Jenny McCarthy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jenny McCarthy
McCarthy at Fame at the Mansion in 2012
Born	Jennifer Ann McCarthy (1972-11-01) November 1, 1972 (age 52) Evergreen Park, Illinois, U.S.
Other names	Jennifer Wahlberg
Alma mater	Southern Illinois University
Occupation	Actress model television personality activist writer
Years active	1993–present
Television	Singled Out (1995) The Jenny McCarthy Show (1997) Jenny The Jenny McCarthy Show (2013) Donnie Loves Jenny The Masked Singer
Spouse(s)	John Asher ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2005)​ Donnie Wahlberg ​ (m. 2014)​
Partner(s)	Jim Carrey (2005–2010)
Children	1
Relatives	Joanne McCarthy (sister) Melissa McCarthy (cousin) Paul Wahlberg (brother-in-law) Jim Wahlberg (brother-in-law) Robert Wahlberg (brother-in-law) Mark Wahlberg (brother-in-law) Rhea Durham (sister-in-law)
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Jennifer Ann McCarthy-Wahlberg (born November 1, 1972) is an American actress, model, and television personality. She started her career in 1993 and became well-known through ... magazine. Later, she became a co-host on the MTV game show Singled Out (1995–1997). She also starred in her own TV show, Jenny (1997–1998).

McCarthy has appeared in several movies, including BASEketball (1998), Scream 3 (2000), and John Tucker Must Die (2006). In 2013, she hosted The Jenny McCarthy Show and was a co-host on the ABC talk show The View until 2014. Since 2019, McCarthy has been a judge on the Fox musical competition show The Masked Singer.

McCarthy has written books about parenting. She has also shared her views on the idea that vaccines cause autism, which has been disproven by science. She has also talked about alternative treatments for autism. Her views on vaccines have caused a lot of discussion among journalists and health experts.

Early Life and Family

Jenny McCarthy was born on November 1, 1972, in Evergreen Park, Illinois. She grew up in a working-class Catholic family in Chicago. She has German, Irish, and Polish family roots.

Jenny is the second of four daughters. Her sisters are Lynette, Joanne, and Amy. The actress Melissa McCarthy is her cousin. Her parents, Dan and Linda McCarthy, encouraged their daughters to be active in sports. Jenny played softball, and her sisters were involved in track and basketball.

As a teenager, McCarthy went to Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School. She was also a cheerleader at Brother Rice High School and St. Laurence High School. She later studied at Southern Illinois University.

Career Highlights

Early Career and TV Shows

..... This helped her gain public attention. In 1994, she moved to Los Angeles.

In 1995, MTV chose McCarthy to co-host a new dating show called Singled Out. This job was very successful for her. She also appeared at the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) event WrestleMania XI. In 1996, she had a small part in the comedy movie The Stupids.

In 1997, McCarthy launched two TV shows. The first was an MTV sketch comedy show, The Jenny McCarthy Show. Later that year, NBC signed her for her own sitcom, Jenny. She also released a book about her life called Jen-X: Jenny McCarthy's Open Book.

Movies and Guest Appearances

In 1998, McCarthy had a big movie role in the comedy BASEketball with Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The next year, she starred in Diamonds. In 2000, she was in the horror movie Scream 3. Three years later, she made fun of that role in the horror movie spoof Scary Movie 3.

McCarthy has also been a guest star on many other TV shows. These include Stacked, Charmed, The Drew Carey Show, Wings, Fastlane, Two and a Half Men, and Just Shoot Me!. She also provided the voice for a character named Six in the cartoon Tripping the Rift.

In 2007, McCarthy starred in an online series called In the Motherhood. She also appeared in two video games: Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 and the fitness game Your Shape Featuring Jenny McCarthy.

Recent TV Work

From 2010 to 2020, McCarthy was a correspondent in Times Square for ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. She was also the host of season 2 of Love in the Wild in 2012.

In 2013, McCarthy became a new co-host on ABC's The View. She joined the show on September 9, 2013. Her time on The View ended in June 2014.

..... The show's name was changed to The Jenny McCarthy Show in 2016. Since January 2019, she has been one of the judges on the popular show The Masked Singer.

Views on Health and Vaccines

McCarthy speaking at a benefit in 2008

In 2007, Jenny McCarthy shared that her son, Evan, was diagnosed with autism in 2005. She wrote a book about her experiences called Louder than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism.

McCarthy has spoken about her belief that vaccines can cause autism. However, this idea has been widely disproven by many scientific studies and medical experts. Major health organizations, like the National Institute of Mental Health, state that there is no link between vaccines and autism.

She has also talked about different treatments she tried for her son, such as special diets and other therapies. Medical professionals often advise parents to rely on treatments that are supported by scientific research.

Because of her public statements about vaccines, McCarthy received an award in 2008 from the James Randi Educational Foundation. This award, called the Pigasus Award, is given to people who promote ideas that are not supported by science.

When McCarthy joined The View in 2013, many health experts and public health groups expressed concern. They worried that her platform on a popular TV show might spread misinformation about vaccines. Groups like Every Child By Two wrote letters saying that her claims could cause fear among parents and lead to fewer children getting important vaccines.

Journalists and critics also pointed out that giving a platform to views not supported by science could be harmful. They argued that it might make it seem like there is a debate about whether vaccines are safe, when the scientific community largely agrees that they are. McCarthy has stated that she is not against vaccines but believes parents should have choices and do their own research.

Personal Life

Jenny McCarthy was married to actor and director John Mallory Asher from 1999 to 2005. They have a son named Evan, born in 2002.

From 2005 to 2010, McCarthy dated actor Jim Carrey. They lived together but did not get married.

In July 2013, McCarthy began dating singer and actor Donnie Wahlberg, who is known for being a member of New Kids on the Block and for the TV series Blue Bloods. They got engaged in April 2014 and were married on August 31, 2014.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  McCarthy in 2006

See also

In Spanish: Jenny McCarthy para niños