As protests and riots swept the nation following the killing of George Floyd – an unarmed black man – by a Minneapolis police officer two weeks ago, celebrities issued their usual condolences and Hollywood platitudes. Wahlberg’s message was no different, with the Hollywood heavy-hitter writing “The murder of George Floyd is heartbreaking. We must all work together to fix this problem. I'm praying for all of us. God bless.”

However, commenters reminded the ‘Ted’ star that he’s not in the best position to comment on racial issues. “Only in America can a man commit multiple hate crimes, serve only 45 days, and then go on to play an American ‘patriot’ in various films,” one wrote.

Wahlberg’s Wikipedia entry has an entire section dedicated to his past crimes, committed while he was aged between 15 and 21. Growing up on the streets of South Boston, Wahlberg threw rocks at black children while yelling racial slurs, beat a middle-aged Vietnamese man unconscious with a stick, and broke a neighbor’s jaw “without provocation or cause” after another racially-charged encounter.

For the assault on the Vietnamese man, Wahlberg was sentenced to two years in jail, but served only 45 days. Wahlberg was not yet an actor at this time, but had just released his second album with rap group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.

On Twitter, some fans were shocked to learn that their idol had such a troubled past. However, his rise to superstardom took place before the days of ‘cancel culture’, when a celebrity could keep the skeletons in their closet hidden a little easier.