For two years, life has looked very different behind the scenes for Jenny McCarthy. A string of mysterious symptoms sent her from one doctor to the next until an answer finally arrived, and it changed everything at home for her and her husband, Donnie Wahlberg. The TV star has kept fans in the loop along the way.
Keep reading to learn more about her diagnosis and how she’s feeling now.
Who Is Jenny McCarthy?
A TV personality, actress and author, Jenny rose to fame as a Playboy Playmate before becoming a familiar face on MTV and daytime television. She’s now known to many fans as a panelist on The Masked Singer, and she hosts the podcast “The Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Show.” Jenny married Donnie in August 2014, and she’s also a mom to her son, Evan, from her first marriage.
What Happened to Jenny McCarthy?
It all started with a toothache in October 2024 that painkillers couldn’t touch. It spiraled into a deep jawbone infection, recurring growths on her eyelids and nine oral surgeries in 2025 alone, which she revealed to People in November 2025.
Relief finally came in December 2025, when a functional medicine doctor tested her for mold and diagnosed her with mold and mycotoxin poisoning. Mycotoxins are toxic substances produced by certain molds, and Jenny has said they left her immune system unable to fight off infection.
How Is Jenny McCarthy Treating Her Mold Poisoning?
In January 2026, Jenny started a heavy-duty mold protocol that she said could last up to a year. According to Fox News, her regimen has included daily infrared sauna sessions, vitamins and supplements, a powdered drink, nasal spray treatments and lymphatic castor oil packs. Even after mold remediation work on their Los Angeles home, she told podcast listeners in late October 2026 that she was still sleeping in a tent.
“I’m still in my mold detox, you guys. I’m still in it, like, I’m knee-deep in it. I’m in month seven of detox, and I’m too paranoid to honestly live anywhere else other than a tent.”
How Is Jenny McCarthy Doing Now?
On a November 2026 episode of her podcast, Jenny said she now believes her exposure came from her makeup and dressing room at work, and that her makeup artist got sick too. She also shared that she and Donnie threw out 30 years of clothes and left all of their furniture behind, People reported.
“So we got tested, we both had very similar mold, but different experiences. She was detoxed in two months. I’m in month 10 and still in it.”
The physical symptoms weren’t the only lasting effect, and Jenny explained on that same episode that the experience left her with PTSD.
“I didn’t realize you could have PTSD with mold until I had PTSD from mold poisoning. Anywhere I’d walk, I’d have a histamine reaction. Everywhere I’d go, I’d panic that there was mold even if there wasn’t mold in the places.”
Even so, Jenny has said she is feeling far better than she did at her lowest point. She has also credited Donnie for standing by her throughout her recovery.
