Jenny McCarthy Reveals She Gifted Her Mom an Item That She Stole from the Pope: 'It's a Whole Story'

"My mom's like, 'You know, this is not okay,'" McCarthy laughed

: Jenny McCarthy attends the Fox Winter TCA; Pope Francis waves to thousands of followers as he arrives at the Manila Cathedral on January 16, 2015
Jenny McCarthy (left) and Pope Francis . Photo:

Amy Sussman/Getty Images; Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Jenny McCarthy has a confession to make and it involves a holy world figure!

While appearing on Sirius XM's Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa on Wednesday, July 17, the Masked Singer judge, 51, recalled the moment she narrowly missed the Pope but secretly swiped an item from his apartment during a trip to Italy.

"I stole a cross from the Vatican and gave it to my mother," McCarthy told host Kelly Ripa. "My mom's like, 'You know, this is not okay.'"

Jenny McCarthy and mom during "Dirty Love" Los Angeles Premiere
Jenny McCarthy and her mom at the 'Dirty Love' Los Angeles Premiere.

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

The former Playboy model admitted that it "wasn't me personally" who took the item but rather her girlfriends who accompanied her to an event.

"I was invited [to the Vatican] when I was in Italy, I was there for an eyeglass party or whatever, and they were like, 'Do you want to go meet the Pope? Actually, the Pope's not in town, but we can go in his apartment.' I was like, 'What?' So we went, we literally at midnight went in the back of the Vatican and I went in his apartment and his hallways," she explained.

"I tried on his hat. It was crazy," she continued, adding that she didn't know anything was taken until later. "It's a whole story but my girlfriend came with me and when I got home in the hotel room, she goes, 'I know your mom loves the Pope so much, so I stole her...'"

enny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg attend the 73rd NBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on February 18, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(L) Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg.

Kevin Mazur/Getty 

McCarthy has been open about her Catholic upbringing. In fact, the model revealed that her faith was responsible for her meeting her now-husband Donnie Wahlberg during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show in April.

After going through "a slew of uncomfortable and not healthy relationships," she explained that she turned to spirituality to find the perfect partner.

"I've always been spiritual. I'm always into new age. I love improving myself. But I'm like ‘I’m really going to let the universe know I am shutting this down,'" McCarthy said, adding that she stopped doing "any dating" in order to "really focus on me."

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"I’m like, ‘If I can upgrade me, then I’m going to upgrade the people I surround myself with and who I bring into my life,'" she said. "And I told God, I was like, ‘Listen, don’t bring me [a] half-baked guy. I'm going to fully bake myself.'"

"I wasn't really looking for anyone in particular at the moment I met Donnie. But I went a full year into letting go of the demons [and] recognizing why I went into those patterns. A lot of it had to do with self-love and loving myself and knowing I was good enough," McCarthy continued.

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