The Wahlbergs are one of those families that we all know, but we aren’t sure how we know them. While the Kardashians are famous simply for being a celeb family, and Honey Boo Boo’s family is famous because of a reality TV show, the Wahlbergs seemed to fall into fame before all of those things.

Their reality TV show came well after the Wahlberg name was known, which makes us think that there’s definitely more going on than just good burgers. Oh, yeah, that’s the other thing: the Wahlberg’s TV show leads us to believe that they’re famous because of their restaurant/fast food chain. Turns out there’s a lot more going on than just some delicious buns. Their history is full of sketchy facts, which we’ve uncovered here.

20 Three Words: Marky Mark’s Past

Marky Mark, as Mark Wahlberg was known in the 80s/90s, was an iconic (and maybe hilarious) rapper that the world didn’t exactly ask for. The Daily Beast reminds us that there was a period of time where he rapped for a living, and actually, seriously dressed like this. While it’s not the worst secret, it’s definitely not something to be proud of.

19 His Brothers Were A Bad Influence

Ranker tells us that Mark Wahlberg's brothers definitely weren’t the bastions of support that they seem to be now. Mark Wahlberg’s brothers seemed to influence a lot of his decisions when it came to issues like using substances and making other unhealthy choices and poor decisions.

18 Which Lead To His Addiction

Unfortunately, Mark Wahlberg does credit much of his addiction to his brothers’ influence, as Ranker states. This is one of the most startling things about the Wahlberg family's past. Many of them had issues with substances, and, typically, they were quite young when their addictions started. Mark says that he was addicted by age 13!

17 Grief Really Impacted The Family

But not in the way that you think. Mama Wahlberg stuck by her children throughout their lives, which is why losing Mark's sister, Debbie Wahlberg, had such an impact on her. The grief affected her daily functioning and it seemed like nothing helped. ET Online tells us that it was the restaurant which finally helped her battle grief and depression.

16 Jail Time Has Happened

Who would have thought that there’d be so much darkness in the past of this food-loving family? Sure, we can see in some episodes that some of them have a temper, but they aren’t the biggest battlers. The Daily Beast tells us that Mark Wahlberg (as well as his siblings) has indeed spent time in jail, albeit for a very short time.

15 And For A Pretty Startling Reason

It’s gross to think about, but one of the things that we need to point out is just how serious some of these Wahlberg secrets are. For instance, the thing that landed Mark Wahlberg in jail was listed by The Daily Beast as being an attack/assault. Wahlberg beat a man with a stick...and for no reason other than hate.

14 Ella Wahlberg Has Some Strong Words For Dad

Is it any surprise, after hearing about some of these sketchy secrets, that the little Wahlbergs are starting to speak out? Yahoo News tells us that Ella has a particularly negative view of her father, after learning about some of his past actions. Honestly, we’re proud of her. She knows what’s right and wrong, and we hope she never holds back from pointing it out.

13 Madonna Isn’t A Fan Of The Wahlbergs 

Bless Madonna for growing more and more rational and bold as she gets older. While she’s stepped out of the spotlight a little bit now, back when her entourage would tour around, she and the Wahlbergs got into a bit of a thing. Yahoo News tells us that Marky Mark and the Madonna entourage got into a fight over a slur that Mark shouted at one of them.

12 Paul Has An ‘Assistant’

This might seem a little silly compared to some of the other secrets on this list, but we just have to ask. Paul has an assistant, and she’s been in several of the episodes. She’s not quite part of the family, but she has a little more clout than casual friend. What’s going on there? Is there a secret relationship happening? We’re just a little confused.

11 They Fall Into Cool Kid Mentality

Like brother, like… brother? It’s difficult to pin down why this particular group of bros all went bad at the same time. One theory we read discussed the idea of a “cool kid mentality” where we see all of them feeding off each other because of behavior that one of them deems “cool”. Things like smoking, or the addiction cycles that we talked about earlier...

10 And Kind Of Fell Into The Restaurant Business

Like, seriously, how did they go from jail time to burger flipping? The reality show documents their days owning and operating a chain of family restaurants, with an emphasis on good burgers and great times. The fact that they can do that kind of makes us wonder what money can’t buy.

9 Which Is Being Threatened By Mark’s Past

All that glitters isn't gold, though, since the restaurant doesn’t seem to be the saving grace it once was. According to Ranker, Mark Wahlberg’s jail time seems to be keeping him from getting expansion licenses in places that are stricter with their felony laws. He’s trying to get his crime pardoned, but honestly, good luck.

8 They’ve Done So Many Different Things

The family as a whole doesn’t seem to have a consistent thing that they’ve worked on. While Marky Mark and Donnie were both involved in the music business (Donnie being part of New Kids On The Block), the rest of the family has had a huge variety of career paths. This is unlike other famous families, who tend to stay in their wheelhouses (like the Kardashians and makeup).

7 People Have Called Their Brotherly Love ‘Dysfunctional’

Specifically, the Wahlberg brothers’ ex-business partners! Grubstreet attributes these former business partners with calling the Wahlberg’s out for being dysfunctional...and we can see it!

While they might not be influencing each other too negatively anymore, they certainly still irk each other and get into arguments. Luckily, there’s no more of the issues that plagued them in the past!

6 Calvin Klein Did A Number On Their Image

Or, at least, on Marky Mark’s image. Yahoo News reminds us that, after shifting out of his rapper phase, on the track to becoming a pretty famous actor, he was an underwear model. This level of fame is something that very few people achieve.

Wahlberg accepted a Calvin Klein modeling job, which pushed forward a different image: one that left NOTHING to the imagination.

5 So Have All The Lawsuits

Something that affected the family in a negative way? Gee, we don’t know...maybe it was all the lawsuits they’ve been involved with over the years. While it’s not unheard of for famous families to get into legal trouble, the Wahlbergs seem to have had a lot of it. The brothers’ past has had a lot of hate in it, which is part of the issue.

4 Including The One With Their Two Ex-Business Partners

Grubstreet gave us the inside scoop on this situation. If you thought the brotherly partnership was bad, imagine being a third-party partner with these guys! The business partners for Wahlburgers are upset for many reasons, including “a litany of misdeeds, from stealing their ideas, to threatening physical violence, to hoarding money."

3 Mark Rose To Fame As A Rapper

Sorry, but we just can’t get over this. The photos are ridiculous, and, while Donnie Wahlberg was part of a more iconic boy band group, Mark Wahlberg went off on his own path to become the icon known as Marky Mark. That’s not all, though. He was also part of the group that did the hit single, Good Vibrations.

2 Even The Tattoos Are Regretted At This Point

One of the things that Mark Wahlberg has been open about is how much he regrets his past. Honestly, we don’t blame him. This guy has done some questionable things, and the time has come for him to own up.

Part of his “repentance” is, as Daily Beast reports, getting all the tattoos removed, which he got during that period of his life.

1 They’re A Bunch Of Characters

All in all, the Wahlberg family are a bunch of characters. These ridiculous personalities blend to create one wild group, and the TV show is a perfect fit for them. The family has been through the wringer when it comes to jail time, trauma, and substance issues, and it’s no surprise that they’re now sticking together.

Sources: Grubstreet.com, Thedailybeast.com, Bostonmagazine.com, Ranker.com, Etcanada.com, Ca.news.yahoo.com, Hollywoodlife.com