Jenny McCarthy has forged a successful career for herself over the last two decades and is happily married to Blue Bloods actor Donnie Wahlberg – but she's not the only star in her family.
READ: Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg heartbroken after family death
The Masked Singer judge is related to none other than Hollywood A-lister Melissa McCarthy! Despite the two women sharing the same surname, many fans are unaware of their family connection because they don't make public appearances together.
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According to Melissa, she and her cousin live in "opposite worlds", but it was, in fact, Jenny who got the Ghostbusters star her first acting job with a cameo on MTV's sketch series, The Jenny McCarthy Show.
Melissa went on to find fame as Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls and has starred in a string of blockbuster hits ever since, including 2011's Bridesmaids – which she won her first Oscar nomination for – and 2018's Can You Ever Forgive Me, which earned her a second Oscar nomination.
SEE: Inside Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg's impressive Illinois home
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Jenny has enjoyed success on the smaller screen, winning a new legion of fans thanks to her roles on The View and The Masked Singer. She was also a big draw in the 90s as co-host of MTV's Singled Out.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMelissa is Jenny's older cousin
While it appears the two are not heavily involved in each other's lives now - Melissa was not among the guests at Jenny's 2014 wedding to Donnie - they did seem to be close when they were growing up in Illinois.
Back in 2015, Jenny delighted her fans when she shared a throwback photo of herself and Melissa as children, which she captioned: "Me, my sis, and my cousin Melissa. 102 degrees at the zoo, not happy campers."
© Photo: InstagramJenny and Melissa appeared close as children
Fans were quick to react, with one commenting at the time: "Two of my favorite people. Funny as hell must run in the blood over there."
Another said: "Wow! Never knew you were related. ...but it makes so much sense, everyone in your family has to be hilarious."
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