he and McCarthy approached their marriage differently…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3840\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}