TheMasked Singer host Jenny McCarthy has been quietly dealing with a health crisis that left her unable to eat solid food, her teeth falling out, and growths appearing on her eyeballs. Now, she’s opening up about the string of infections behind her weight loss that all started with a failed ceramic dental implant.
“My teeth were falling out, implants falling out. They finally had to dig into my jawbone and chipped away, and found I had a deep bone infection,” McCarthy told People in a Nov. 26 interview. “One infection turned into another and another, and then I had these growths show up on my eyeballs.”
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To try to fix the devastating problem, she’s had “nine surgeries this year” on her mouth, and between the mouthful of stitches and “massive pain” she’s been dealing with, she hasn’t been able to maintain a normal diet in a long time. “I’ve been on antibiotics for a year, and have had to eat soft foods only,” she said.
“Every time we thought it had cleared up, it came back again,” she explained, adding that it also caused her jaw to swell. “People should actually feel a little sorry for me!”
Jenny McCarthy in March 2025Reuters
Though WebMD says it is “rare” for dental implants to fail, reasons why it may happen include “peri-implantitis (inflammation in your gums around the implant), lack of osseointegration, meaning your bone doesn’t take to the implant, and issues coming from bad habits like grinding your teeth.”
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Fans have noticed the Baywatch star looking a little more svelte than normal. On one recent Instagram video, people took to the comments to call out her changing appearance. “Ummmm who is that?” said one follower, while another added, “I did not even recognize you.”
Luckily, McCarthy now believes she’s finally on the mend, saying, “As of now, I’m able to chew again.” She’s cautiously optimistic that she will be able to have a normal Thanksgiving with her husband, Donnie Wahlberg.
“It’s just me and him, at home in Chicago, me cooking a bird, and enjoying each other,” she said. “I think I’m past the storm. I’m about to chow down!”
This story was originally published by Parade on Nov 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.