FROM RACIAL VIOLENCE TO ASSAULT: HOLLYWOOD STAR MARK WAHLBERG'S HIDDEN CRIMINAL PAST

Mark Wahlberg is one of the biggest names in Hollywood, with movies such as Uncharted, Ted, and Transformers under his belt. But despite being a global star, Wahlberg has had his fair share of controversies and a lot of skeletons in his closet, kept away from the media buzz. Right from his teens to his top years as an actor, he has made questionable decisions, and at the same time, he has maintained silence about the allegations levied against him. There have been some reflective statements from his side, but for the most part, he has avoided questions related to those incidents.

Racially motivated actions

As a teenager, Mark Wahlberg was involved in two hate crimes, and even did his time in prison for one of those. Independent reported that the actor, then 15-years-old chased three black children with his friends and pelted rocks at them. They were using racial slurs saying “Kill the n*****s” and did not stop till an ambulance driver intervened, but he went on to harass another group of mostly black children the very next day. Wahlberg was taken into custody and promptly charged with violating the civil rights of his victims. He was found guilty and a civil rights injunction was issued against him, although the case was settled between him and the victims. The actor's history of such incidents caused a huge uproar when he came out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, with many accusing him of hypocrisy.

Kristyn Atwood, one of the fourth-grade students, who Wahlberg had attacked in 1986 shared her opinion about the actor when he asked for forgiveness for his actions. “I don’t really care who he is. It doesn’t make him any exception. If you’re a racist, you’re always going to be a racist,” she continued to the Associated Press. “And for him to want to erase it, I just think it’s wrong.”

In another racially motivated crime in 1988, the actor attacked two Vietnamese men while high on the drug PCP. The two victims of the attack were Thanh Lam and army veteran Johnny Trinh. Wahlberg called Lam a “Vietnam f***ing s***” and charged at him with a five-foot wooden stick knocking him unconscious, while he punched Trinh in the eye. As per the officials, Wahlberg used racist slurs to describe both men, and was charged with attempted murder. In court he pleaded guilty to felony assault, claiming that the attacks happened because he was intoxicated and denied race as a motivation for his actions. He was sentenced to 2 years in jail but came out after serving 45 days. 

In 2014 the actor sought pardon for the attacks but stated in the application that he did not want his celebrity status to play a role in garnering his pardon, as he did believe that the change in him was visible through his work. “I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of April 8, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage that I may have caused the victims,” Wahlberg wrote in his pardon application. “Since that time, I have dedicated myself to becoming a better person and citizen so that I can be a role model to my children and others.”

US Weekly reported that an Asian-American activist group and victims of Wahlberg’s previous criminal incidents opposed it. He then withdrew the application and expressed regret about it. “It was one of those things where it was just kind of presented to me, and if I could’ve done it over again I would never have focused on that or applied,” he recalled to The Wrap in September 2016.

In 2020 he sat down for an interview with the Guardian and shared that he has tried to make amends for what he did in his teen years. “I took it upon myself to own up to my mistakes and go against the grain and not be a part of the gang anymore – to say that I was going to go and do my own thing,” he explained. “[It] made it 10 times more difficult to walk from my home to the train station, to go to school, to go to work. But I also prided myself on doing the right thing and turning my life around … I would hope that people would be able to get a second chance in life.”

Though other victims stay on the fence Trinh has expressed support for his pardon. He shared with Mail Online, “He was young and reckless but I forgive him now. Everyone deserves another chance. I would like to see him get a pardon. He should not have the crime hanging over him any longer.”

Assaulting a neighbor

In 1992, Wahlberg's neighbor filed a lawsuit against him for physical assault after the actor broke his jaw. As per UPI Archives, both parties reached a settlement out of court for the matter. The victim was Robert D. Crehan who dropped the charges after being financially compensated by Wahlberg. Prior to the settlement, Wahlberg dismissed the lawsuit as an attempt to extort money. 'People will do anything for money,' the rapper said, referring to Crehan's suit.

Wage gap scandal

Wahlberg and Michelle Williams were co-starring in Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World," which called on both for reshoots when one of the actors, Kevin Spacey was fired. Like thorough professionals, both of them showed up and did the work. The catch came when USA Today broke the story that while Wahlberg was paid a whopping $1.5 million, Williams went home with a measly $1000 for the same amount of work. The backlash made Wahlberg donate his earnings in the name of Williams to Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. 

Williams later spoke her heart out when she turned up on Capital Hill to celebrate Equal Pay Day. "No one cared," she said. "This came as no surprise to me, it simply reinforced my life-learned belief that equality is not an inalienable right and that women would always be working just as hard for less money while shouldering more responsibility in their homes. I’ve been accredited by my industry at the highest levels and that still didn’t translate to equal and fair compensation."