Jenny McCarthy admits marriage 'challenge' she and husband Donnie Wahlberg face

Jenny McCarthy

Jenny McCarthy admits marriage 'challenge' she and husband Donnie Wahlberg face

'The Masked Singer' judge and the New Kids on the Block member have been married for 11 years

Brie Stimson Fox News

Published

January 9, 2026 12:48pm EST

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Donnie Wahlberg reveals how he knew Jenny McCarthy was 'the one'

Donnie Wahlberg told Fox News Digital his wife Jenny McCarthy did not get jealous of his New Kids on the Block fan base.

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While Jenny McCarthy admits she’s "addicted" to husband, Donnie Wahlberg, she describes his snoring as a "challenge."

"He is the nicest human being you'll ever meet," McCarthy told Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on "Live" – about her husband of 11 years. "People know that. People that work with him say, 'We've never worked with anybody like this.'"

She said to cheers from the audience that he treats her like a queen, loves her and is "absolutely what you would call textbook truly perfect. Perfect."

But she said he "took up snoring" just as she was starting to go through perimenopause, "which, of course, you start to lose your sleep anyways."

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While Jenny McCarthy admits she’s "addicted" to husband, Donnie Wahlberg, she describes his snoring as a "challenge." ( Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

"The Masked Singer" star, though, wasn’t about to let that stop her from spending the night with her man.

She said she now sleeps with a pair of giant noise-cancelling headphones and has a stack of pillows that Wahlberg calls the "Great Wall of China" in between them when they sleep.

"I built in these insulations that I think really helped me get through the night now, which is … I sleep with these giant headphones every night … and then I built a Great Wall of China — Donnie calls it the Great Wall of China."

The "Two and a Half Men" actress said their bedroom now feels soundproof to her.

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"I am listening to ocean waves in my ears," she explained.

"But, I will say it works," the 53-year-old said. "So, if anyone’s suffering, get those big headphones and the soundwaves."

If Wahlberg makes a loud snoring noise, she explained with a laugh-inducing imitation, McCarthy told Ripa and Consuelos that she’ll give him a "love tap" so he’ll turn over. Ripa explained that she slaps the bed when Consuelos snores.

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To further complicate their sleeping situation, McCarthy said their five Shih Tzus curl up in their bed with them every night, and she’s careful not to wake them.

Wahlberg discussed his marriage with Fox News Digital last year.

Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy on "The Masked Singer." (FOX via Getty Images)

"We've both been divorced before, so we did a lot of individual therapy and when we got together we decided, let's do some together, sort of preemptive, because no matter what, every new relationship brings on new challenges, and sometimes we don't even know what activates us, what causes us to react to certain things and brings out vulnerabilities in us," said Wahlberg.

"But intimate new relationships are usually where they surface," he continued. "Some of us are really good at working in a work environment or with friends. We can give advice, and we can handle things, but sometimes you get into a romantic relationship and suddenly things bother you that don't bother you in other parts of your life. And it's because it's the most vulnerable relationship you're going to be in, and that's where those vulnerabilities pop up."

McCarthy and Wahlberg began dating in July 2013 and tied the knot in August 2014. Wahlberg has two sons from his previous marriage to Kimberly Fey, and McCarthy has one son, Evan, from an earlier marriage to John Asher.

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He said they try to "put the relationship first."

"That means doing work to protect and fortify the relationship," he said. "And we put faith in the center of our relationship too, and that is such a foundation for us, and it's just huge for us. But in any relationship, you have to put the relationship first."

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Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg in 2013

The couple began dating in 2013 and married in 2014. (David Becker/WireImage)

In 2024, the New Kid on the Block told Drew Barrymore that the couple almost never sleep apart — even when they’re apart.

"I’m away most of the year working," he told the talk show host. "She goes to L.A. to film ‘The Masked Singer.’ I go to New York to film ‘Blue Bloods,’ we live in Illinois, but we now have the luxury of being able to sleep together when we’re apart."

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He explained that the partner who goes to bed first calls the other one on FaceTime and they keep it on all night.

He added that the bedtime face-to-face was not born out of insecurity. "We love to do this."

Jenny McCarthy admits marriage 'challenge' she and husband Donnie Wahlberg face