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Carnie Wilson
American singer

Carnie Wilson (born April 29, 1968) is an American singer and television personality. She is the daughter of Brian Wilson and in 1989 co-founded the pop music trio Wilson Phillips with her younger sister Wendy. From 1995 onwards, she has also been a host or guest star on a variety of television shows.

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Early life and musical career

Carnie Wilson was born in Los Angeles2 on April 29, 1968, the daughter of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and of his first wife, former singer Marilyn Rovell of the Honeys. Her mother is of Jewish heritage,3 while her father is of Dutch, Scottish, English, German, Irish, and Swedish ancestry.45

She co-founded Wilson Phillips with her younger sister Wendy and childhood friend Chynna Phillips in 1989.6 They released two albums, Wilson Phillips and Shadows and Light, which between them sold twelve million copies. The group also charted three No. 1 singles, including "Hold On", and six top 20 hits in the United States before disbanding in 1993.

Carnie and Wendy Wilson continued to record together, releasing the Christmas album Hey Santa! in 1993. They joined with their father for the 1997 album The Wilsons. Carnie also sang "Our Time Has Come" with James Ingram for the 1997 animated film Cats Don't Dance.

In 2003, Carnie attempted to launch a solo music career with the album For the First Time. The record featured a remake of the Olivia DiNucci-penned Samantha Mumba ballad "Don't Need You To (Tell Me I'm Pretty)", retitled "I Don't Need You To", as its first single. However, the single failed to gain interest and the album was ultimately shelved when Carnie regrouped with Wendy and Chynna as Wilson Phillips in 2004.

Reunited, the band released a third album, named California, which appeared on Sony Music's record label. The album featured cover songs, primarily from the 1960s and 1970s, and specifically highlighted the glory days of their parents' California-based musical groups: The Mamas & the Papas and the Beach Boys.

In 2006, Carnie released an album of lullabies, A Mother's Gift: Lullabies from the Heart,7 created shortly after the birth of her daughter, Lola. She released her second solo effort in October 2007, a Christmas album entitled Christmas with Carnie,8 featuring a song written by her husband, "Warm Lovin' Christmastime".

In 2011, Wilson had a career resurgence with a cameo in the film Bridesmaids singing the hit single "Hold On" with Wendy and Chynna at the wedding in the film's finale.9

In 2022, Wilson Phillips released a cover of Harry Styles' "Boyfriends."10

Television career

From 1995 to 1996, Carnie hosted her own short-lived syndicated television talk show, Carnie! The series was launched during the mid-1990s wave of popularity in "tabloid" talk shows, which followed the sudden successes of Ricki Lake and Jerry Springer. Former Cosmopolitan magazine's Bachelor-of-the-Month Chris Greeley was a guest on the television pilot. Wilson found the experience a disappointment and a source of professional and personal frustration.

She later guest-starred on episodes of That 70s Show in 2001 and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, before joining the fourth season of VH1's Celebrity Fit Club in 2006.

Wilson has also been a correspondent on Entertainment Tonight and in 2006 hosted a special on E! titled 101 Celebrity Slimdowns. She became a cast member of the CMT series Gone Country in January 2008. In April 2008, she was a cast member of the VH1 series Celebracadabra. In July 2008, she starred in a show called Outsider's Inn.

She hosted GSN's new edition of The Newlywed Game, which premiered April 6, 2009, until late 2010, when she was replaced by Sherri Shepherd.11

In addition, a reality show starring Wilson, Carnie Wilson: Unstapled, began airing on the Game Show Network on January 14, 2010.12 In August 2011, Wilson became a judge on the ABC show Karaoke Battle USA.

On January 2, 2012, she appeared on ABC's Celebrity Wife Swap, trading places with actress Tracey Gold for a week.

In the spring of 2012, Carnie along with her sister Wendy and childhood friend Chynna Phillips starred in their own reality show on the TV Guide Network about the rebirth of their band, Wilson Phillips. The show, called Wilson Phillips: Still Holding On, logged the journey of the trio getting back together to reform Wilson Phillips on the road, in the studio, and at home as working mothers. A pilot episode aired in November 2011. Seven additional episodes aired in April and May 2012.

Wilson starred in the Chopped "All Stars: Celebrities" episode and got to second place.

In 2013, Carnie became a member of "Team Rachael" on the second season of the Food Network's Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. She came in second to Dean McDermott and won $10,000 for her charity, an autism research foundation.

She also frequently filled in as a guest host on CBS's The Talk.13

In 2015, she played herself as an auto insurance claimant on a Progressive Insurance TV commercial.14 On January 28, 2016, it was announced that she is going to be a contestant on The New Celebrity Apprentice (also known as The Apprentice 15 and Celebrity Apprentice 8).15 On January 2, 2017, Wilson was the second contestant fired, finishing in fifteenth place, earning no money for her charity, The Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America.

In July 2016, Wilson Phillips reunited and performed on ABC's Greatest Hits.16

In February 2017, Wilson made a guest appearance on the reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.17

In 2022, she performed with Wendy and Chynna as the trio "Lambs" on the eighth season of The Masked Singer. In the finale, they sang "I'm Every Woman" and "I Want to Know What Love Is". They finished second, after Amber Riley as "Harp".18

In April 2024, she launched Sounds Delicious with Carnie Wilson, a cooking/reality show on AXS TV.19

In March 2025, she appeared on American Idol with her 19-year-old daughter, Lola, who was auditioning with the song "Hold On". They were accompanied by Carnie's husband and sister Wendy.20

Personal life

Marriage and family

Wilson married musician and producer Robert Bonfiglio in 2000. They have two daughters.2122

Her uncles were Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson. She is a cousin to Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love and his brother, former NBA player Stan Love, as well as Stan's son, Miami Heat player Kevin Love.

Her stepmother, Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, died in January 2024. Melinda married Brian Wilson in 1995 and they adopted five children. Through their relationship, Carnie has five step-siblings.232425

Addictions, weight loss, and surgeries

In 2024, Wilson said she had considered suicide 20 years earlier, when she had been addicted to drugs and alcohol. "I could not stop drinking or using drugs. I love life, I love my family. I've always had great friends, great support, success. But, that day, I thought it would just probably be easier if I just turned the wheel and drive off the cliff because alcohol had me in a chokehold and so much power over me, I could not stop drinking one day at a time."26

She has also said she has an addiction to food, which led her to get gastric bypass surgery in 1999 and a follow-up lap-band surgery in 2012.27

In 2017, she underwent surgery to remove her ruptured breast implants. "Sixteen years ago I lost a bunch of weight and I had a breast lift and an augmentation and the implants have ruptured now. And so, I have to go have them taken out and face this reconstruction, which is really scary," she said on The Talk.28

Bell's palsy diagnosis

On March 18, 2013, Wilson disclosed, through Twitter, that she had been diagnosed with Bell's palsy.29

Love Bites by Carnie

On August 26, 2017, Carnie and her business partner, childhood friend Tiffany Miller, opened Love Bites by Carnie, a commercial production bakery in Sherwood, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. Love Bites by Carnie made gourmet, bite-sized cookies.30 It went out of business in 2021.31

Discography

with Wilson Phillips

as Carnie and Wendy Wilson/the Wilsons

Solo

References

  1. "On This Day". The New York Times. April 29, 2001. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/010429onthisday.html ↩

  2. Theakston, Rob. "Carnie Wilson Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/carnie-wilson-mn0000182357/biography ↩

  3. Rogovoy, Seth (June 20, 2022). "The secret Jewish history of the Beach Boys". The Forward. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. https://forward.com/culture/204419/the-secret-jewish-history-of-the-beach-boys/ ↩

  4. White, Timothy (1996). The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern Californian Experience. Macmillan. pp. 26, 75. ISBN 978-0-333-64937-4. 978-0-333-64937-4 ↩

  5. Michael Thomas Meggison. "#71 Royal Descents, Notable Kin, and Printed Sources: The Immediate New England and Royal Ancestry of the Beach Boys". American Ancestors. New England Historic Genealogical Society. Archived from the original on August 23, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140823011549/http://www.americanancestors.org/ancestry-beach-boys/ ↩

  6. Stimson, Brie (April 21, 2024). "Beach Boys' Brian Wilson warned daughter Carnie to 'watch out for the sharks' in industry". Fox News. Retrieved June 7, 2024. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/beach-boys-brian-wilson-warned-daughter-carnie-watch-out-sharks-industry ↩

  7. A Mother's Gift: Lullabies from the Heart Carnie Wilson Allmusic.com, Review by Rob Theakston http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-mothers-gift-lullabies-from-the-heart-r831717 ↩

  8. Christmas with Carnie Carnie Wilson Allmusic.com http://www.allmusic.com/album/christmas-with-carnie-r1207533 ↩

  9. Wieselman, Jarett (May 27, 2011). "The story behind Wilson Phillips' 'Bridesmaids' cameo | Page Six". Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://pagesix.com/2011/05/27/the-story-behind-wilson-phillips-bridesmaids-cameo/ ↩

  10. Benitez-Eves, Tina (November 28, 2022). "Wilson Phillips Return After a Decade with Cover of Harry Styles' "Boyfriends"". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://americansongwriter.com/wilson-phillips-return-after-a-decade-with-cover-of-harry-styles-boyfriends/ ↩

  11. Burning Stubborn Fat Stores With NutriPlan! Archived January 10, 2019, at the Wayback Machine CC9 News, March 3, 2016 http://contentcreation9.com/health-wellness/burning-stubborn-fat-stores-with-nutriplan/ ↩

  12. Official GSN Site for CARNIE WILSON: UNSTAPLED[permanent dead link] http://www.gsn.com/shows/unstapled/ ↩

  13. Taylor, Derrick Bryson (March 15, 2017). "Carnie Wilson's breast implants ruptured | Page Six". Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://pagesix.com/2017/03/15/carnie-wilsons-breast-implants-ruptured/ ↩

  14. "Progressive Insurance Commercial "Carnie" - AdWhois". adwhois.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150706174456/http://adwhois.com/progressive-insurance-commercial-carnie/ ↩

  15. "Celebrity Apprentice Season 15 Cast Revealed: Snooki, Kyle Richards, Boy George and More!". US Weekly. January 28, 2016. http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/celebrity-apprentice-season-15-cast-revealed-snooki-kyle-richards-w162767 ↩

  16. "Watch Greatest Hits TV Show - ABC.com". ABC. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160531090241/http://abc.go.com/shows/greatest-hits ↩

  17. "'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Recap: Rinna Confirms Her Own Insanity". EW.com. Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://ew.com/recap/the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-season-7-episode-13/ ↩

  18. "Carnie Wilson Says Wilson Phillips 'Felt Like We Still Won' 'The Masked Singer' Despite Placing Second". People.com. Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://people.com/music/masked-singer-wilson-phillips-runner-up-carnie-wilson-says-felt-like-we-still-won/ ↩

  19. Staff, Remind (April 11, 2024). "New AXS TV Series 'Sounds Delicious with Carnie Wilson' Delights Musical Tastebuds". Remind. Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/13107/carnie-wilson-cooking-show-axs-tv/ ↩

  20. "Carnie Wilson's Daughter Lola Brings in Her Mom and Aunt Wendy to Audition for 'American Idol' with 'Hold On'". People.com. Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://people.com/carnie-wilson-daughter-lola-mom-aunt-wendy-american-idol-audition-11702945 ↩

  21. Hammel, Sara (June 15, 2009). "It's a Girl for Carnie Wilson!". People. Retrieved June 1, 2019. https://people.com/parents/its-a-girl-for-carnie-wilson/ ↩

  22. "Carnie Wilson and family in Hello! magazine". People.com. Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://people.com/parents/carnie-wilson-a-2/ ↩

  23. "Melinda Wilson". Brian Wilson. Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://www.brianwilson.com/melinda ↩

  24. "The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson Mourns Death of Wife Melinda". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://www.etonline.com/the-beach-boys-brian-wilson-mourns-death-of-wife-melinda-she-was-my-savior-218897 ↩

  25. "Brian Wilson's 7 Children: All About the Beach Boys Legend's Daughters and Sons". People.com. Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://people.com/all-about-brian-wilson-children-8597717 ↩

  26. "Singer Carnie Wilson speaks of her addiction at The LCADA Way Pearls of Wisdom annual dinner". Morning Journal. October 26, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://www.morningjournal.com/2024/10/26/singer-carnie-wilson-speaks-of-her-addiction-at-the-lcada-way-pearls-of-wisdom-annual-dinner/ ↩

  27. "Carnie Wilson Quit Gluten and Sugar After She Hit 240 Lbs., Her Joints Hurt and She Was in 'Gastrointestinal Hell' (Exclusive)". People.com. Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://people.com/carnie-wilson-quit-gluten-and-sugar-after-she-hit-240-lbs-exclusve-8628701 ↩

  28. Taylor, Derrick Bryson (March 15, 2017). "Carnie Wilson's breast implants ruptured | Page Six". Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://pagesix.com/2017/03/15/carnie-wilsons-breast-implants-ruptured/ ↩

  29. This revelation was published in the Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/18/carnie-wilson-bells-palsy-diagnosis-twitter_n_2899849.html ↩

  30. Pitz, Ray (July 22, 2017). "Love Bites by Carnie to host Aug. 26 opening with appearance by Wilson Phillips". https://www.sherwoodgazette.com/news/love-bites-by-carnie-to-host-aug-26-opening-with-appearance-by-wilson-phillips/article_a8b0ed87-1783-53c7-a4ff-3d7c28f8d169.html ↩

  31. "Sherwood baked goods maker files for Chapter 11". bizjournals.com. October 21, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2025. https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2021/10/21/the-week-in-bankruptcies-love-bites-by-carnie-inc.html ↩

  32. "A Mother's Gift: Lullabies from the Heart". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 19, 2024. https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-mothers-gift-lullabies-from-the-heart-mw0000777027 ↩

  33. "Christmas with Carnie". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 19, 2024. https://www.allmusic.com/album/christmas-with-carnie-mw0000486213 ↩