It is always heartwarming to hear stories about siblings helping one another, especially in the entertainment industry, where competition can be fierce. Donnie Wahlberg, the elder brother of Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg, recently revealed that he invested around $500,000 in the Ted star’s music career in the early 1990s.
The Fear star’s music career took off thanks in part to his elder brother’s investment, which also kept the former “out of the streets”. Yes, it may come as no surprise to some that Mark Wahlberg has a lengthy and diverse résumé. And no, we are not discussing his crimes in movies. The native of Boston had his first legal run-in when he was a teenager.
Speaking of the current scenario, with a net worth of about $400 million, Wahlberg went on to become a prosperous actor, producer, and businessman. In addition to producing popular TV series like Entourage and Boardwalk Empire, he has starred in successful films like The Departed and Transformers.
Brotherly Love: Donnie Wahlberg’s Massive Investment in Mark Wahlberg’s Music Career
In a heartwarming show of brotherly love and support, Donnie Wahlberg revealed this week that he invested heavily in his younger brother Mark Wahlberg’s music career in the early 1990s. The former, who was already making a name for himself as a member of the boy band ‘New Kids on the Block’, recognized his brother’s musical abilities and wanted to assist him in realizing his goals.
In an interview with SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live, the founding member of New Kids on the Block, 54, stated that he was committed to
“Help my brother, you know, stay out of the streets because his life was going nowhere fast, and he was in good shape and, you know, he’d come out to shows and fans would be like, ‘Oh my god, he’s cute,’ and I’d be like, ‘He is cute. Make this kid famous’.”
Donnie Wahlberg disclosed that he co-wrote the debut album of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch to demonstrate his songwriting prowess beyond his status as a boy band member. He said:
“We became really successful and we just got so much criticism for being, you know, a false. We were false. We can’t write songs. We can’t do anything, and I was really a hip-hop fan, as a lot of us were, and I just wanted to produce songs and make music.”
The Father Stu actor, according to Donnie Wahlberg, was not prepared and was “just a kid” the first time he attempted to record the song. “He did not practice enough, and I sent him home”, the latter said. He went on to say that by then he had poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the music career of The Perfect Storm star.
“I was like, ‘Go home. You’re not ready. Come back tomorrow. I rode him hard because, you know, it could have been my record. It could have been my song. It could’ve been a New Kids song. I could have rapped and, you know, we could have done whatever we want. But I was also spending like, you know, investing like a half-million dollars into his career, and I was like, ‘Don’t waste my time. Don’t waste my money. Go home, practice, come back,’ and I drove him hard.”
Three Kings actor benefited greatly from his elder brother’s investment as he made his way through the difficult music industry. Not only did it help the actor financially, but it gave him the emotional stability and support he needed to focus on his music and stay on the right path.
Mark Wahlberg Reflected on His Criminal Behavior and Tough Childhood
Speaking candidly, Mark Wahlberg discussed both his challenging upbringing and his prior criminal behavior. In an interview with The Guardian to promote his Netflix movie Spenser Confidential, the 52-year-old actor was questioned about his upbringing and his prior involvement in criminal activity.
The actor revealed that being the youngest of nine children as a child frequently made him the victim of bullying in his own family. He added, “When I walked out my door – violence is also all that was there” to indicate that he had also encountered violence outside of his house.
Wahlberg claimed that at an early age, he developed a pattern of drug use and violent behavior after momentarily joining his brother’s band New Kids on the Block. He revealed to the publication that, in the midst of the chaos of a rough neighborhood, he often had to defend himself:
“I was always in trouble, and I was kind of little.”
The actor also said that serving time in prison for assaulting a Vietnamese shopkeeper in 1988 and using racial slurs against him marked the turning point in his life. Per ABC News, he was given a three-month jail sentence after entering a guilty plea to felony assault; however, he only spent 45 days in jail.
And anyway, Mark Wahlberg worked hard to perfect his abilities with his brother’s support and direction, eventually landing his big break in Hollywood. He did not look back after that, going on to star in hit movies like Transformers, The Departed, and Boogie Nights.
