Jenny McCarthy is known for her funny, unfiltered personality on The Masked Singer, her decade-long romance with Donnie Wahlberg, and her longstanding status as a TV favorite. But in a deeply raw and startling new interview, the 53-year-old star has revealed that she’s been quietly battling one of the most frightening medical ordeals of her life — one that left her undergoing nine surgeries, losing teeth, unable to chew, and dealing with alarming “growths” on her eyes.

What began as a simple dental procedure spiraled into a year-long nightmare.

“I’ve had nine surgeries this year, on my mouth,” McCarthy told People, describing how a failed ceramic dental implant triggered a chain reaction of infections that doctors struggled to control.

“One infection turned into another and another,” she said, “and then I had these growths show up on my eyeballs.”

A Dental Implant Gone Horribly Wrong

The root of the crisis was a faulty implant — one that didn’t just loosen, but “fell out,” leaving her in spiraling pain.

“My teeth were falling out. Implants falling out,” Jenny admitted, recalling how the infection spread so aggressively that surgeons ultimately had to open her jaw and “chip away” infected bone to contain it.

Doctors discovered she had a deep bone infection, one so severe she spent nearly a year on antibiotics and could only eat soft foods. Stitches, swelling, and constant procedures became her new normal.

Even today, she says she’s only recently regained the ability to chew.

‘People Should Actually Feel a Little Sorry for Me’

Despite the agony, Jenny continued working — filming The Masked Singer while hiding much of what she was going through. And she kept smiling, even as her health deteriorated.

Every time she thought she was on the mend, the infection roared back.

“I’d be in massive pain, my jaw swelling up,” she said. “And at the same time, these growths were popping up on my eyeballs.”

Her annual holiday card, released just days earlier with husband Donnie Wahlberg, shows her looking noticeably slimmer — something she now admits is because she physically couldn’t eat.

“I had two more mouth surgeries even after that photo was taken,” she added. “I’ve been pretty unlucky.”

She jokes, but only lightly:
“People should actually feel a little sorry for me.”

Trying to Hold Life Together While Falling Apart

Jenny and Donnie — who have been juggling long-distance filming schedules — were determined to spend Thanksgiving together, even as she recovered.

“It’s been tricky-wicky getting together,” she admitted, explaining that while she was shooting in Los Angeles, Donnie was working in Canada on Boston Blue.

This year, the holidays feel especially meaningful.

“It’s just me and him at home in Chicago,” she said, describing her hopes to cook Thanksgiving dinner. “I think I’m past the storm. I’m about to chow down!”

Even so, she’s not entirely in the clear. Doctors informed her this week that while the jaw mass was benign, her endoscopy results were unclear — meaning she must return for “round two.”

A Year of Pain, Resilience, and the Husband Who Never Left Her Side

Throughout her ordeal, Jenny says Donnie has been her stability, her comfort, and her biggest supporter. The couple, who married in 2014 and renew their vows every year, have long been praised for their deeply affectionate relationship.

In past interviews Jenny often said Donnie “saved” her emotionally. Now, he’s helped her endure one of the most physically brutal chapters of her life.

And the gratitude goes both ways.

Jenny also paid tribute to her medical team — expressing enormous thanks for the specialists who kept her condition from escalating even further.

‘I Think I’m Past the Storm’

As she reflects on the past twelve months — the surgeries, bone infection, loss of teeth, frightening eye growths, and endless antibiotics — Jenny admits she’s relieved but still cautious.

But she’s also determined.

She wants her ordeal to be a reminder:
If something feels off, don’t ignore it. Seek help early.
The infection that nearly took her jawbone started as what seemed like a small problem.

Now, after nine surgeries and a year of pain, she is finally — hopefully — stepping back into the light.

“Every time it cleared up, it came back,” she says.
“But I think… I think I’m past the storm.”

And this Thanksgiving, the simple act of chewing a bite of turkey may feel like the biggest victory of all.