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Charlie Kirk’s death became a catalyst for spiritual awakening, prompting Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg to publicly embrace deeper faith in Jesus Christ.

Charlie Kirk’s assassination directed author and actress Jenny McCarthy’s full surrender to Christ.

The significance of his loss hit hard and brought home shared experiences about the cost of “putting yourself on the line,” she told Culture Apothecary host Alex Clark in December.

McCarthy added, “I personally understood what it was like to get threats.”

“I’ve been threatened my whole career and since I’ve come out [in favour of medical freedom, and parental rights].”

“And I know the courage it takes to stand in front of people, to tell ‘your’ truth, to go on shows, to get beat up, to get trolled.”

“So, I had respect for him.”

Tearing up, McCarthy said, “When [Kirk] was shot, I was so broken that I prayed, and prayed, and prayed. It was just such a dark day.”

“It is still a dark time for so many people.”

Yet, “look at the mass awakening. Look at how many people came closer to God, including myself.”

Jenny McCarthy’s Complete Surrender to Christ

On public record in 2012 as a self-described “recovering Catholic”, McCarthy explained what her own awakening looked like.

Raised a Catholic, the one-time ’90s Playboy model and wife of Donnie Wahlberg, said, “I’ve always been a follower of Christ, but when [Charlie Kirk] passed, I completely surrendered.”

“I am so devoted. I mean, I started a Bible study immediately. Donnie and I have just become devout since Charlie’s passing.”

“I absolutely feel that Charlie knew what he was doing, and I know now the sacrifice that he was making, watching his memorial and feeling it.”

“He changed the world,” McCarthy stated. “Imagine having that as your legacy? You brought all those people closer to Christ. What a gift.”

Illustrating just how deep that transformation goes, Donnie Wahlberg shared a video of the two being baptised in a birthday Instagram montage on 17 August.

He then captioned this with:

“Looking back over the past year of my life, the Lord has been renewing my mind, rebuilding my spirit, rearranging my priorities, and recentering my focus; recharging my energy, reshaping my heart, refining my faith, restoring my joy and redeeming my life!”

“I don’t know where I would be without Jesus, but I know where I will be with Him! All the glory is His!”

Donnie Wahlberg’s Search for Something More

Wahlberg also took time to collaborate on Forrest Frank’s open verse challenge for the song Jesus Is Alive in May.

 

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A post shared by DONNIE WAHLBERG (@donniewahlberg)

Unlike McCarthy, Donnie’s double down with God began three months before Kirk’s assassination.

Sharing about that awakening, the New Kids on the Block co-founder, former Blue Bloods and now Boston Blue actor, told the George Janko podcast,

“I’ve been on and off, really wanting to commit my life to Jesus. I would do it, but I’d be like, I didn’t have the resources.”

“I grew up in a Catholic Church, and I was like, I’ll just go to church and figure it out. But I was missing something.”

Talking faith, family and boy band life, Wahlberg said, he was missing a connection.

“I just kept trying to do it myself. When I got famous at like 19-20 years old, it instantly became this thing where I was held up on this pedestal to everybody.”

A success story, people looked to him for answers, Wahlberg recalled.

Ever the people pleaser, Wahlberg confessed, so, “I’ve literally walked around for the last 30 to 38 years thinking I have all the answers.”

“It’s been so difficult in the last year to realise I don’t have them all.”

“I know God’s doing all the work, but I finally got to a point where I was like, I can’t do it anymore without him.”

Wahlberg realised something was missing from his life.

Donnie Wahlberg Says He’s Given His Life to Jesus

“I had just finished creating the New Kids Las Vegas show and being involved in creating this new spin off TV show that I’m the star of … To the outside world, it’s like you are at the top, and I felt at the bottom. I talked to… pic.twitter.com/u5bWM7IDt4

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) April 25, 2026

“I have a wonderful wife, wonderful kids. I have everything. So, as I am testifying right now, I don’t have a story of having everything and losing it.”

“I don’t have a story of being a drug addict and recovery. And God bless all those people who find their way.”

He said, “Everything to [those on the] outside looks perfect, and I was empty. I was empty without Him. I was existing without Him.”

Wahlberg was “trying to glorify Him at times or acknowledge Him, but not glorify Him.”

With the Las Vegas New Kids on the Block residency show, and Boston Blue, he was at the top.

“I Was Empty Without Him”

At the time, though, Wahlberg recalls feeling at the bottom. Sitting down with McCarthy, he said to her, “I have to connect with Jesus. I have to give my life to Him now.”

Expecting McCarthy to be “weirded out,” she instead threw her support behind him.

“We talked about God and stuff,” he explained, “but we also looked to gurus, experts and a lot of mentors. Who, we’ve now discovered through the Word that a lot of them are just rearranging [scripture].”

To this, the megastar asserted,

“As wonderful as everything seems, I wake up some days, and I’m like, ah! I just have to get on all four; I’m on the ground, not even on knees. I’m like, fill me with the Holy Spirit.”

“Fill me with Jesus’ love and lift me, and let me glorify you today.”

Donnie’s prayer is as genuine as McCarthy’s evangelism.

When Janko asked whether he was going to heaven, Wahlberg got emotional.

“I’m not a pastor. I’m on a journey, so I don’t pretend to have all the answers in this.”

He then closed with,

“I pray that I am. I hope that I am, but I would only say because Jesus Christ is my Lord and Saviour, and it’s by His grace.”