Donnie Wahlberg’s 1st Wife Was Supportive until Their Divorce When She Requested Sole Custody of Their Sons

Donnie Wahlberg's marriage to his first wife lasted almost a decade; then, they went through a painful divorce that saw the star nearly lose contact with his sons.

Donnie Wahlberg as an actor is perhaps most famous for the role he portrayed in the famous crime series "Blue Bloods."

Aside from being a great actor, he is also a record producer and songwriter who is a founding member of an all-boys band called "New Kids on the Block."

People are aware of his many exploits, but few know much about his private life. Wahlberg most likely has several stories to share as far as romance is concerned.

However, the first story he'll share may be one that caused him a sheer amount of pain, and none comes to mind except the tale of his first marriage.

Wahlberg was successfully married to his first wife for nine years. It was bliss for some time; however, the actor nearly lost two of his sons when the relationship turned sour. Here are the details about the first woman he married, their marriage, and tumultuous divorce.

WHO WAS DONNIE WAHLBERG'S FIRST WIFE?

Kimberly Fey was the name of the first woman Wahlberg ever told, "I do." She was born on June 14, 1969, and unlike Wahlberg, her career has nothing to do with entertainment. Even though she started as a sound engineer, she turned towards the real estate business and did nothing else.

The beautiful woman met Wahlberg when he collaborated with her on one of his band's albums. They gradually drifted towards each other during this time and started dating.

Their fans got confirmation of their relationship in 1991 when Fey was 22 years old. Their courtship lasted for eight years before they eventually took things to the next level by tying the knot.

Wahlberg was 30 years old when the wedding took place on August 22, 1999, with Fey quickly achieving fame as his wife. They welcomed two kids, both boys, as time went on.

Xavier Alexander was born on March 4, 1993, and his brother, Elijah Hendrix, arrived on August 20, 2001. Wahlberg's life changed with the birth of his first son. In fact, the actor says the boy's arrival helped him set his priorities straight:

"It sounds cliche, but I stopped living for me and started living for him. It stopped being about my legacy and became about my ability to provide for him. I was 23. I was terrified."

Perhaps that feeling waned after some years because even after his second son was born, Wahlberg found it easy to leave Fey with their two sons for weeks to prepare for his iconic role in "Sixth Sense."

WHAT HAPPENED TO FEY AFTER?

Wahlberg and Fey stayed happily married until August 2008, when it crashed. It was not a sudden thing but a result of all the rifts that opened as their union matured.

After seven years, McCarthy revealed that the whole thing still feels exciting for them.

They each filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, with Fey filing hers at the Los Angeles superior court, while Wahlberg filed his at Ventura County.

Word has it that the two were already separated by January 1999, but it took them some time to reach a consensus to dissolve their marriage which was blessed with two boys they loved with every fiber of their being.

For some reason, many expect that the relationship between a celebrity and a non-celebrity will last longer; however, that rarely happens. After their divorce, Fey quickly faded into obscurity, choosing to live a life out of the public's eye while co-parenting her two boys.

HE WOULD DIE FOR HIS KIDS

Wahlberg takes his duties as a father very seriously, and his relationship with his boys is significant to him. It's no wonder he chose to enter a custody battle with his wife when she requested sole physical and legal custody of the two boys with visiting rights for him during their divorce.

She also requested spousal support and an attorney's fee from Wahlberg. They eventually reached an out-of-court settlement, and they took care of it at Ventura County courthouse.

Wahlberg had to fight for his boys because of his love for them. Here is what he had to say about how fatherhood changed him. He told People:

"[...]So, I mean, I don't think about death now, but I wouldn't hesitate a second if it was a question of one of my children or me."

HIS BOND WITH THE BOYS

Wahlberg's love for his boys has been mentioned earlier, but how about the dynamics of his relationship with them? Do they even love him back?

The answer to that is yes, they do. It is a pity that the actor rarely shares pictures of them via his social media pages, but the love is never found lacking when he does.

Why does he not say much about them if he loves them so much? It's out of his control. According to the proud father, his sons, Xavier and Ethan don't get airtime because they want nothing to do with fame.

His oldest son, Xavier, is especially against having his name splashed out on the web, but several years ago, the actor admitted the boy was in a band just like him.

Elijah, his second son, is not as strict on privacy as Xavier is, but he also takes care to stay out of the public's eye. In 2018, Wahlberg took to his Instagram page to give his boy a special shout-out on his birthday.

WAHLBERG NOW

The famous singer has seen some ups and downs in his life, but the storms have calmed these days, and it's been smooth sailing for him and his second wife, Jenny Mccarthy.

Fey chose to remain single after her divorce from Wahlberg, but he found love again with Mccarthy, and they tied the knot in 2014 after he adopted her autistic son Evan.

Since the boy is autistic, he must have hands-on parenting, and according to McCarthy, Wahlberg stood up to the task. Last year, while appearing virtually on the Rachael Ray Show, McCarthy revealed that the whole thing still feels exciting for them after seven years.

She also opened up about some of the things that have kept their love alive for the past couple of years. One of them includes Facetiming with each other when they can't be together.

It also helps that they visited a therapist earlier in their relationship to deal with things that could cause dissent between them. They left there with "tools" that help them resolve and identify problems, and if the state of their relationship is any indication, those tools worked.