Jump to content

Jenny McCarthy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 98.151.192.86 (talk) at 15:05, 16 May 2010 (Undid revision 362398618 by Dismas (talk) - Site is extremely notable and well-sourced within the activist world.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Jenny McCarthy
McCarthy in 2006
Born
Jennifer Ann McCarthy
Occupation(s)Actress, comedian, model, author, activist
Years active1993–present
Spouse(s)John Mallory Asher
(1999-2005) 1 child
Partner(s)Jim Carrey
(2005-2010)

Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy (born November 1, 1972)[1][2] is an American model, comedian, actress, author and activist. She began her career as a Playboy magazine model in 1993, before launching a television and film acting career. Most recently, she has written books about parenting, and has become an activist promoting controversial claims that vaccines cause autism[3] and that chelation therapy is effective against autism.[4]

Early life

McCarthy was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her middle-class Irish Catholic family lived in the West Elsdon neighborhood of Chicago. She is the second of four daughters; her sisters are named Lynette, Joanne and Amy. Her cousin is Melissa McCarthy of Gilmore Girls fame. McCarthy's mother, Linda, was a housewife and courtroom custodian, and her father, Dan McCarthy, was a steel mill foreman.[5][6] She attended St. Turibius Grade School on Chicago's South Side. As a teenager, McCarthy attended Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School (whose school sweater she donned in the pages of Playboy) and was a cheerleader at both Brother Rice High School and St. Laurence High Schools,[7] although she has referred to herself as an "outcast" at her school.[8] After McCarthy graduated from high school, she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale to study nursing. She needed money to pay for college, so she decided to submit her picture to Playboy magazine to make money. She was accepted and became a model.

Career

Modeling and acting

Jenny McCarthy
Playboy centerfold appearance
October 1993
Preceded byCarrie Westcott
Succeeded byJulianna Young
Playboy Playmate of the Year
1994
Preceded byAnna Nicole Smith
Succeeded byJulie Lynn Cialini
Personal details
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1]

After getting accepted by Playboy in 1993, the magazine wanted her to pose for the October issue. McCarthy was paid $20,000 for the photo shoot. McCarthy became the Playmate of the Month and later the Playmate of the Year. In 1994, thanks to this newfound attention and popularity, McCarthy moved to Los Angeles and, for a time, hosted Hot Rocks, a Playboy TV show featuring uncensored music videos.

In 1995, MTV chose McCarthy to be the host of a new dating show called Singled Out, for which she left Hot Rocks. Her job as a host was a success, and Playboy wanted her to do more modeling. That same year, she also appeared at WrestleMania XI as a guest valet for Shawn Michaels. She left after the match with the victor, WWF Heavyweight Champion Diesel. She returned to the WWE on the August 2, 2008 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event to thank the fans for supporting Generation Rescue. In 1996, McCarthy landed a small part in the comedy The Stupids. In 1997, McCarthy launched two shows. The first one was an MTV sketch comedy show The Jenny McCarthy Show, which was sufficiently popular for NBC to sign her for an eponymous sitcom later that year, Jenny. The latter show is generally considered a disappointment and was quickly canceled. Also in 1997, she appeared on one of two covers for the September issue of Playboy (the other cover featured Pamela Anderson). McCarthy also released an autobiography: Jen-X: Jenny McCarthy's Open Book.[9]

In 1998, McCarthy starred in BASEketball. In 1999, she starred in Diamonds, a movie which was directed by her husband John Mallory Asher. The next year, she appeared in the horror movie Scream 3. Since 2001, McCarthy has guest starred in such shows as Stacked, Charmed, The Drew Carey Show, Wings, Fastlane, and Just Shoot Me!.

In 2003, McCarthy appeared in Scary Movie 3 along with model and actress Pamela Anderson. In 2005, McCarthy produced, wrote, and starred in Dirty Love along with Carmen Electra. The same year, McCarthy hosted a new show on E! called Party at the Palms. The reality show, which is filmed at The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, features hotel guests, party goers, and celebrities. In March 2006, she was given Razzie Awards for "Worst Actress", "Worst Screenplay", and "Worst Picture" for her work on Dirty Love, which also netted her then-husband, John Asher, a Razzie for "Worst Director."

McCarthy has continued her work with Playboy over the years, both as a model and in other capacities. She appeared on the cover of the magazine's January 2005 issue wearing a leopard skin bunny suit and was featured in a pictorial shot at Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in the same issue. She was the second woman (Carmen Electra was the first) and first Playmate to become a celebrity photographer for the Playboy Cyber Club, getting behind the camera to photograph model Jennifer Madden, who is not a Playmate.

Jenny's younger sister, Amy, has also posed for Playboy. She was a Cyber Girl of the Week and the Cyber Girl of the Month for January 2005.[10]

She is the voice of Six in the third season of Canadian CGI Sci-Fi cartoon Tripping the Rift.

McCarthy currently stars in an online five episode series, called In The Motherhood, along with Chelsea Handler and Leah Remini.[11] The show is on MSN and is based on being a mother where users could submit their stories to have it made into real webisodes.

She also plays the role of Agent Tanya in the video game Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, replacing Kari Wührer. McCarthy's body was used for a character in a video game called, Your Shape.[12]

Public persona

April 4, 2005

McCarthy once modeled for Candie's, a shoe company. In one magazine ad, McCarthy posed on a toilet seat, with her underwear near her ankles. Cultural scholar Collin Gifford Brooke wrote that the ad's "taboo nature" brought it attention, while noting that the ad itself helped to weaken that taboo.[13] Another Candie's ad depicted McCarthy passing gas in a crowded elevator.

A sketch on her MTV show centered on her character, a well-coifed business woman, answering the question of "What did you have for lunch?" by seeming to force herself to vomit all over a table which she then ate on-screen. This was faked using special effects. The direct contrast of McCarthy's reputation as a sex symbol and this often grotesque humor is closely associated with her image. This image was taken to a new extreme in her film Dirty Love, which featured McCarthy's character sitting in a massive pool of her own menstrual blood.[14]

Personal life

McCarthy dated her manager Ray Manzella for a short time in 1998. After breaking up with Manzella, McCarthy began dating actor/director John Mallory Asher.[15] The couple became engaged in January 1999, and married on September 11 of that year. They have a son, Evan Joseph, born on May 18, 2002. Evan was diagnosed with autism. In August 2005, McCarthy and Asher filed for divorce.

In December 2005, McCarthy began dating Jim Carrey. They did not make their relationship public until June 2006. She announced on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 2, 2008 that she and Carrey were then living together, but had no plans to marry, as they did not need a "piece of paper."[citation needed] Carrey almost made a mock proposal to McCarthy as a promotion to the film, Yes Man for Ellen's Twelve Days of Holidays. McCarthy and Carrey announced that they had split up in April, 2010.[16]

Her brother-in-law is former NHL hockey player Dan Hinote, now playing for Modo Hockey. Dan is married to her younger sister, Amy McCarthy, a former Playboy Cyber Girl.[17] She is also an avid Chicago White Sox fan.[18]

McCarthy is a vegan.[19]

Activism and autism controversy

In May 2007, McCarthy announced that her son Evan was diagnosed with autism in 2005. Evan's disorder began with seizures and his improvement occurred after the seizures were treated; these symptoms are more consistent with Landau–Kleffner syndrome, which is often misdiagnosed as autism.[20][21] McCarthy served as a spokesperson for Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) from June 2007 until October 2008.[22] She participated in fundraisers, online chats, and other activities for the non-profit organization to help families affected by autism spectrum disorders. Her first fundraiser for TACA, Ante Up for Autism,[23] was held on October 20, 2007, in Irvine, California. She is a prominent spokesperson and activist for the Generation Rescue foundation.[24] Before claiming that her son's autism was caused by vaccination, McCarthy wrote that he is a "crystal child" and she an "indigo mom".[25]

McCarthy's book on the subject, Louder than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism was published September 17, 2007. She has stated both in her book and during her appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show that her husband was unable to deal with their son's autism, which led to their divorce. In 2008, she appeared on a Larry King Live special dedicated to the subject, and argued that vaccines can trigger autism. No scientists were invited to speak in response.[26][27] McCarthy is also the spokesperson for Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), and is a member of the board of Generation Rescue.

Although McCarthy's claims on television that vaccines cause autism are not supported by the medical evidence, they have contributed to parental concerns about a possible link;[3] parental concerns have led to decreased immunization rates and increased incidence of measles, a highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease.[28] Producer and post production supervisor on various television programs, Derek Bartholomaus[29] maintains "body count" statistics, with her being held "indirectly responsible for at least some of these illnesses and deaths."[30] McCarthy has stated at many talk shows and rallies that chelation therapy helped her son recover from autism; however, the underlying rationale for chelation, which is that mercury in vaccines causes autism, has been roundly rejected by scientific studies, with the National Institute of Mental Health concluding that autistic children are unlikely to receive any benefit to balance the risks of cognitive and emotional problems posed by the chelating agents used in the treatment.[4]

McCarthy's public presence and vocal activism on the vaccination-autism controversy, led to her being awarded The James Randi Educational Foundation's Pigasus Award (awards granted by Randi for contributing to pseudoscientific ideas) for the 'Performer Who Has Fooled The Greatest Number of People with The Least Amount of Effort'. Randi stated in a video on the JREF's website that he did sympathize with the plight of McCarthy and her child, but admonished her for using her public presence in a way that may discourage parents from having their own children vaccinated.[31]

In an April 27, 2010 PBS Frontline documentary, she was interviewed about the controversy.[32]

Publications

  • Jen-X: Jenny McCarthy's Open Book, an autobiography (Harpercollins, ISBN 978-0-06-039233-8).
  • Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth (ISBN 978-0-7382-0949-4)
  • Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth about the First Year of Mommyhood (ISBN 978-0-525-94883-4)
  • Life Laughs: The Naked Truth about Motherhood, Marriage, and Moving On (ISBN 978-0-525-94947-3)
  • Louder than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism (ISBN 978-0-525-95011-0)
  • Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds (ISBN 978-0-525-95069-1)
  • Healing and Preventing Autism Co-written with Dr. Jerry Kartzinel. Dutton Adult, March 31, 2009. (ISBN 978-0-525-95103-2)

McCarthy is also an occasional columnist for FHM magazine and has also recently appeared in a commercial for Weight Watchers after successfully losing and maintaining her post-pregnancy weight by following the program.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead Blonde Nurse
1996 The Stupids Glamorous Actress
1998 BASEketball Yvette Denslow
1999 Diamonds Sugar
2000 Scream 3 Sarah Darling
Python Francesca Garibaldi made for TV
2001 Thank Heaven Julia
2002 Crazy Little Thing Whitney Ann Barnsley
2003 Scary Movie 3 Katie
2005 Dirty Love Rebecca Sommers
2006 Lingerie Bowl - made for TV
John Tucker Must Die Lori
Santa Baby Mary Class made for TV
2008 Witless Protection Connie
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Agent Tanya video game
2009 Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe Mary Class made for TV

Television work

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e "Playmate listing at uChicago". Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  2. ^ "Jenny McCarthy Profile" E! Online. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
  3. ^ a b Fallik D (2008). "After vaccine–autism case settlement, MDs urged to continue recommending vaccines". Neurol Today. 8 (11): 1, 8. doi:10.1097/01.NT.0000324682.98661.5c.
  4. ^ a b Stokstad E (2008). "Stalled trial for autism highlights dilemma of alternative treatments". Science. 321 (5887): 326. doi:10.1126/science.321.5887.326. PMID 18635766.
  5. ^ The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/specials/magazine4/articles/mccarthy.html. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ Jenny McCarthy Biography (1972– )
  7. ^ Austin, Michael and Jennifer Wehunt, "Before They Were Famous," Chicago, pg. 76, February 2007, Volume 56, number 2.
  8. ^ USA WEEKEND Magazine
  9. ^ "Jen-X: Jenny McCarthy's Open Book". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
  10. ^ "Amy McCarthy". Playboy.com. 2005. Retrieved 2007-09-18. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  11. ^ http://www.inthemotherhood.com/
  12. ^ "Playmate News". Playboy. 56. Playboy Inc.: 166–167 2009. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  13. ^ Collin Gifford Brooke (2003). "Sex(haustion) Sells: Marketing in a Saturated Mediascape". In Tom Reichert and Jacqueline Lambiase (ed.). Sex in Advertising: Perspectives on the Erotic Appeal. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. ISBN 0805841180.
  14. ^ Glory At The Razzies For Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman—Hecklerspray: Music, Movies, TV, Celebs, Games and Gossip
  15. ^ Orecklin, Michele (1999-02-01). "JENNY COME BACK". Time. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  16. ^ "Jim Carrey, Jenny McCarthy announce split". USA Today. April 6, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  17. ^ Greg Wyshynski Dan Hinote's wedding: Featuring Playboy playmates, transvestitism and Jim Carrey dressed as Fidel Castro, Yahoo! Sports, July 29, 2008
  18. ^ "Famous faces among White Sox fans". Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  19. ^ "Jenny McCarthy Vegan: Rachael Ray Block Party Announcement". Retrieved 2009-10-11.
  20. ^ Rubin DB (2008). "Fanning the vaccine–autism link". Neurol Today. 8 (15): 3. doi:10.1097/01.NT.0000335577.64245.34.
  21. ^ Greenfeld KT (2010-02-25). "The autism debate: who's afraid of Jenny McCarthy?". Time.
  22. ^ Ackerman L (2008-10-05). "TACA & Jenny McCarthy". Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  23. ^ Ante Up For Autism : : Taca
  24. ^ Coombes R. Vaccine disputes [PDF]. BMJ. 2009;338:b2435. doi:10.1136/bmj.b2435. PMID 19546136.
  25. ^ McCarthy J (2006). "Insights of an indigo mom: a mother's awakening". Children of the New Earth. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  26. ^ Gross L (2009). "A broken trust: lessons from the vaccine–autism wars". PLoS Biol. 7 (5): e1000114. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000114. PMC 2682483. PMID 19478850.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  27. ^ "CNN Larry King Live: Jenny McCarthy's Autism Fight, Aired April 2, 2008". Retrieved 2009-05-11.
  28. ^ Lin RG II (2008-05-02). "Rise in measles prompts concern". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  29. ^ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0058662/ IMDB profile for Derek Bartholomaus,
  30. ^ Jenny McCarthy Body Count
  31. ^ "Pigasus Awards for 2008 Announced". James Randi Educational Foundation. 2009-04-01. Retrieved 201-04-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  32. ^ "The Vaccine War", PBS FRONTLINE documentary, April 27, 2010
Preceded by MTV Europe Music Awards host
1998 		Succeeded by
Ronan Keating

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Jenny_McCarthy&oldid=362439322"