Jenny McCarthy | |
|---|---|
 McCarthy atFame at the Mansion in 2012 | |
| Born | Jennifer Ann McCarthy (1972-11-01)November 1, 1972 (age 53) Evergreen Park, Illinois, U.S. |
| Other names | Jennifer Wahlberg[1] |
| Alma mater | Southern Illinois University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Television | |
| Spouses | |
| Partner(s) | Jim Carrey (2005–2010) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives |
|
| Signature | |
 | |
Jennifer Ann McCarthy-Wahlberg (néeMcCarthy; born November 1, 1972)[2] is an American actress, model, television personality, and anti-vaccine activist. She began her career in 1993 as anude model forPlayboy magazine and was later named theirPlaymate of the Year. McCarthy then had a television and film acting career, beginning as a co-host on theMTV game showSingled Out (1995–1997) and afterwards starring in the eponymous sitcomJenny (1997–1998), as well as films includingBASEketball (1998),Scream 3 (2000),Dirty Love (2005),John Tucker Must Die (2006), andSanta Baby (2006). In 2013, she hosted her own television talk showThe Jenny McCarthy Show, and became a co-host of theABC talk showThe View, appearing on the program until 2014. Since 2019, McCarthy has been a judge on theFox musical competition showThe Masked Singer.
McCarthy has written several books about parenting and has promoted research into environmental causes andalternative medical treatments forautism. She has promoted thedisproven idea that vaccines cause autism,[3][4] and said thatchelation therapy, aquack remedy, helped cure her son of autism.[4][5][6] McCarthy's proselytization of these views has been called "dangerous", "reckless", and "uninformed".[7] She has been described by journalists as "the nation's most prominent purveyor ofanti-vaxxer ideology"[8] and "the face of the anti-vaxx movement".[9] She disputes the anti-vaccine label,[10] saying she prefers the term "pro-safe-vaccine-schedule", a term that has met strong criticism.[11][12][13][14]
McCarthy was born on November 1, 1972, at Little Company of Mary Hospital located in the southwest Chicago suburb ofEvergreen Park, Illinois.[15] She was born to a working-class Catholic family, and has German, Irish, and Polish ancestry.[16][17] She lived in theWest Elsdon neighborhood of Chicago.[18] She is the second of four daughters – her sisters are named Lynette,Joanne, and Amy; actressMelissa McCarthy is her cousin.[19][20] Her parents, Dan and Linda McCarthy ofOrland Park, encouraged all of their kids to be active in high school sports: Lynette ran track; Jenny played softball; and both Amy and Joanne chose basketball. The sisters did gymnastics andbowling as youths.[21] McCarthy's mother, Linda, was a housewife and courtroom custodian, and her father, Dan McCarthy, was a steel mill foreman.[22][23]
As a teenager McCarthy attendedMother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, whose school sweater she donned in the pages ofPlayboy, and was a cheerleader at bothBrother Rice High School andSt. Laurence High School,[24] although she has referred to herself as an "outcast" at her school[25] and has said she was repeatedly bullied by classmates.[26] She spent two years atSouthern Illinois University.[22][14]
| Jenny McCarthy | |
|---|---|
| Playboycenterfold appearance | |
| October 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Carrie Westcott |
| Succeeded by | Julianna Young |
| Playboy Playmate of the Year | |
| 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Anna Nicole Smith |
| Succeeded by | Julie Lynn Cialini |
| Personal details | |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
In 1993,Playboy magazine offered McCarthy $20,000 to pose for its October issue. McCarthy became the Playmate of the Month for October 1993.Playboy publisherHugh Hefner cited McCarthy's "wholesome Catholic girl" persona as the unique quality for which she was selected out of 10,000 applicants.[27][28] Her layout emphasized her Catholic upbringing with a schoolgirl theme. According to McCarthy, the pictorial caused an uproar in her Catholic neighborhood, and resulted in her house being pelted with eggs, her sisters being taunted at school, and McCarthy, who counted Catholic nuns among her aunts, being lectured about her futuredamnation by those close to her.[27] McCarthy was later made the Playmate of the Year, and was paid a $100,000 salary.[27][28] In 1994, because of her newfound public attention, McCarthy moved to Los Angeles and, for a time, hostedHot Rocks, aPlayboy TV show featuring uncensored music videos.[29]
In 1995, whenMTV chose McCarthy to co-host a new dating show calledSingled Out, she leftHot Rocks. Her job as a co-host was a success, andPlayboy wanted her to do more modeling. That same year she also appeared at theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) pay-per-view eventWrestleMania XI as a guest valet forShawn Michaels in his match againstWWF Champion,Diesel. She left after the match with the victorious Diesel.[30] McCarthy returned to the promotion, now renamed WWE on the August 2, 2008Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVI to thank the fans for supportingGeneration Rescue, a non-profit organization that promoted the scientifically disproven view that there is a causal link betweenvaccines and autism and claimed autistic children could "recover" with treatment.[31][32][33] In 1996, she landed a small part in the comedyThe Stupids. In 1997, McCarthy launched two shows. The first one was an MTV sketch comedy showThe Jenny McCarthy Show, which was sufficiently popular forNBC to sign her for an eponymous sitcom later that year,Jenny. Also in 1997, she appeared on one of two covers for the September issue ofPlayboy (the other cover featuredPamela Anderson). McCarthy also released an autobiography:Jen-X: Jenny McCarthy's Open Book.[34]
In 1998, McCarthy's first major movie role was alongsideTrey Parker andMatt Stone in the comedyBASEketball. The following year, she starred inDiamonds. In 2000, she had a role in the horror movieScream 3, and three years later sheparodied that role in horror film spoofScary Movie 3 along with fellow Playmate and actress Anderson. In 2005, McCarthy produced, wrote, and starred in the filmDirty Love, which was directed by her husband at the time,John Asher.[35] In March 2006, she was givenRazzie Awards forWorst Actress,Worst Screenplay, andWorst Picture for her work onDirty Love, which also earned Asher a Razzie for "Worst Director".[36]
In addition to her early TV fame on MTV and her short-lived, self-titled NBC sitcom, McCarthy has guest-starred in a variety of other television shows, includingStacked,Charmed,The Drew Carey Show,Wings,Fastlane,Two and a Half Men andJust Shoot Me!.[37] She was the voice of Six in the third season of Canadian animated science-fiction cartoonTripping the Rift. In 2005, McCarthy hosted a show onE! calledParty at the Palms. Thereality show, which was filmed atThe Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, featured hotel guests, party goers, and celebrities.[38]
McCarthy has continued her work withPlayboy over the years, both as a model and in other capacities. She appeared on the cover of the magazine's January 2005 issue wearing a leopard skin version of the company's iconic"bunny suit" and was featured in a pictorial shot atElvis Presley'sGraceland mansion in that same issue. She was the second woman (followingCarmen Electra) and first former Playmate to become a celebrity photographer for the Playboy Cyber Club, where she photographed model Jennifer Madden.
Her younger sister, Amy McCarthy, also has posed forPlayboy. She was Cyber Girl of the Week for September 27, 2004, and Cyber Girl of the Month for January 2005.[39]
In 2007, McCarthy starred in a five-episode online series, calledIn the Motherhood, along withChelsea Handler andLeah Remini.[40] The show aired onMSN and was based on being a mother where users could submit their stories to have it made into real webisodes.
She also appeared in two video games: playing the role of Agent Tanya in the video gameCommand and Conquer: Red Alert 3, replacingKari Wührer, and the fitness video gameYour Shape Featuring Jenny McCarthy.[41]
On December 31, 2010, McCarthy began her decade-long tenure as correspondent inTimes Square forABC'sDick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve withRyan Seacrest. Until her marriage, McCarthy was known for kissing a member of the U.S. Armed Forces at the stroke of midnight; the kiss was reserved for her husband after her marriage.[42]In 2020, she chose not to participate in this event.[43]
She was the host of season 2 ofLove in the Wild, which aired in the summer of 2012 on NBC.[44]
She was on the cover ofPlayboy in the July/August 2012 issue after saying she wanted to pose for it again before her 40th birthday.[45]
In 2013, McCarthy appeared in a series of commercials forBlu electronic cigarettes.[46]
After 17 guest appearances, in July 2013, McCarthy was announced as a new co-host on ABC'sThe View, replacing former co-hostElisabeth Hasselbeck. To tone down her looks, McCarthy always wore glasses on the show.Barbara Walters praised McCarthy's intelligence, warmth, humor and fresh point of view, and calling her a great addition to the show.[47][48] She debuted as a co-host on September 9, 2013. The departures of McCarthy and co-hostSherri Shepherd fromThe View were announced in June 2014.[49]The Wrap reported that ABC had decided not to renew McCarthy's contract.[50] In an interview withAccess Hollywood, McCarthy denied being fired from the show.[51]
McCarthy became aSiriusXM series host of a show calledDirty, Sexy, Funny with Jenny McCarthy on October 27, 2014. The title of the show was changed toThe Jenny McCarthy Show on July 12, 2016.[52]
She is one of the panelists onThe Masked Singer.[53] The show premiered on January 2, 2019.[54]
McCarthy once modeled forCandie's, a shoe company. In one magazine ad, McCarthy posed on a toilet seat with her underwear near her ankles. Cultural scholar Collin Gifford Brooke wrote that the ad's "taboo nature" brought it attention, while noting that the ad itself helped to weaken that taboo.[55] Another Candie's ad depicted McCarthy"passing wind" in a crowded elevator.[56]
 | This sectionmay contain an excessive amount of intricatedetail that may only interest a particular audience. Please help byspinning off orrelocating any relevant information, and removing excessive detail that may be againstWikipedia's inclusion policy.(August 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In May 2007, McCarthy announced that Evan had been diagnosed withautism in 2005. McCarthy wrote that he was gifted, a "crystal child", and that she was an "indigo mom".[57][58]
In a 2014Daily Beast article she said that her son, then 12, was doing okay: "Evan's amazing, ... He doesn't meet the diagnostic characteristics for autism. He definitely has quirks and issues from the seizures. He has a little bit of brain damage due to his seizures. He doesn't qualify for any more services, but he does have issues in his school."[8] McCarthy served as a spokesperson forTalk About Curing Autism (TACA) from June 2007 until October 2008.[59] She participated in fundraisers, online chats, and other activities for thenon-profit organization to help families affected byautism spectrum disorders. Her first fundraiser for TACA,Ante Up for Autism,[60] was held on October 20, 2007, inIrvine, California. She was a prominent spokesperson and activist forGeneration Rescue[61] and served on its board of directors as of January 2011[update].[62] McCarthy was president of the organization when it ceased operations in December 2019.[63][64]
McCarthy's book dealing with autism,Louder than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism, was published September 17, 2007. She said both in her book and during her appearance onThe Oprah Winfrey Show that her husband was unable to deal with their son's autism, which led to their divorce. In 2008, she appeared on aLarry King Live special dedicated to the subject and argued thatvaccines can trigger autism.[65][66] As of 2008, her son's physician was vaccine criticJay Gordon.[67] In an April 27, 2010, PBSFrontline documentary, she was interviewed about the debate between vaccine opponents and public health experts.[68][69]
In addition to conventional, intensiveapplied behavior analysis, McCarthy prescribed for her son agluten-free and casein-free diet,hyperbaric oxygen chambers,chelation,aromatherapies,electromagnetics, spoons rubbed on his body,multivitamin therapy, B-12 shots, and numerous prescription drugs. "Try everything", she advises parents. "It was amazing to watch, over the course of doing this, how certain therapies work for certain kids and they completely don't work for others... When something didn't work for Evan, I didn't stop. I stopped that treatment, but I didn't stop."[4] She has denied that her son was misdiagnosed.[70] McCarthy has claimed on talk shows and at rallies thatchelation therapy helped her son recover from autism.[5] The underlying rationale for chelation, the speculation thatmercury in vaccines causes autism, has been roundly rejected by scientific studies, with theNational Institute of Mental Health concluding that children with autism are unlikely to receive any benefit to balance the risks of heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest posed by thechelating agents used in the treatment.[71]
McCarthy's public presence and vocal activism on thevaccination-autism controversy, led, in 2008, to her being awarded theJames Randi Educational Foundation'sPigasus Award, which is atongue-in-cheek award granted for contributions topseudoscience, for the "Performer Who Has Fooled the Greatest Number of People with the Least Amount of Effort". Randi stated in a video on the JREF's website that he did sympathize with the plight of McCarthy and her child, but admonished her for using her public presence in a way that may discourage parents from having their own children vaccinated.[72] In 2019Rolling Stone magazine published a list of seventeen anti-vaccination celebrities,[73] from which according toStuart Vyse McCarthy was one of the most active anti-vaccine celebrities.[74]
McCarthy's claims that vaccines cause autism are not supported by any medical evidence, and the original paper byAndrew Wakefield that formed the basis for the claims (and for whose book McCarthy wrote a foreword)[75] was based on manipulated data and fraudulent research.[76][77][78][79]TheBMJ published a 2011 article by journalistBrian Deer, based on information uncovered byFreedom of Information legislation after the BritishGeneral Medical Council (GMC) inquiry into allegations ofmisconduct against Wakefield that led to him being struck off from the medical register (and thus unable to practice medicine in the UK) and his articles retracted, saying that Wakefield had planned a venture to profit from theMMR vaccine scare.[80][81][82][83]
Generation Rescue released a statement saying that the "media circus" following the revelation of Wakefield's fraud and manipulation of data was "much ado about nothing", which ledUSA Today to report that McCarthy had "taken a beating on Twitter".[84]Mary Elizabeth Williams responded to Generation Rescue's statement:
"It's high time the woman who once said that 'I do believe sadly it's going to take some diseases coming back to realize that we need to change and develop vaccines that are safe' took a step back and reconsidered the merits of that increasingly crackpot stance. And it's time she acknowledged that clinging to research that's been deemed patently fraudulent does not make one a 'mother warrior.' It makes her a menace."[85]
In January 2011, McCarthy defended Wakefield, saying that he had listened to parents, reported what they said, and recommended further investigation:
"Since when is repeating the words of parents and recommending further investigation a crime? As I've learned, the answer is whenever someone questions the safety of any vaccines. For some reason, parents aren't being told that this 'new' information about Dr. Wakefield isn't a medical report, but merely the allegations of a single British journalist named Brian Deer."[86]
Having written three books on the subject after her son was diagnosed with the syndrome, "by dint of sheer energy and celebrity, McCarthy became the nation's most prominent purveyor of anti-vaxxer ideology",[8] and has reiterated that she is not against vaccines. In an earlier October 2013 interview forTV Guide, McCarthy is quoted as saying:
"It's been three years now since I've even talked about autism or vaccines — I was taken aback when people freaked out that I was going to come onThe View and preach. ... I will clarify my stance, which is still the same: That parents are in charge. Space it out, slow it down and do your homework. But I am not at all against vaccines."[87]
Jeffrey Kluger, senior writer atTime, has criticized McCarthy several times. In an open letter article referring to their past conflicts, he reproved her and rejected her denials:
"Jenny, as outbreaks of measles, mumps and whooping cough continue to appear in the U.S.—most the result of parents refusing to vaccinate their children because of the scare stories passed around by anti-vaxxers like you—it's just too late to play cute with the things you've said. You are either floridly, loudly, uninformedly antivaccine or you are the most grievously misunderstood celebrity of the modern era. Science almost always prefers the simple answer, because that's the one that's usually correct. Your quote trail is far too long—and you have been far too wrong—for the truth not to be obvious."[88]
One month later in May 2014, McCarthy published an opinion-editorial addressing her position on vaccines, which specifically mentions Kluger:
"I am not 'anti-vaccine.' This is not a change in my stance nor is it a new position that I have recently adopted. For years, I have repeatedly stated that I am, in fact, 'pro-vaccine' and for years I have been wrongly branded as 'anti-vaccine.' ... Blatantly inaccurate blog posts about my position have been accepted as truth by the public at large as well as media outlets (legitimate and otherwise), who have taken those false stories and repeatedly turned them into headlines."[89]
During a subsequentDaily Beast interview she said:
"I am not anti-vaccine, ... I'm in this gray zone of, I think everyone should be aware and educate yourself and ask questions. And if your kid is having a problem, ask your doctor for an alternative way of doing the shots. ... The ironic thing is my position has always remained the same. People just never listened to it."[8]
In a 2015Medscape article about celebrities who "speak out about illness",Jeffrey A. Lieberman criticized McCarthy and her views on vaccines,thimerosal, and autism. He had this to say about her influence: "She has no idea what she is talking about. What she said is misleading and harmful, and the measles outbreak is a clear indication of the response to the spread of such pseudoscientific myths."[90]
McCarthy's appointment toThe View called forth many protests. Amy Pisani ofEvery Child By Two wrote a letter toThe View'sBarbara Walters andBill Geddie saying that McCarthy's "unfounded claims that vaccines cause autism have been one of the greatest impediments to public health in recent decades", and that McCarthy's assertions "[have] spread fear among young parents, which has led to an increased number of children who have not received life-saving vaccines."[91]
James Poniewozik, a television critic forTime magazine, criticized McCarthy's addition to the series and Walters' endorsement of McCarthy, arguing thatThe View is largely aimed at parents, on whom the public health system is dependent, and that the credibility that McCarthy's hiring will give her will endanger the public. Poniewozik argued that McCarthy's views, which might be brought up in discussions with the other hosts, would have the effect of framing the issue of whether vaccines cause autism as a matter of opinion, rather than a firmly refuted idea.[92]
David Freeman, senior science editor forThe Huffington Post, wrote about the concerns ofBill Nye who said: "I believe Ms. McCarthy's views will be discredited."[93]
Alex Pareene also protested and published a letter to ABC inSalon, entitled "Anti-vaccine conspiracist and 'View' co-host Jenny McCarthy isn't just quirky—she spreads lies that hurt people."[94]
Michael Specter, writing inThe New Yorker stated:
"Jenny McCarthy... will be the show's first co-host whose dangerous views on childhood vaccination may—if only indirectly—have contributed to the sickness and death of people throughout the Western world. McCarthy, who is savvy, telegenic, and pulchritudinous, is also the person most visibly associated with the deadly and authoritatively discredited anti-vaccine movement in the United States."[95]
Brendan Nyhan, writing inColumbia Journalism Review, commented: "ABC's announcement yesterday that actress/comedian Jenny McCarthy will become a co-host ofThe View brought forth a torrent of condemnation from doctors, science journalists, opinion writers, and even entertainment commentators who oppose giving the anti-vaccine activist a high-profile platform to spread misinformation." After an extensive review of news coverage of the hiring, Nyhan concluded that "[t]here is no perfect way to cover McCarthy's hiring, of course, but giving 'balanced' coverage to fringe beliefs is the worst approach to covering misinformation."[96]
Toronto Public Health officially denounced the appointment and "launched a Twitter campaign to get... McCarthy fired from the ABC showThe View", tweeting "Jenny McCarthy's anti-vaccine views = misinformation. Please askThe View to change their mind", and "Jenny McCarthy cites fraudulent research on vaccines & it's irresponsible to provide her withThe View platform."[97]
Katrina vanden Heuvel, member of theCouncil on Foreign Relations and Editor ofThe Nation, objected to the appointment and wrote about "Jenny McCarthy's Vaccination Fear-Mongering and the Cult of False Equivalence":
"One of the most prominent promoters of this falsehood [that vaccines cause autism] is actress Jenny McCarthy, who was recently named as Elisabeth Hasselbeck's replacement on ABC's hit daytime talk-show,The View. Once she's on air, it will be difficult to prevent her from advocating for the anti-vaccine movement. And the mere act of hiring her would seem to credit her as a reliable source. ... By giving science deniers a public forum, media outlets implicitly condone their claims as legitimate. ... False equivalency is one of journalism's great pitfalls, and in an effort to achieve 'balance', reporters often obscure the truth. What's the merit in 'he said, she said' reporting when he says the world is round and she insists it is flat. Indeed, there is an enormous cost to society when the truth could save lives."[98]
McCarthy finished as co-host of the show in 2014, nine months after her debut.[citation needed]
PsychologistStuart Vyse in an article forSkeptical Inquirer regarding the false cause between vaccination and autism and also the false cures said:
"McCarthy became the face of the anti-vaccination movement, and the subsequent rise in vaccine hesitancy has been called "The Jenny McCarthy Effect" (Dominus 2011). It is important to recall that correlation does not mean causation, but the Google Trends[...] data shows a sustained increase in Google searches for "autism & vaccines" following McCarthy's book launch media blitz. It's also impossible to know who was searching and why, but for a time Jenny McCarthy was the undisputed leader of the anti-vaxx movement."[74]
McCarthy dated manager Ray Manzella from 1994 until 1998 and began dating actor/directorJohn Mallory Asher late in 1998.[99] The couple was engaged in January 1999 and married on September 11 of that year. They have a son, Evan, born in May 2002, who was diagnosed withautism in May 2005.[4][100] McCarthy and Asher divorced in September 2005.[101]
In December 2005, McCarthy began dating actorJim Carrey. They did not make their relationship public until June 2006. She announced onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 2, 2008, that she and Carrey were living together but had no plans to marry, as they did not need a "piece of paper".[102] Carrey almost made a mock proposal to McCarthy as a promotion for the filmYes Man (2008) for Ellen'sTwelve Days of Christmas. In April 2010, McCarthy and Carrey announced that they had split up.[103]
In July 2013, McCarthy stated that she was dating singer and actorDonnie Wahlberg, known for being a member ofNew Kids on the Block and the television seriesBlue Bloods.[104] On April 16, 2014, McCarthy announced onThe View that she and Wahlberg were engaged,[105] and they married on August 31, 2014.[106][107][108]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead | Blonde Nurse | |
| 1996 | The Stupids | Glamorous Actress | |
| 1998 | BASEketball | Yvette Denslow | |
| 1999 | Diamonds | Sugar | |
| 2000 | Scream 3 | Sarah Darling | |
| 2001 | Thank Heaven | Julia | |
| 2002 | The Perfect You | Whitney | |
| 2003 | Scary Movie 3 | Katie | |
| 2005 | Dirty Love | Rebecca Somers | Also producer and writer |
| 2006 | John Tucker Must Die | Lori | |
| 2008 | Witless Protection | Connie | |
| 2008 | Tripping the Rift: The Movie | Six (voice role) | Direct-to-DVD |
| 2008 | Wieners | Mrs. Isaac | |
| 2010 | A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures | Shelly (voice role) | |
| 2015 | Tooken | Herself |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Silk Stalkings | Totally Positive Rush Model | Episode: "The Deep End"; credited as Jennifer McCarthy |
| 1995 | Mr. Show with Bob and David | Rhonda | Episode: "The Cry of a Hungry Baby" |
| 1995 | Singled Out | Co-host | Lead role |
| 1996 | Baywatch | April Morella | Episode: "Freefall" |
| 1996 | Wings | Dani | Episode: "Maybe It's You" |
| 1997 | The Jenny McCarthy Show | Host | Lead role |
| 1997–1998 | Jenny | Jenny McMillan | Lead role |
| 1999 | Home Improvement | Alex | Episode: "Young at Heart" |
| 2000 | MADtv | Herself | Episode: "Episode: #6.8" |
| 2000 | Python | Francesca Garibaldi | Television film |
| 2000 | Live Girls | Rebecca | Television film |
| 2000–2003 | Just Shoot Me! | Brandi Bert/ Covergirl | 3 episodes; uncredited |
| 2001 | Going to California | Amber Beamis | Episode: "The Big Padoodle" |
| 2001 | Honey Vicarro | Honey Vicarro | Television film |
| 2001, 2002 | The Drew Carey Show | Jenny McCarthy / Marlo Kelly | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Fastlane | Gretchen Bix | Episode: "Popdukes" |
| 2003 | Charmed | Mitzy Stillman | Episode: "The Power of Three Blondes" |
| 2003 | What's New, Scooby-Doo? | Marcy (voice) | Episode: "A Scooby Doo Halloween" |
| 2003 | Wanda at Large | Leader | Episode: "Clowns to the Left of Me" |
| 2003 | Less Than Perfect | Dani | 3 episodes |
| 2003–2004 | One on One | Holly Spears | 4 episodes |
| 2003 | Untitled Jenny McCarthy Project | Portia | Television film |
| 2004 | Wild Card | Candy LaRue | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | All About the Andersons | Lauren | Episode: "Face the Music" |
| 2004 | Hope & Faith | Mandi Radnor | 3 episodes |
| 2004 | The Brady Bunch 35th Anniversary Reunion Special: Still Brady After All These Years | Host | Television special |
| 2005 | What I Like About You | Michelle | Episode: "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying to Be a Lesbian" |
| 2005 | The Bad Girl's Guide | JJ | 6 episodes |
| 2005 | Stacked | Eve | Episode: "Two Faces of Eve" |
| 2006 | My Name Is Earl | Wendy | Episode: "Mailbox" |
| 2006 | Santa Baby | Mary Class / Mary Claus | Television film |
| 2006 | Untitled Patricia Heaton Project | Hilary | Television film |
| 2007 | Tripping the Rift | Six (voice) | Recurring role |
| 2007−2011 | Two and a Half Men | Courtney | Recurring role |
| 2008 | In the Motherhood | Kelly | Recurring role |
| 2008 | Sesame Street | Herself | Episode: "Firefly Show" |
| 2009 | Chuck | Sylvia Arculin | Episode: "Chuck Versus the Suburbs" |
| 2009 | Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe | Mary Class / Mary Claus | Television film |
| 2010–present | Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve | Co-host | Television special |
| 2012 | Love in the Wild | Host | Series regular |
| 2013 | The Jenny McCarthy Show | Host | Lead role; also executive producer |
| 2013–2014 | The View | Co-host | Series regular |
| 2014 | International Ghost Investigators | Herself | Episode: "Jenny McCarthy" |
| 2014 | Jenny McCarthy's Dirty Sexy Funny | Herself | Television special; also executive producer |
| 2014 | Nashville | Herself | Episode: "Crazy" |
| 2014–2017 | Wahlburgers | Herself | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | Donnie Loves Jenny | Herself | Lead role; also executive producer |
| 2016 | The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills | Herself | Episode: "Spinning a Web" |
| 2017 | Return of the Mac | Jenny | Recurring role; also executive producer |
| 2019–present | The Masked Singer | Judge | Main role; credited as Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg |
| 2019 | Bar Rescue | Herself/Recon assistant | Episode: "All Blaze, No Glory" |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 | Special Agent Tanya | [109][110] |
| Film | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Golden Apple Award 1997 | Female Star of the Year | Won | [citation needed] |
| BASEketball | 19th Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Supporting Actress | Nominated | [111][112] |
| Dirty Love | 2005 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | Worst Actress | Nominated | [113] |
| 26th Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Actress | Won | [114] | |
| Worst Screenplay | Won | |||
| Worst Screen Couple (shared with ANYONE Dumb Enough to Befriend or Date Her) | Nominated | |||
| John Tucker Must Die | 27th Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Supporting Actress | Nominated | [115] |
| Witless Protection | 29th Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Supporting Actress | Nominated | [116] |
| Worst Screen Couple (shared withLarry the Cable Guy) | Nominated | |||
| The View | 40th People's Choice Awards | Favorite New Talk Show Host | Nominated | [117] |
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)I see them talk to the make-up artist and the make-up artist comes walking over and she goes, 'They said they'd never saw anyone as hairy as you their entire life.' I said, 'Well, I'm half Polish!'
Stories circulating online, claiming that I said my son Evan may not have autism after all, are blatantly inaccurate and completely ridiculous. ... The implication that I have changed my position, that my child was not initially diagnosed with autism (and instead may suffer from Landau-Kleffner Syndrome), is both irresponsible and inaccurate. ... "
Wahlberg family | |
|---|---|
| Family | |
| By marriage | |
| Collaborations |
|
