For 13, going into 14 seasons now, Donnie Wahlberg has been playing Detective Danny Reagan on Blue Bloods — and he’s showing no sign of slowing down!
You’ll also get to see him twice a week starting April 16, both in the aforementioned procedural on CBS and the return of Very Scary People. The true crime series chronicles the twisted lives of diabolical criminals.
Here, Wahlberg shares what he sees in his future as far as his career, the role his wife Jenny McCarthy almost played on Blue Bloods, and more.
Do you watch sitcoms? Can you see yourself doing one?
Donnie Wahlberg: I don’t really watch comedies, but White Lotus was really fun. I love to do comedy though. Jenny (McCarthy, his wife) always said we should do a comedy together and we treated Donnie Loves Jenny (their 2015-2016 reality show] as our sitcom. Right now, we’re developing non-scripted shows. Our goal is to cohost a game show.
Did Jenny ever want to guest on Blue Bloods?
Jenny almost did appear on the show. Executive producer Kevin Wade asked me if she could play Danny’s high school sweetheart [in Season 4’s “Growing Boys.”] We had just started dating publicly, so to her credit, Jenny turned it down. Like Tom said with Larry, she didn’t want it to be disruptive for the audience. Buffy’s Charisma Carpenter played the part.
It certainly seems that you’re not ready to quit your day job.
For me, having as much fun as I do, 13 years have really flown by. I know there’s another version of this life where I could have a totally different, more challenging job like my dad did. He had a lot of jobs, but mostly he drove a truck. He delivered lunches to public schools when we were kids, so we grew up on public school food that he brought home. I probably would have had fun doing that job, too, but this is a job I dreamed of.
The fifth season of Very Scary People, the true crime show you produce and host that’s now on Investigation Discovery, premieres on April 16. Which evildoer gave you nightmares this season?
Most of them do! The first episode about [Northern California’s] Trailside Killer is a heavy episode… But for me personally, The Times Square Killer [Richard Cottingham] is the one that blew my mind. Most people never heard of him. He did a lot of destruction in New Jersey but came across the river to Times Square and did just horrible stuff. It’s unsettling for sure.
There’s a very cute selfie of you with a mounted NYPD cop near Times Square. Do lots of police ask you to take photos with them?
All the time, everywhere, but there’s a level of camaraderie and appreciation with New York cops. Jenny and I were dating when she first hosted New Year’s Eve with Ryan Seacrest. And I must have been stopped 2,000 times that night for pictures. Jenny said, “I’m the host of the show with Ryan and everyone’s stopping you!” It’s a sign that they like our show and that’s a high compliment.
Blue Bloods, Fridays, 10/9c, CBS
Very Scary People, Season 5 Premiere, Sunday, April 16, Investigation Discovery
