McCarthy, 46, who co-hosted the 2019 Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve in New York, lead the countdown to midnight, donning a coat with what looked like a really huge round-shaped furry collar that almost completely hid her head.
This odd-looking garment took viewers in the US by surprise — and triggered somewhat unexpected associations.
"Why is Jenny McCarthy inside a polar bear's asshole?" another Twitterian inquired.
Others joked that the actress was wearing a pet cone or a "furry cone of shame", whatever that is.
The former Playmate's son was diagnosed with autism when he was just two years old; she later claimed that it was caused by vaccination. Some contended that McCarthy, who was also filmed reporting from a bubble in Times Square, was in fact protecting herself from vaccine-preventable diseases.