How Mark Wahlberg Protects His Children from Hollywood ‘Baggage’

Mark Wahlberg
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 24: (L-R) Brendan Joseph Wahlberg, Michael Wahlberg, Mark Wahlberg, Rhea Durham, Ella Rae Wahlberg and Grace Margaret Wahlberg attend Amazon’s “Play Dirty” World Premiere at SVA Theater on September 24, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

By Kayla DeKraker

Actor Mark Wahlberg says being a father in Hollywood comes with “baggage,” but he does his best to make life normal for his four children.

“Well, look, they know dad’s just a regular [guy], like this just happens to be my job,” Wahlberg told Fox News recently on the red carpet of his recent movie. “You know, there are pros and cons to it, right? I mean if they want to meet somebody, this is a good chance I could make it happen,”

“But there’s also a lot of baggage that comes with it, you know,” he continued, “and so, you know, I just try to stay as connected to them as possible, be just a normal dad every day that I’m not doing this.”

Wahlberg shares his four children — Ella, 22, Michael, 20, Brendan, 17, and Grace, 16 — with his wife, Rhea Durham.

Related: Mark Wahlberg Celebrates Son and Young People On ‘Taking Their Relationship with the Lord Into Adulthood’

Previously, Walhberg told PEOPLE, “I want to give my kids the world, but I also want them to appreciate everything, to succeed, to be good people, to enjoy life. This is my most important role. If I fail at this, I fail at everything.”

To help make life a little more normal for his family, Wahlberg moved them from Los Angeles to Nevada in 2022.

In 2023 he said his goal is to “give my kids a better life and follow and pursue their dreams — whether it be my daughter as an equestrian, my son as a basketball player, my younger son as a golfer.”

While their father’s fame used to interest his kids, they aren’t as invested anymore.

“In the TRANSFORMER days, they were interested,” Wahlberg previously told GOOD MORNING AMERICA. “They wanted to come. They wanted to see the action. They wanted to see Bumblebee. Now they’re like, ‘Dad, this is boring.’”

Wahlberg isn’t the only actor who moved their family out of Hollywood to give them a normal life. Others include George Clooney, Ryan Reynolds, Matthew McConaughey and more.

“We’re very lucky,” Clooney previously told Esquire. “You know, we live on a farm in France. A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid, I hated the whole idea of it. But now, for them, it’s like — they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”

The many celebrities such as Wahlberg leaving Hollywood for normalcy tells us one important thing: mainstream media and family values do not align…protect your kids first!

Read Next: 5 Times Mark Wahlberg Encouraged Fans to Pray

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