The 'Masked Singer' judge opens up about the horrible abuse she suffered at the hands of her young peers at an all-girl school because of her 'hair and makeup.'
- Apr 6, 2024
AceShowbiz - Jenny McCarthy recounted the severe bullying she endured during her time at an "all-girls Catholic school" in an interview with Kit Hoover on the "The Coop with Kit" podcast. As a teenager, her fondness for "hair and makeup," such as her voluminous 80s hair and heavy makeup, made her a target for relentless torment.
"When you go to an all-girls school, that's not appreciated," the 51-year-old explained. A vicious group of girls would wait for her after school, subjecting her to relentless harassment. "It was very scary because they would wait for me after school, and they did light my hair on fire at one point," McCarthy revealed.
Despite the terrifying ordeal, McCarthy kept the abuse a secret, fearing that it would make her appear weak. "I just bottled it all up because I was too embarrassed. I thought my mom would think I'm a loser," she confessed. Additionally, she admitted to disliking empathy and feeling like she could handle anything on her own.
McCarthy's family's financial struggles also contributed to her decision not to burden them with the issue. "I didn't want to be a burden anymore... My mom was always stressed about how we were going to put food on the table," she said.
Although the experience was traumatic, McCarthy believes it taught her resilience and the ability to not take things personally. "Looking back on it now, it was almost like a training school for Hollywood," she said. "Because it taught me resilience, it taught me how to not take things so personally."
McCarthy later shared that her husband, Donnie Wahlberg, provided her with a sense of safety, allowing her to shed the "armor" she had built up in her youth. "Once I knew Donnie was a safe space, my whole life changed," she said. "Maybe that's why I'm peaceful now because I was able to comfort that little girl by taking off the armor and telling her, ‘You’re in a safe place now."
