Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy was named ‘Playboy”s 1994 Playmate of the Year and hosted MTV’s ‘Singled Out’ from 1995 to 1997. She hosted her own self-titled talk show and starred in the sitcom ‘Jenny’ before joining ‘The View’ as a co-host in 2013.
Synopsis
Actress, model and comedian Jenny McCarthy was born on November 1, 1972. McCarthy was named Playboy's 1994 Playmate of the Year and gained wide fame as the co-host of MTV's dating-game show Singled Out, from 1995 to 1997. She left the series to begin hosting her own program on the network, a sketch-comedy offering called The Jenny McCarthy Show (1997). She eventually returned to television in 2012 with a new The Jenny McCarthy Show, this time around using a chat format. McCarthy also hosted the second season of NBC's Love in the Wild. In 2013, she became co-host of the popular daytime talk show The View. McCarthy now hosts Dirty Sexy Funny on SiriusXM radio.
Early Life
Jenny McCarthy was born in Illinois on November 1, 1972. McCarthy got her career start in 1993, when she began modeling for Playboy. In 1994, she was named the publication's Playmate of the Year.
TV and Film Career
McCarthy continued to gain fame as the co-host of MTV's dating-game show Singled Out, alongside Chris Hardwick, from 1995 to 1997. She left the show to begin hosting her own show on the network, a sketch-comedy program called The Jenny McCarthy Show (1997).
Since then, McCarthy continued to pose for Playboy—most recently appearing on the cover of the magazine's July/August 2012 issue—as well as in advertisements for companies like Candie's. She's also made several TV and film appearances, including the film Scary Movie 3 and the TV program Two and a Half Men. Additionally, she's authored popular books, including Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth (2004) and Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism (2007).
Co-Host of 'The View'
In 2012, McCarthy hosted the second season of NBC's Love in the Wild, a reality show in which real-life couples participate in challenges. She also returned to television as the host of The Jenny McCarthy Show, this time airing on VH1, later that year. While her self-titled chat show proved to be a disappointment, McCarthy landed a major daytime television gig in July 2013. It was announced that she would be a new host on Barbara Walter's popular program The View. McCarthy was brought on board to replace the departing Joy Behar for the show's 17th season.
"We are delighted that Jenny will be joining us as a permanent co-host," Walters told USA Today. Walters said that McCarthy "brings us intelligence as well as warmth and humor. She can be serious and outrageous. She has connected with our audience and offers a fresh point of view." McCarthy made her debut on The View that September. But her tenure on the show proved to be short-lived. McCarthy was let go after only one season. As she explained Howard Stern on his radio show, she felt limited on the show. She said she was "not allowed to be the best of me here."
Personal Life and Controversy
McCarthy has a son, Evan Joseph, with ex-husband John Mallory Asher. The couple divorced in 2005. Not long after he was born, Evan was diagnosed with autism. In 2007, McCarthy publicly announced that her son was autistic, and around the same time, began working as an activist on behalf of autism-related organizations, including Talk About Curing Autism and her own group, Generation Rescue.
Controversy was generated for a time over the belief that McCarthy was completely against children being vaccinated, potentially linking immunization shots to the development of autism. She has refuted these claims and asked for more critical thinking. She wrote an essay published on April 12, 2014 for the Chicago Sun-Times where she spoke about her platform, which involves questioning whether physicians should give multiple vaccinations to infants simultaneously instead of spacing them out.
McCarthy dated actor and comedian Jim Carrey from 2005 to 2010. She later was romantically linked to professional football player Brian Urlacher. More recently, McCarthy has been dating singer and actor Donnie Wahlberg. In April 2014, she announced her engagement to Wahlberg on The View, showing the audience her yellow sapphire engagement ring. The couple married on August 31, 2014.
McCarthy is also the cousin of comedian and Academy Award-nominee Melissa McCarthy.
Recent Work
Not long before her departure from The View, McCarthy published a new advice book, Stirring the Pot: My Recipe for Getting What You Want Out of Life in May 2014. She debuted a new radio show on SiriusXM, Dirty Sexy Funny, that July. McCarthy also continues to work the annual special Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve. She will be on hand to help host Ryan Seacrest and others ring in 2015.
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