Donnie Wahlberg Feels ‘Very Fortunate’ to Still Be Performing Decades After New Kids on the Block Fame Began (Exclusive)

Wahlberg and his bandmates will continue their Las Vegas residency with June, July and October concert dates

NEED TO KNOW

• Donnie Wahlberg reflected on his decades-long journey with New Kids on the Block in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE
• Wahlberg and his bandmates will continue their Las Vegas residency with June, July and October concert dates
• Wahlberg, who stars in a Blue Bloods spinoff, also shared how fatherhood inspires his character’s story in Boston Blue

Donnie Wahlberg still feels "honored" to get to be perform with New Kids on the Block.

During the American Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 25, Donnie, 56, reflected on NKOTB, which once included brother Mark Wahlberg, as well as the band’s awards show journey through the decades.

"These red carpets are an incredible reminder, because there was a time when we were the kids, and all these older artists were on the red carpet, and we'd be like, 'Oh, there's so-and-so and there's so-and-so.' And they were like, 'Who are these kids?' And now we're walking around like, 'Who's that kid? Who's this kid?' And it's literally the roles are reversed, but we're very fortunate to still be here," he exclusively told PEOPLE.

Donnie added, "We're very grateful to still be here and we're rooting for all these young kids that they might know it because it's better this time. It's better the later it gets, the better it gets. I don't walk down this red carpet wishing I was 20 again. I'm honored to be here at 56. And I hope these young artists can feel that too."

Donnie formed New Kids on the Block in the early 1980s, recruiting his younger brother, Mark, and their friends Jamie Kelly, Jordan Knight and Danny Wood. However, Jamie quickly left the band, so they brought on Jordan's older brother, Jonathan. The last member to join was Joey McIntyre.

Eventually, Mark, 54, left the group in 1984. He would later form Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch in the ’90s, and he later translated his musical success into an acting career.

As New Kids on the Block became a famous 80s boy band, the members ultimately made the decision to split up in 1994.

However, they have reunited quite a bit since then. In March 2024, members Donnie, Jordan, Danny, Jonathan and Joey released New Kids on the Block's eighth studio album, Still Kids, marking their first full release in 11 years.

The band has now been performing a residency in Las Vegas at the Dolby Live at Park MGM, providing plenty of surprises and special guests for fans. Titled The Right Stuff, it first kicked off in June 2025.

"I mean, having a member of New Edition come, having members of Backstreet [Boys] come was fun and bringing them on stage to play around with us," Donnie said. "I'm not sure anything will ever match opening night, but it's a magical experience and you would think it could get redundant, but it really doesn't. It's different each night and fun each night and hopefully we'll make some more incredible memories coming up."

The residency continues with dates in June, July and October.

"Our fans, they travel for us," Donnie said. "It's a big deal and we want them to feel like they're getting the full New Kids experience. And I think they did, but I think we have more to offer and we're going to pull out some old tricks."

"They're going to get a lot more this time around and they deserve it," he continued. "And we want to keep it fresh for us too and have a good time. We take our fans very seriously. We don't take ourselves that serious, but we take our fans seriously. We want them to have the best time and that's really what it's about for us."

Outside of music, Donnie stars as Detective Danny Reagan on CBS' Boston Blue. His character relocated from New York City to Boston to be with his police officer son, Sean.

"So many people say, 'Well, Danny would never leave New York. It's not believable, and his son wouldn't want him in Boston.' I have a 24-year-old son and I can't tell you how many times he's asked me in the last year to move back to California to be close to him," Donnie told PEOPLE.

Donnie has two adult sons, Xavier and Elijah, with his first wife Kim Fey, and a stepson, Evan, with wife Jenny McCarthy. 

"It's the most wonderful feeling in my personal life, and I'm watching it play out in my TV life," he added. "Every time there's a doubt that this guy would stay in town, I just think of my son's text and I say, 'Oh, you think a son wouldn't want to be close to his Dad?' There's no more reason for Danny to leave New York than for his son."

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Season 1 of Boston Blue, a Blue Bloods spinoff, is available to stream on Paramount+.

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