“Mark Wahlberg Celebrates Daughter Grace’s 14th Birthday with Heartfelt Throwback Pic: ‘Can’t Believe How Time Flies'”
Mark Wahlberg and his wife, Rhea Durham, are celebrating their youngest daughter Grace’s 14th birthday.
On Jan. 11, Wahlberg shared a cute throwback photo on Instagram of him and Grace sitting on the couch together when she was just a toddler.
He captioned the pic, “I can’t believe how time flies🥰 happy b day Gracie 🥳❤️🥰😘love you❤️🙏.”
As for Durham, she shared a bunch of sweet pics of Grace over the years and wrote, “Happiest 14th(what?!) Birthday to our baby. We love you more than the 🌞the 🌙 and the 🌟⭐️ Keep shining like you do sweet girl 🎂💝🏇🏽.”
Wahlberg and Durham share Grace and their three older kids, Ella Rae, Brendan and Michael together.
In October 2022, Wahlberg revealed he and Durham moved their family to Nevada to give their kids “a better life.”
“Every free moment that I have, I’m at home,” he said on “The Talk.” “I want to be able to work from home. I moved to California many years ago to pursue acting and I’ve only made a couple of movies in the entire time that I was there.
“So, to be able 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 — this made a lot more sense for us,” Wahlberg continued.
Read on to learn more about Wahlberg’s kids.
Ella Rae Wahlberg
In 2003, Wahlberg and Durham welcomed their first child, daughter Ella. The milestone moment was also bittersweet. The same day Ella was born, Wahlberg’s older sister Debbie Wahlberg died at 43.
When Wahlberg celebrated his little girl’s 18th birthday on Instagram in 2021, he called his sister Ella’s “guardian angel.”
“Always a bittersweet day,” he posted.
In January, Wahlberg’s wife got emotional after dropping Ella off at college in South Carolina. Posting a photo of herself looking somber on a plane, she said her emotions were “running wild” after her first ever drop-off.
In a September 2023 interview with TODAY.com, Wahlberg spoke about that moment and said he didn’t get too emotional when Ella went off to college because he understood that she was starting a new chapter in her life.
“She’s just so happy there,” he said. “She’s really thriving so I understand. Obviously, it’s more difficult for moms, because when you have a child, your own existence revolves around taking care and nurturing this child and helping them grow. But you’re giving life and they go off and do their thing, and hopefully, they come back and spend time with you.”
Wahlberg also opened up about how having his oldest child in college has made him rethink some of his life decisions.
He shared that he has some regrets about not enrolling in college when he was younger. The “Ted” actor explained that he started feeling this way after he visited Ella at her college.
“We just went to parents’ weekend, you know with the sorority girls and the frat house. It was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I definitely felt like I never really had too many regrets about not going to college until I saw (this),” he explained with a laugh.
Michael Wahlberg
In 2006, Wahlberg and Durham welcomed their oldest son Michael. Like his younger brother, Brendan, he is “obsessed with everything sports,” according to an interview Wahlberg did with People.
“The first thing out of their mouths in the morning when their eyes are barely open is, ‘Dad, did the Clippers win?’” he said.
For Michael’s 16th birthday in March 2022, Durham celebrated the kid who made her a “boy mommy” in a series of throwback photos. “These past 16 years with you have been an amazing ride and I can’t wait to ride (into) the future,” she wrote.
In May 2022, Wahlberg marked Michael’s confirmation ceremony by posting a photo of him and his mom. “So proud of this young man,” Wahlberg wrote.
Brendan Wahlberg
In 2008, Wahlberg and Durham welcomed their youngest son, Brendan.
Just like his older brother, Brendan is an athlete. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in 2021, Wahlberg said his celebrity status sometimes intersects with his kids’ aspirations — which, in effect, means he has to watch their sports games from the car.
“Me being in the public eye, there are pros to that, but there’s a lot of cons,” he said. “My kids wanna have their own identity, you know? I’m not allowed to get out of the car at football practice or a game. I got to sit in the car and watch.
“At first I took it personally, because I want to be there to support them, but supporting them is by making them feel comfortable in what they’re doing and them having their own identity too,” Wahlberg continued. “It’s very difficult.”
Recently, Wahlberg tells TODAY.com, his children have become a little more open to him attending their events.
Wahlberg called his son a “natural” at riding a golf cart, posting a video to Instagram.
Of all of Wahlberg’s kids, fans say Brendan looks the most like the actor. In March, Wahlberg posted a photo of them at UFC 285 in Las Vegas, and fans were quick to point out their resemblance.
“Your twin,” one person said.
“Wow. Mini you,” someone else commented.
Grace Wahlberg
Born in January 2010, Grace is the baby of the family.
Grace is a competitive horse rider. In February, Wahlberg shared a few pictures of Grace and her horse, with a first-place ribbon on his reins.
“So proud of Grace and the whole team, what an amazing job. TEAM GRACE,” he captioned the post.
On Jan. 11, Wahlberg gave Grace another shout-out when he paid homage to his daughter on her 14th birthday.
On Instagram, Wahlberg shared a cute throwback photo of him and Grace sitting on the couch together when she was a toddler.
