Key Takeaways
- For Donnie Wahlberg’s birthday, Jenny McCarthy took him to a CeCe Winans concert, sharing Instagram footage of them singing and worshiping and calling the gospel star “a gift.”
- Wahlberg says he recently recommitted to Christianity after feeling “empty” despite career and family success, and now wants his New Kids on the Block performances to reflect his faith rather than just his own talent.
- McCarthy describes having “completely surrendered” to her faith, and the couple now studies the Bible and prays together, with Wahlberg crediting her support for his decision to fully commit his life to Jesus.
Jenny McCarthy knew exactly what Donnie Wahlberg wanted for his birthday: CeCe Winans.
McCarthy shared footage from the couple’s night at the gospel legend’s concert on Instagram, revealing that Wahlberg’s birthday request was to see Winans perform. In the clip, the New Kids on the Block star and the former Playboy playmate are seen singing along from the crowd, with McCarthy documenting the celebration from their seats. “Donnie’s birthday wish was to see @cecewinans,” she wrote. “What a beautiful night of singing, worshiping and celebrating. What a gift @cecewinans is.”
Wahlberg and McCarthy have become increasingly public about their Christian faith—and their appreciation for Winans’ music has already surfaced online. Earlier this year, the couple shared an Easter video singing along to Winans’ “Holy Forever.” Winans later responded to the pair with a message of encouragement.
For Wahlberg, the concert also lands amid a major personal shift he recently discussed on The George Janko Show. The 57-year-old entertainer said his relationship with Christianity had been “on and off” for much of his life, but that changed over the past year.
Despite having a successful career, marriage and family, Wahlberg said he reached a point where professional accomplishments weren’t filling the gap. “Everything to the outside world looks perfect, and I was empty,” he said. “I can’t do it anymore without Him.”
Wahlberg said his renewed faith has also changed the way he looks at his work with New Kids on the Block. After decades of trying to handle everything himself—from helping hold his family together as a child to taking an active role in creating the group’s live shows—he said he began questioning his tendency to credit inspiration to “the universe.”
His thinking eventually became much simpler: “And who created the universe?” Wahlberg recalled asking himself. He now says he wants his performances to reflect his faith rather than simply his own ability.
McCarthy has been going through a similar shift. In December, she said she had “completely surrendered” to her faith and immediately began Bible study. Wahlberg told Janko that the couple now studies the Bible and prays together, and credited his wife with supporting him when he told her he wanted to fully commit his life to Jesus.
