If you know anything about Mark Wahlberg’s past, then you might just find yourself cringing through his appearance on The View earlier this week.
The View / ABC
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s a refresher: In 1986 — roughly five years before the below picture was taken — Mark, who is (for better or worse) one of the more recognizable American movie stars of his generation, took part in chasing three Black children while throwing rocks at them and calling them racial slurs. He and his friends were ultimately charged with a civil rights injunction.
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Two years later, Mark assaulted two Vietnamese men over the span of one day while allegedly on PCP. After being arrested for the assaults, he allegedly used anti-Asian racial slurs in the presence of investigators. After being arrested for attempted murder as well as several other charges, Mark ultimately pleaded guilty to felony assault and served 45 days in jail.
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Even as Mark’s stature in Hollywood grew over the last several decades, his past has (deservedly, I might add) never quite escaped how he’s viewed in the present. In 2014, he controversially sought a pardon for his assault conviction and later said that he regretted doing so. One of his victims, Johnny Trinh, issued a statement in 2016 publicly forgiving Mark and confirming that the two had met in person.
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Now, let’s leap back to the present — specifically, three days ago, when Mark appeared alongside actor Jonathan Roumie on The View to promote the Hallow app’s “Pray40” challenge.
ABC / The View
“I’ve been very fortunate,” Mark said while talking about his religious beliefs. “I grew up in the real world. I got into a lot of trouble when I was younger. There were pivotal times in my life where people came to me and expressed the importance of faith to keep me on the right track. And that kind of discipline has afforded me now so many wonderful things that I want to share that with people. I certainly want to help kids avoid making the same mistakes that I made when I was younger.”
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“What was the worst thing you did?” Joy Behar asked. Y-i-k-e-s.
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“Joy — you know what, I’m not going to let you ask that question,” Whoopi Goldberg interjected, as Joy responded, “What? He doesn’t have to answer it!”
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Now, you absolutely do not have to hand it to Mark in any way, shape, or form — but, he did eventually answer Joy’s question. “Well, that’s a long list,” he replied. “The worst thing that I did was probably follow others when I should have been more of a leader, but that’s very difficult to do at a young age when you’re easily influenced and in a bad area.”
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That’s certainly one way to put it! Watch the entire interview below:
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