Jenny McCarthy is thankful for her health this Thanksgiving after battling rounds of recurring mouth infections.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 22: Jenny McCarthy attends the 71st Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
“I’ve had nine surgeries this year, on my mouth,” she told People in a recent interview. “I had one infection that turned into another and another, and then I had these growths show up on my eyeballs.”
The cause of the infections was a failed ceramic dental implant.
“My teeth were falling out, implants falling out. They finally had to dig into my jawbone and chipped away, and found I had a deep bone infection. I’ve been on antibiotics for a year, and have had to eat soft foods only,” the TV host explained.
She and her husband, Donnie Wahlberg, released their annual holiday card this week, showing off trim figures, which McCarthy attributes to her restrictive diet.
“I had two more mouth surgeries even after that photo was taken,” she told People. “I’ve been pretty unlucky.”
She continued, “As of now, I’m able to chew again, but every time we thought it had cleared up, it came back again, I’d be in massive pain with my jaw swelling up, and at the same time I was getting these growths popping up on my eyeballs.
“People should actually feel a little sorry for me!” she added jokingly.
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 07: Jenny McCarthy attends the FOX Winter TCA All Star Party at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 07, 2020 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Thankfully, the 53-year-old is confidents she is “past the storm.”
“I’m ready to chow down!” she said of her Thanksgiving plans with Wahlberg, though their schedules have made things “tricky-wicky” to figure out.
“I’ve been shooting ‘The Masked Singer’ in Los Angeles, he’s been in Canada with ‘Boston Blue.’ So it’s been tricky and difficult, which means Thanksgiving and Christmas will mean more to us than ever this year,” she said.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 17: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (L-R) Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg attend the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on March 17, 2025. Broadcasted live on FOX. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
“It’s just me and him, at home in Chicago, me cooking a bird, and enjoying each other,” she added.
McCarthy and Wahlberg have been married since 2014. They share three children, Xavier and Elijah, from Wahlberg’s past relationship with Kimberly Fey, and Evan, McCarthy’s son with her ex-husband, John Asher.