Jenny McCarthy Knows What You Think of Her—And She Doesn’t Care

Jenny McCarthy is no stranger to controversy. She’s been a Playboy Playmate, an MTV game show host, a best-selling author, a co-host on The View, and now a successful entrepreneur with her own clean beauty line, Formless Beauty. But if you ask Jenny, none of that even scratches the surface of what truly defines her. That honor, she says, belongs to one role: mom.

During her recent appearance on The Art of Being Well with Dr. Will Cole, Jenny revisited her storied career, her pivot to health and wellness, and of course, the controversy that made her a polarizing figure in the world of parenting—her stance on vaccines. If you expected an apology, think again. Jenny McCarthy has made peace with what you think about her. And she does not care.

From Chicago to Hollywood 

Jenny’s rise to fame was anything but conventional. Born and raised in a strict Catholic family on Chicago’s South Side, she was drowning in college debt when she made a split-second decision that changed everything. “I opened up the Yellow Pages, took 70 selfies with a Polaroid camera, and sent them to every commercial agency in town,” she told Dr. Cole. But one rejection after another left her in tears on Michigan Avenue—until she spotted the Playboy building across the street.

“I could never,” she recalled thinking. “I come from a strict Catholic family. I have aunts that are nuns, uncles that are priests. We went to church twice a week, my whole life, including my birthdays.” But as she pressed the elevator button to leave, fate intervened. “The head editor just happened to be walking by. He asked if I was inquiring about becoming a Playmate. The next thing I know, I’m being asked to test for Miss October.”

That moment changed everything. “I was $20,000 in debt from college, and Playboy was paying $20,000. I thought, ‘This is my chance.’” She won Playmate of the Year, a title that propelled her into Hollywood. Soon after, MTV tapped her to co-host Singled Out, a wildly popular dating show that made Jenny a household name. “It was a whirlwind,” she recalled. “One day, I was working at a Polish grocery store. The next, I was on the cover of Rolling Stone.”

The Vaccine Firestorm

If Jenny’s career was on a rocket ship in the ’90s, the 2000s brought turbulence she never could have anticipated. When her son, Evan, was diagnosed with autism, Jenny became consumed with trying to help him. “One day, I found my son blue in his crib, convulsing. Another day, he went into cardiac arrest in my arms. You don’t know desperation until you’re screaming in the back of an ambulance, begging God not to take your baby.”

Doctors diagnosed Evan with autism after a series of terrifying health scares. Jenny, ever the tenacious mother, scoured every resource available, looking for answers. “Back then, Google was barely a thing. But I found a site called Generation Rescue, where parents and doctors were talking about dietary changes and supplements. I tried removing gluten and dairy—two weeks later, Evan spoke three words. You bet your ass I kept going.”

But when Jenny publicly shared her experiences, she became the face of a movement she never intended to lead. Suddenly, she was labeled “anti-vax,” a term she rejects. “I never said I was anti-vaccine. I said, ‘Let’s do better. Let’s research. Let’s make them safer.’ And for that, I got crucified.”

Dr. Will Cole acknowledged the controversy but also praised Jenny’s persistence. “You were one of the first people to bring attention to functional medicine, long before it became mainstream,” he told her. “You didn’t just accept what doctors told you. You dug deeper.”

What Jenny Thinks Now

If you were waiting for Jenny to backpedal or apologize, you’re going to be waiting a long time. “I know people still give me flack, and that’s okay. I share my experience. I don’t tell people what to do. Do your own research, talk to your doctor, and make your own choices.”

And despite the criticism, she stands by the work she’s done to help other parents. “I promised God if He helped me save my son, I’d share what worked. And I kept that promise.”

The Facts About Vaccines

Vaccines do not cause autism. This has been studied extensively. The original study that suggested a link was debunked and retracted, and the doctor behind it lost his medical license. What is true is that vaccines save lives. They have eradicated diseases that once devastated entire generations.

That said, being an informed parent is important. It’s perfectly reasonable to ask questions, to understand what’s going into your child’s body, and to have an open dialogue with your doctor. But fear-mongering and misinformation? That’s where we have to draw the line.

If you’re a parent feeling overwhelmed, here’s the best advice: Speak to a trusted medical professional. Get the facts. And most importantly, remember that having an autistic child is not a tragedy. Autism is not a death sentence. There is no “fixing” a neurodivergent child because they are not broken. What we can do is support them, nurture them, and help them live their fullest, happiest lives.

What’s Next for Jenny McCarthy?

These days, Jenny has shifted her focus to clean beauty with her brand Formless Beauty. “I was putting all this crap on my face and had no idea what was in it. Then I started researching and realized, holy shit, there’s so much garbage in our beauty products. So I decided to create the cleanest, highest-performing line I could.”

Between that, her work on The Masked Singer, and raising her son, she’s got a full plate. But when it comes to the noise? The criticism? The think pieces trying to dissect who she is and what she believes? Jenny McCarthy hears it all. And she does not care.