Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg are learning first hand that imitation is the best form of flattery when it comes to their kids.
“When we’re away, we FaceTime sleep with each other,” McCarthy, 52, exclusively shared in the latest Us Weekly cover story of her relationship with her husband. “My son [Evan], who’s now 22 years old, I’ll go in his room to just check on him and he’s sleeping and he’s got the FaceTime, pillow, girlfriend.”
McCarthy, who tied the knot with Wahlberg, 55, in 2014, explained that her son can be seen “doing the little things that Donnie does for me” in his own relationship. McCarthy, who had previously received advice from Wahlberg to put their romance “at the center,” said seeing her son imitate her and Wahlberg provided clarity.
“That’s where I went, ‘Donnie was so right,’” McCarthy said. “No matter how butt-hurt your kids are initially, you’ve got to make you the priority. And then love always wins.”
McCarthy shared that she was previously “trained to hide” her love, but Wahlberg taught her otherwise. “That’s something that he would teach me of going, ‘No, no, no, we need to model,’” she said. “It’s OK if the kids are uncomfortable, they’ll get over it, because kids need to see what a healthy, loving relationship looks like.”
McCarthy admitted that she had to warm up to the idea of PDA around their kids. (McCarthy shares son Evan with ex-husband John Asher, while Wahlberg is dad to sons Xavier, 31, and Elijah, 23, whom he shares with first wife Kimberly Fey.)
“Sometimes it took me to be like, ‘Oh my God, your son’s here, don’t kiss me.’ That kind of thing,” she said. “It took me a little bit to adjust to it and then I realized once we did that, our kids fell in love with each other and became best friends.”
Wahlberg gushed that their childrens’ relationships mirror him and McCarthy. “It looks like little us. It looks like us in our 20s,” Wahlberg said, to which McCarthy replied, “It’s true!”
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, in the latest Us Weekly cover story. “If someone has a Christmas party, we’re going to find the basement bathroom, take advantage of the […]
“I think it’s something that it took us trial and error to learn,” Wahlberg added. “But we’ve seen how successful and what an impact that’s had on our children and to see how they are now with their loved ones, it’s like, it’s very cool.”
Wahlberg noted that he and McCarthy, who are teaming up on the ID true-crime special Very Scary Lovers, work at keeping their marriage “hot.”
“Of course we love each other and we’re attracted to each other, but we also give it care,” Wahlberg said. “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.”
For more on McCarthy and Wahlberg, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
Very Scary Lovers airs on ID Sunday, February 2, at 10 p.m. ET after the 9 p.m. ET finale of Wahlberg’s Very Scary People.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
