Carnie Wilson (born April 29, 1968) is an American singer and television personality. She is the daughter of

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

and in 1989 co-founded the pop music trio

Wilson Phillips Wilson Phillips is an American pop vocal group formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The group consists of sisters Carnie and Wendy Wilson, the daughters of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, and Chynna Phillips, the daughter of John and Michelle Phi ...

with her younger sister

Wendy Wendy is a given name generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain during the English Civil War in the mid-1600s, a male Captain Wendy Oxford was identified by the Leveller John Lilburne as a spy reporting on his activit ...

. From 1995 onwards, she has also been a host or guest star on a variety of television shows.

Early life and musical career

Carnie Wilson was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on April 29, 1968, the daughter of

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

and of his first wife, former singer Marilyn Rovell of the Honeys. Her mother is of Jewish heritage, while her father is of Dutch, Scottish, English, German, Irish, and Swedish ancestry. She co-founded

with her younger sister

and childhood friend Chynna Phillips in 1989. They released two albums, ''

'' 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 Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

'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

. In 2006, Carnie released an album of lullabies, ''A Mother's Gift: Lullabies from the Heart'', 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'', 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. In 2022, Wilson Phillips released a cover of Harry Styles' " Boyfriends."

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 Gerald Norman Springer (February 13, 1944 – April 27, 2023) was a British-American broadcaster, journalist, actor, lawyer, and politician. He was best known for hosting the controversial tabloid talk show '' Jerry Springer'' from 1991 to 2 ...

. 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 ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appeared ...

'', before joining the fourth season of VH1's '' Celebrity Fit Club'' in 2006. Wilson has also been a correspondent on ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...

'' 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. In addition, a reality show starring Wilson, '' Carnie Wilson: Unstapled'', began airing on the Game Show Network on January 14, 2010. 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

and childhood friend Chynna Phillips starred in their own reality show on the

TV Guide Network The American cable television, cable and satellite television network Pop (American TV channel), Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized electronic program guide, channel and program listin ...

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 Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

's '' Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off''. She came in second to Dean McDermott and won $10,000 for her charity, an

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

research foundation. She also frequently filled in as a guest host on CBS's '' The Talk''. In 2015, she played herself as an auto insurance claimant on a Progressive Insurance TV commercial. 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). 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''. In February 2017, Wilson made a guest appearance on the reality show '' The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills''. 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". In April 2024, she launched ''Sounds Delicious with Carnie Wilson'', a cooking/reality show on AXS TV. In March 2025, she appeared on ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'' 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.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Wilson married musician and producer Robert Bonfiglio in 2000. They have two daughters. Her uncles were Dennis Wilson and

Carl Wilson Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian Wilson, Brian and Dennis Wilson, ...

. She is a cousin to Beach Boys co-founder

Mike Love Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who is one of the vocalists of the Beach Boys, of which he was an original member alongside his cousins Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Carl Wilson and their frien ...

and his brother, former NBA player Stan Love, as well as Stan's son,

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

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.

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." 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. 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''.

Bell's palsy diagnosis

On March 18, 2013, Wilson disclosed, through

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

, that she had been diagnosed with

Bell's palsy Bell's palsy is a type of facial paralysis that results in a temporary inability to control the facial muscles on the affected side of the face. In most cases, the weakness is temporary and significantly improves over weeks. Symptoms can vary f ...

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. It went out of business in 2021.

Discography

with Wilson Phillips * ''

'' (1990) * '' Shadows and Light'' (1992) * ''

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

'' (2004) * '' Christmas in Harmony'' (2010) * '' Dedicated'' (2012) as Carnie and Wendy Wilson/the Wilsons * '' Hey Santa!'' (1993) * '' The Wilsons'' (with select appearances by

) (1997) Solo * ''For the First Time'' (2003) * ''A Mother's Gift: Lullabies from the Heart'' (2006) * '' Christmas with Carnie'' (2007)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Carnie 1968 births American women pop singers American game show hosts American people of Dutch descent American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American people of Jewish descent American people of Scottish descent American people of Swedish descent Brian Wilson Living people Participants in American reality television series Singers from Los Angeles Carnie Wilson Phillips members California Music members