Jenny McCarthy confesses she stole an item from the Pope's apartment: 'It's a whole story'
Jenny McCarthy confessed to giving her mother a cross that she had stolen from the Pope while visiting his residence at the Vatican.
Jenny McCarthy revealed that she stole a sacred item from the Pope during a trip to Italy.
The 51-year-old TV personality, who was raised in a devout Catholic family, made the confession during a Wednesday appearance on the "Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa" podcast,
"I stole a cross from the Vatican and gave it to my mother," "The Masked Singer" judge told host Kelly Ripa. "My mom's like, 'You know, this is not okay.'"
JENNY MCCARTHY AND DONNIE WAHLBERG RENEW WEDDING VOWS EVERY YEAR: ‘SO INTENSELY IN LOVE’
"You did?" Ripa asked.
McCarthy went on to clarify that she didn't "personally" steal the cross but said it was purloined by one of her girlfriends while they were visiting the Pope's apartment in Vatican City.
"I was invited [to the Vatican] when I was in Italy, I was there for an eyeglass party or whatever, and they were like, 'Do you want to go meet the Pope? Actually, the Pope's not in town, but we can go in his apartment.' I was like, 'What?' So we went, we literally, at midnight, went in the back of the Vatican, and I went in his apartment and his hallways," she recalled.
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"I tried on his hat. It was crazy," McCarthy continued. "It's a whole story, but my girlfriend came with me, and when I got home in the hotel room, she goes, 'I know your mom loves the Pope so much, so I stole her.…'"
Ripa told McCarthy that "there was a penance due" but then noted that the "John Tucker Must Die" actress actually only received "stolen merchandise."
"Or actually, your mother did," Ripa said. "Your mother is the one who has to pray."
McCarthy then revealed that her mother, Linda, kept the cross, which she said is prominently displayed at her home.
"She still has on the wall, though, so I feel like it was — it's in good hands," McCarthy said.
The former Playboy Playmate previously revealed that she had prayed to God before meeting her husband Donnie Wahlberg.
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During an April appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," McCarthy told host Kelly Clarkson that before she met the "Blue Bloods" star, she had just come off "a slew of uncomfortable and not healthy relationships," prompting her to "reset" her love life.
"I’m like, ‘I’m really going to let the universe know I am shutting this down,’" she explained. "So, I stayed away from any blind dates or any dating, and I really focused on me, because I’m like, ‘If I can upgrade me, then I’m going to upgrade the people I surround myself with and who I bring into my life.’ And I told God, I was like, ‘Listen, don’t bring me [a] half-baked guy.’"
McCarthy said she "really wasn’t looking for anyone in particular" when she met Wahlberg, 54. Instead, she had spent the prior year working on "letting go of the demons, recognizing why I went into those patterns" with men in the first place.
"A lot of it had to do with self-love and loving myself and knowing I was good enough," she explained to Clarkson. "Then the moment came, and Donnie was on a talk show I had. And I interviewed him, and I was like ‘Oh wow, he’s funny.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, he’s smart. Oh, he’s hot. Oh, he’s got a good butt. I like him.’ The interview went from six minutes, to an hour and a half. The audience and the producers were like, ‘Uh, we gotta go,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m in love.’"
McCarthy and Wahlberg, who tied the knot in 2014, renew their wedding vows every year.
Fox News Digital's Lori Basian contributed to this report.