Evan Joseph Asher Biography

Jenny McCarthy met John Mallory Asher toward the end of 1998, while filming the comedy film Diamonds. The two got engaged in January the following year. On September 11, 1999, they walked the aisle.

Evan Joseph Asher was born on May 18, 2002. He has two stepsiblings, namely, Xavier Wahlberg and Elijah Wahlberg, who are the children of his stepfather, Donnie Wahlberg, and his former wife.

In the spring of 2004, he showed the early symptoms of autism. Evan Joseph Asher was a little over 2 years old when he had his first seizure. At that time, Evan’s parents were living together. A team of paramedics arrived shortly and diagnosed Evan with epilepsy. Unfortunately, the treatment worsened his condition. Evan began having seizures more frequently.

Additionally, he is speech impaired. Jenny eventually took Evan Joseph Asher to a neurologist at the UCLA in 2005. The Autism Evaluation Clinic at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital first diagnosed Evan’s autism. His situation was later confirmed by the State of California (through their Regional Center). Evan’s mental growth lagged behind by a couple of years.

At the same time, Jenny was struggling with her dysfunctional marriage with John. They got divorced the same year. In 2007, Jenny revealed Evan’s autism to the media. She also spoke about the alternative methods she had adopted to improve Evan’s condition and explained that they were not supported by the scientific community. Jenny even blamed measles/mumps/rubella vaccines for her son’s condition and later became an advocate for the anti-vaccine and "autism biomed" movements. Her theory that vaccines cause autism was later rejected by the National Institute of Mental Health.

As soon as Jenny Jenny McCarthy came to know about Evan Joseph Asher’s medical condition, she began her research on autism and the ways to take care of an autistic child. She once came to know that Evan was bullied at his summer camp. However, she was happy to realize that his son was unaware of the fact because of autism. He did not understand the term “bully” back then. However, she was also disheartened to realize that Evan believed his bullies were actually his friends. Evan was able to sing an entire Dave Matthews song with perfect lyrics. However, he had difficulty with “original” speech.

Jenny began treating Evan with intensive applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy, which included chelation, hyperbaric oxygen chambers, electromagnetics, spoons rubbing on the body, and numerous prescribed drugs. She changed his diet to gluten- and casein-free diet. Jenny additionally tried aromatherapies, multivitamin therapy, and B-12 shots for Evan.

Jenny also reached out to the UCLA Center for Autism Research & Treatment'(CART) program to treat Evan. The program had a massively positive effect on him. A few sessions later, Evan was able to construct six-word sentences and had learned the usage of “yes” and “no.” By the time the program ended, he was displaying his friendly nature. Jenny then arranged Evan’s therapy sessions at home, which majorly disturbed her financial structure. Amidst his therapies, Evan was treated for yeast in his intestines.

Evan Joseph Asher showed mental and emotional improvement for the first time when he laughed at an abstract joke. Over the years and through several medical and non-medical treatments, he showed further improvement. Evan delivered a short speech at his mother’s wedding on August 31, 2014, when she walked the aisle with singer and actor Donnie Wahlberg.

Being a mother of an autistic child, Jenny McCarthy has become more sensitive toward the condition. She has authored a few books through which she has chronicled her journey with Evan and autism. She has also been associated with a few organizations that work to promote autism awareness.

Evan’s father has also contributed to promote autism awareness. However, his inability to handle his son’s condition was the prime reason for his divorce. The 2016 film A Boy Called Po, directed by John Mallory Asher, was based on his relationship with Evan. Through the film, John endeavored to bring positivity and acceptance toward autism.

Evan Joseph Asher likes watching movies. However, he does not like movies featuring real people. Evan's favorites are animated films, as he knows that the animated characters are not real. Evan began swimming when he was a little over 2 years of age, and by 3, he had become a thorough swimmer.

While growing up, Evan was fascinated with door hinges, and his mother thought he would become a mechanic. Evan’s parents believed that the fast-paced life in California was not suitable for an autistic child. Evan thus moved to a tiny Chicago suburb called Geneva, where he made many friends. Evan is no different from a non-autistic child when it comes to making friends. He has a vast group of friends in Chicago, whom he calls ‘The Goonies’. Evan’s social interaction helped him in his improvement.

In 2013, Evan exhibited his decision-making skills, which thrilled his mother. Jenny joined the TV show The View and had to stay in New York. Evan firmly decided to stay back in Chicago and be with his girlfriends. He, however, later moved to New York. His behavior remained the same, which was a sure sign of improvement. The same year, Evan launched his collaborative YouTube channel, Gaming USA. He also owns an individual Instagram account.

Evan now lives with Jenny and his stepfather, Donnie.