I can think of plenty of celebrities whose bad side I wouldn’t want to get on, and Mark Wahlberg is definitely near the top of that list. Given convention, you might think someone dating his daughter would possibly register them as enemy number one on The Departed star’s list – but apparently that’s not quite the case. The fitness guru reveals that not only does he not have beef with his daughter’s new boyfriend, but he literally works out with him amicably.
It looks like Mark Wahlberg and his oldest daughter Ella’s boyfriend are having some one-on-one bonding time. In his latest Instagram post, Wahlberg shares a video of him and said acquaintance in the gym. The famous actor seems to approve of his daughter’s choice of boyfriend, because his caption states that he and his daughter are lucky to have the “great kid” in their life. Here’s what the star says in his caption, exactly:
Ella is a lucky girl and I’m a lucky dad! He is a great young man.
While one might see it as a risk dating the daughter of Mark Wahlberg, apparently gaining the approval of the star comes with great reward. If you don’t already have a pretty cute mental image of that scenario, they’re also wearing matching shirts. Check it out for yourself:
The irony of Mark Wahlberg, of all people, breaking the angry dad trope is not lost on the legend himself. In the video he says that he originally started working out to keep the boys away from his daughters, and now he’s working out with his daughter’s boyfriend. Like Wahlberg himself says, “Imagine that.”
It could be that Mark Wahlberg has broken the dad mold and taken the overprotective father stereotype ever farther by training with the young man. He is certainly not a stranger to the gym, and could be quietly showcasing just how much strength he has as a kind of an intimidation tactic.
Alternatively, Mark Wahlberg could just be training the next man in his daughter’s life to better care for her. Either way, though, it beats Wahlberg sitting in an armchair with a gun waiting for Ella to come home from a date, and I’m sure her boyfriend agrees.
Fans and celebrities in the comment section of Mark Wahlberg’s post seem to be on that wavelength. Mario Lopez comments “keep ‘em close,” seemingly a play on the saying “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Other commenters are giving Wahlberg props for being a good influence and bonding with the kid rather than pushing him and his daughter away.
I can’t imagine how otherworldly it would be for a teenager to suddenly be working out with a star like Mark Wahlberg, especially since the actor has pretty much perfected his fitness routine at this point. He’s been through all kinds of body transformations, and thankfully Ella’s boyfriend didn’t come into the picture when he was taking part in some of the more wild gym crazes of the past.
Mark Wahlberg has been in some pretty great films, and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down even if he is taking time to spend time with his family and their growing affiliations. He’s been working with a few fellow gym buffs, like Kevin Hart on Me Time and Simu Liu on Arthur the King; he even inspired Uncharted co-star Tom Holland to get buff and work out more.
With the number of upcoming projects the comedic action star has in the works, 2022 is sure to be full of some more Wahlberg goodness.