Catholic actor Mark Wahlberg made a familiar return to Fox News Channel’s ‘Fox & Friends’ as the season of Lent for 2026 began, sharing his approach to parenting and leading by example rather than leading by dictate. Joining Wahlberg in the studio was fellow actor Jonathan Roumie from ‘The Chosen’ who likewise sported the ashen reminder of God’s salvation on his forehead.
Described by one account on social media as a “beautiful, low-pressure approach,” the long-time Hollywood mainstay revealed some of his non-negotiables with his kids when it came to practicing his faith, such as a daily morning prayer routine. He wanted them to see his life lived in service of God and trust them that example he set would “draw them in when the time is right.”
Wahlberg revealed that while he believed in God and wanted his children to as well, he also admitted he isn’t forcing his faith on them. “It’s amazing, you know, with my children, you know, I first, I mean, obviously, because I never got a, you know, faith based education, that’s all I wanted for my children. And then I felt like, well, you know, maybe it’s not the best thing for them at a time like I would, I didn’t want to force it on them.”
“So now I just try to be an example. You know, they know that dad can’t miss mass, that, you know, everything’s gotta The day has to start on my hands and my knees, and that I rely on, on God and my faith for many, many things. And hopefully that will be the thing that they kind of gravitate,” he continued.
“But again, I don’t make them go to Mass. You know, my parents used to try. They didn’t go to Mass, but they made us go to Mass. And we’d go to church, get a missile ad, go to the park and run around, do whatever we do, and then come home and act like we went,” he added.
“But obviously when I needed God, and there were people that were there to influence me in the right direction, and once I realized how important it was, I never strayed away from that,” he finished in the segment.
As alluded to, Wahlberg is a regular on the network, particularly when Lent returns each spring. In 2023, he explained that faith helped him turn his life around. “I grew up from very humble beginnings, obviously had a troubled youth,” he spoke in reference to a past criminal life.
Continuing, Wahlberg explained that it was as he decided to turn his life around as a young man that he felt God calling him, saying, “Once I realized that God was calling me and really wanting to help me and turn my life around, and knew that I had potential. Once I started to become more disciplined, really, the world became full of opportunity. So, I just want to share that with people and their own. But just being the best versions of themselves.”