There are several McCarthys in Hollywood that aren't really related to each other. For instance, there's '80s heartthrob Andrew McCarthy who is not related to comedian, Melissa McCarthy.
But Melissa does have another celebrity relative — Jenny McCarthy, who's known for her controversial stint on Two and a Half Men. The two are actually cousins.
They have another famous cousin, Jenna Perusich who made a name for herself as an HGTV star popular for her Property Brothers collaboration. She once worked with Melissa, which she shared on Instagram, saying: "After redesigning my parents' house on Celebrity IOU, Melissa and I were inspired to combine our desire to help others with our love of renovation."
But it's Jenny and Melissa who have always had such a talked-about relationship. After the former helped her cousin get Hollywood opportunities, they were rumored to have been feuding with each other.
It started when Jenny — whom Barbara Walters once "blasted" backstage of The View — reportedly criticized Melissa's weight. Here's the truth about their relationship these days.
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How Did Jenny McCarthy Help Melissa McCarthy Get Her Hollywood Start?
Jenny achieved success in Hollywood, a little faster than Melissa. As a result, the former Playboy model helped her cousin get her first acting gig in her MTV sketch series, The Jenny McCarthy Show. Still, Melissa once admitted to Howard Stern that they live in "opposite worlds." While Jenny was obviously thriving in Hollywood, the Spy star almost quit acting before landing Gilmore Girls in 2000.
"It ran for seven years it was the first time like I could say I'm an actress [...] That was my first job in the business," Melissa said of that time during her chat with Stern. "I actually learned a lot from that... It was incredibly nice because that's what I wanted, I was like, 'I don't know anything about this. I don't know how any of it works.' I'd only been in theater. And that job literally, every single time I do something today, it's made me better."
Back then, Jenny also helped Melissa get some off-camera jobs. She once worked as a production assistant where she said she did "Everything. You did the garbage, you cleaned up, you did craft service, you'd do every single thing, I dropped the film at night. I was the first one there and the last one to leave and its - like, I wish everybody that went into the business had to do that."
In 2011, she gained more recognition after the success of the rom-com, Bridesmaids. "Everybody freaked out the week before [the premiere]," Melissa recalled. "They're like, 'Numbers are going down, it's not tracking like we thought.' And I kept saying, 'It's going to open great.'" Sure enough, it made $24.6 million on opening weekend and $306.4 million in total box office sales.
Are Melissa McCarthy & Jenny McCarthy Feuding?
In 2014, Jenny exclusively told People that she'd never asked Melissa to lose weight despite the rumors at that time. "There is a crazy story going around that I once told my cousin, Melissa, that she would have to lose weight in order to get into show business," she clarified to the outlet. "Nothing could be further from the truth."
The Dirty Love actress even cited her part in her cousin's early career. "When she was starting out, I was fortunate enough to be in a position to get her a job on a show I was doing, to learn the ropes and get some experience on a TV set in front of the camera and behind the scenes," Jenny recounted.
"She has accomplished everything she has accomplished through hard work and her extraordinary talent, and I've only ever encouraged and supported and wished her the very best," she continued, noting that she hadn't "banned" Melissa from her then-upcoming wedding.
She explained that she and husband Donnie Wahlberg were simply having an intimate ceremony — "not a huge production with hundreds of friends and extended families." She concluded her statement by saying: "It's hurtful that people make up stories that pit not just families, but specifically women, against each other."
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What Is Jenny McCarthy Doing Now?
Nowadays, Melissa seems to be getting bigger projects than Jenny. Just recently, she played Ursula in Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Despite not being known for singing, Melissa nailed the musical by getting a vocal coach whom she'd told: "I'm scared to death to sing. I can't sing. I don't know how to sing." Eric Vetro, her instructor, then asked her to just "Get it all out."
But what's her cousin been up to these days? Well, Jenny is still ruling TV as a host of The Masked Singer since 2019. She previously joined The View as a co-host from 2013 to 2014.
In September 2022, she and her husband signed a three-year first-look deal with Lionsgate "to develop and produce unscripted/reality television, docs, and non-fiction podcasts through their newly-formed Work Baby Productions banner," per Deadline.
