Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham Wahlberg’s kids are definitely following in their footsteps a lot more literally than you’d expect.
The actor, 54, and the model, 47, have been together for over two decades. They first started dating in 2001, and in 2009, they finally tied the knot. They’ve since welcomed Ella in 2003, Michael in 2006, Brendan in 2008, and Grace in 2010.
Their oldest, 22-year-old Ella Rae Wahlberg, is currently a student at Clemson University in South Carolina, and is now carrying forward her mom’s legacy away from home.
15 years later
On her Instagram page, Rhea proudly shared a photo of herself in her Michael Kors gown from the Golden Globe Awards in 2011, a peach strapless dress with a floor-length skirt and ruched bodice.
And beside her was a picture of Ella in the present day, wearing the exact same gown for her winter formal, the picture perfect replica of her parents. “My first baby girl wearing my 2011 Golden Globes dress to her formal. Proud mama moment,” Rhea gushed in her caption.
Mark similarly inundated the comments section with emojis, ranging from applause to a teary-eyed one, to which a fan responded with: “As a dad of two daughters myself I feel you!”
Others also commented: “So gorgeous!! It’s vintage and so chic!!” and: “What an awesome moment! You should be wicked proud!” as well as: “Wow, what an awesome memory for you both to have,” plus: “Aww she is beautiful just like her mama.”
A new home
In 2022, the entire Wahlberg family moved from Los Angeles and the trappings of Hollywood to Nevada, with the actor later saying that the move was motivated by a desire to give his family, especially his kids, more space and autonomy to follow their passions.
He revealed during an episode of The Talkthat year that he “moved to Nevada where, after this gubernatorial election, hopefully we go to legislation and get a bill passed so we can get tax credits for the state, build a state-of-the-art studio here and make this Hollywood 2.0.”
“I want to be able to work from home,” he continued, emphasizing how much he wanted to be a more present father. “Every free moment that I have, I’m at home.”
He explained that while he’d initially moved to California to continue with his acting career, it didn’t make a significant enough impact to want to keep living 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.”
Mark noted that he and Rhea “came here to just kind of give ourselves a new look, a fresh start for the kids, and there’s lots of opportunity here,” adding: “I’m really excited about the future.”