Slideshow Osmond
Groucho Marx
Back in the 1970’s, the Osmonds took their talents to television. On the famous duo’s show, The Donny and Marie Show, famous guests would make appearances. Sadly, Marie Osmond remembers a traumatizing experience when the iconic Groucho Marx came on the show. Apparently, this older comedian would pinch Marie. Of course, this stayed with her and she later called him, “dirty old man.”
Groucho Marx
Succumbing To The Pressure
However, pinches were not the worse thing Marie Osmond dealt with at ABC. In fact, one producer told her he would cancel the show if she did not lose weight. Unfortunately, she succumbed the pressure and went from 103 pounds to 97 pounds at only 15 years old. While reflecting on this painful time for her, Marie said the producers referred to her as, “obese, disgusting and a disgrace to my family.” Thankfully, she made it past that horrible experience.
Succumbing To The Pressure
Tech Nerd
Actually, there may be one thing Donny Osmond enjoys more than singing and dancing…that’s technology! In fact, this star had a special video control room designed in the Flamingo of Las Vegas. In addition, he was responsible for all the backstage computer and audio systems. That’s not all, he also made video montages for his show at the moments he isn’t performing. After hearing all this, it may not surprise you that he calls himself a “total nerd” and especially with Mac.
Tech Nerd
Secret Abuse
If you want to hear more about Marie Osmond’s childhood, she explores even the most painful moments in her autobiography, Behind the Smile. Something that she revealed in the book was the, “most damaging, to be abused sexually.” Even now, years after, she has not even revealed an identity of the abuser. Though, she did say this person was not family or a close friend.
Secret Abuse
Charity Work
With such success, the Osmonds have always made it priority to give back with charity work. Of course, as devout Mormons, 10 percent of their income goes to their church. That money is used to help people across the globe. Then, Donny’s charity work is with the Osmond Foundation for the Children of the World. While Marie Osmond’s charity work tends to be with the Children’s Miracle Network.
Charity Work
Larger Than Life
Now, this is not just because he’s an icon that Donny has been called larger than life. It’s because his humongous ad of himself in Las Vegas that people joke around with him. Actually, when he has friends and family in Las Vegas, he always takes them near the Bellagio bridge to see the ad of him and Marie on the Flamingo’s side. Each eye is about seven feet wide!
Larger Than Life
It’s Donny!
Obviously, everyone has their own specific pet peeves. It just so happens that Donny Osmond hates when people spell his name wrong. Knowing this, the staff at the Flamingo played a joke on him and spelled it “Donnie” on his dressing room. Luckily, he was good-natured about the joke.
It’s Donny!
Dancing on Elevated Surfaces
Now, when we say Donny takes it to the next level, we are not joking! He’s famous for literally stepping up onto elevated surfaces. His sister Marie Osmond explained during an interview that when her brother gets really into his performance, he begins dancing on tables. Thus she needs to warn the audience, “Hold on to your beverage.”
Dancing On Elevated Surfaces
Typical Day
A usual day for Donny could sounds like this…he wakes at 6AM to take his son to the airport. Oh and we have to mention he’s probably only functioning on four hours of sleep. Then, his manager takes a call just before the star will try to get in a little more shut eye. Then, he goes for a Disney voice recording. Donny always tries to then work out before his show with Marie. Clearly, the routine is thrown off when he’s touring. However, he always tries to read on the tour bus. What a champion!
Typical Day
Weight Loss
Hey, it’s not just Donny Osmond who cares about his physical health! Marie Osmond lost 47 pounds when she was on Dancing with the Stars and performing in Las Vegas. She explained why it was so crucial, “I had to be healthy. Heart disease runs in my family.” Also her son told her, “Mom, you’re all we have.” Actually, her mother and grandmother died of heart disease, so her son wasn’t crazy to worry.
Weight Loss
Trimming Down
Well, Donny is also very health conscious. From the time the duo began at the Flamingo, Donny Osmond was able to trim his waist down two inches. Of course, that 90 minute performance helps with cardio! Let’s not forget his daily workout routine as well.
Trimming Down
Solo Careers
It wasn’t always Donny and Marie forever since the beginning. After enjoying the 70’s as a duo, they took time to develop solo careers in the next decade. Once Donny Osmond saw Vegas’ Flamingo, he phoned Marie and told her this could be the perfect reunion of their duo.
Solo Careers
Easing Tensions
Although fans were ecstatic to have the two back together, it wasn’t so easy for the Osmond siblings. It didn’t take long for Donny to see he no longer controlled the act as he had in the past. He said, “I’m dealing with somebody who is in control of her own career now.” Due to this shift, tensions ran high. Thus, they asked Barry Leather to not only be a director and choreographer, but help mediate any conflict and mend their work relationship.
Easing Tensions
Separating Work and Leisure
Clearly, things shifted over time and were not the same as their heyday in the 70’s. Nowadays, Donny and Marie rarely see each other when they’re not performing. Obviously, they still see each other a great deal on stage and with their dressing rooms being next to each other. However, Donny tries to be home with his family as much as he can during off time. At least the pair remain friendly! I mean, it’s hard working side by side for so many hours. No one faults them for wanting some private time!
Separating Work And Leisure
Strange Habit
Next up, we have to tell you about an odd habit Donny enjoys. During an interview, his sister Marie exposed him for licking salt. Marie said, “Donny licks the salt off pretzels before he eats them.” Maybe that isn’t the weirdest habit one could enjoy. His sister claims he has always done this. I guess we could live with that, as long as he never feeds us the desalted pretzels.
Strange Habit
Gold, Gold, Gold & More Gold
Did you realize the Osmonds went gold four times? It all begin in 1974 when they got the first gold for Leaving It All Up To You. Two years after, they got gold for Featuring Songs. Sadly, fans haven’t gotten an album for quite a few years. Maybe since the duo is still going strong, there’s some hope for an album in the future.
Gold, Gold, Gold & More Gold
Fashionista
Seriously, have you ever seen any one as glamorous as Marie? Who else could transform curlers and an apple into high fashion! Well, she’s had years of practice in the spotlight to practice. This star almost always has a Louis Vuitton by her side. She earned it!
Fashionista
Family First
Even though, Donny endured a rough childhood, he made the decision to raise a close-knit family. While he was peaking in his fame, he chose to marry Debra Glenn. Now, the two have five boys. When they’re not all on vacation, they’re usually together in church.
Family First
Broadway
Donny’s talents have graced not just the Vegas stages, but also New York’s Broadway stages! Actually, Donny had the leads for Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Little Johnny Jones. More recently, Donny Osmond played the part of Gaston for Beauty and the Beast. Of course, Donny Osmond was a natural in the theater.
Broadway
Unexpected Admirer
Wow, Donny Osmond really has fans everywhere. During his guest appearance on The Kumars at No. 42, he learned of a secret admirer. Turns out, Sanjeev Bhaskar’s wife dreamt of marrying Donny and converting to the Mormon religion when she was younger. Therefore, Sanjeev poked fun at his wife and told her to go through with her plan when he came on their TV show.
Unexpected Admirer
One Talented Voice
Honestly, what can’t Donny Osmond do? His voice isn’t just used for singing on stages…he also voices for animated films and shows. Donny sang “I’ll Make A Man Out of You” for the classic movie, Mulan. Of course, he voiced for The Osmonds back in 1972 and more recently, for Johnny Bravo.
One Talented Voice
Childhood Star
Unsurprisingly, the Osmonds did very well overseas and especially in the UK. In fact, the youngest Osmond brother, Jimmy had a number one single there when he was only 9 years old! Maybe you remember his song, “Long Haired Lover From Liverpool” (1972)? That record-shattering song made him the youngest singer to ever his number one in Britain. Jimmy spoke about his childhood saying, “The home I grew up in was a string of hotels across the world. I don’t remember my first home, which was somewhere in Los Angeles.” Growing up in the spotlight is not easy!
Childhood Star
Sibling Charity
See, this family always puts charity and others first. Perhaps, you didn’t know, but the oldest Osmonds are deaf. Sadly, the parents did not have enough money to get Tom and George Osmond the proper hearing aids. Therefore, the family began performing in order to raise money to help Tom and George. During these performances, the group used sign language, so their older brothers were always included. How endearing!
Sibling Charity
Packed Schedules
Clearly, the Osmonds did not enjoy your typical childhood. At 17 years old, when his peers began working after school jobs, Donny was working way more than the average hours of those peers. Marie and Donny at the time were working about 20 hours a day! I mean, they had a lot on their plate, such as, learning new songs, scripts and dance routines. Sadly, not everything they were exposed to at their age was completely appropriate.
Packed Schedules
Fear for Her Daughter
Marie Osmond really opened up in her book when talking about daughter Jessica. Her adopted daughter had come out of the closet. During an interview with Diane Sawyer, after Marie was named Person of the Year, she explained her reaction to Sawyer. She told Sawyer she cried when Jessica broke the news at age 17. Actually, her tears were because she feared Jessica would face judgement and hardship. She told Sawyer that after seeing LGBT friends of her deal with troubles, “I didn’t want that for my child.”
Fear For Her Daughter
Religious Devotion
Since he held his Mormon beliefs close and felt too young for certain activities, Donny chose to separate himself from many peers. Of course, the kids teased him for not having lots of girls or being down with rock and roll. However, Donny Osmond was able to stay clear from not just drugs and smoking, but even cursing. Yes, he also stayed celibate until marrying his wife. Reflecting back, Donny is proud of himself for saying no to peer pressure. Actually, he even advised Michael Jackson and Prince who came to him back then for counsel.
Religious Devotion
Reflections on Religion
Naturally, these devout Mormons always say they put God first. Donny also credits all his success to having faith in God. Also, he points to his family for their love and support. Between religion and family, Donny feels he was able to thrive. In a cut throat business like show business, he felt he needed something to help him over the years because, as he said, “You’re not naive growing up in this business. I grew up fast.”
Reflections On Religion
New Chapter
Over the years, Marie has had her fair share of battles. More recently, she feels she reached a new peace. Before, she had trouble maintaining normal childhood things like a dating life and friends. However, she does not regret her path. She said, “I don’t know that anyone’s life is perfect.” Obviously, she retains a positive outlook despite any troubles.
New Chapter
Famous Friends
Life in the spotlight often means friendships with fellow celebrities. King of Pop Michael Jackson was a close pal of Donny Osmond. One warm memory Donny has of MJ was after the AMAs. He asked Jackson if he was hungry, and before they knew it, they were in Donny’s limo eating tacos out of the sunroof, cruising down Sunset Boulevard. Wow, we wish we could have been there!
Famous Friends
Unfair Business
Sadly, not everything is fair when it comes to show business, especially when child stars are involved. Surely, Jimmy Osmond knows about this. Even though he broke records and was the youngest to hit number one in the UK, he never got a penny from his record’s million copies that sold! Even though Jimmy admitted it was not fair, things did change for him afterwards. Jimmy said, “We sold 100 million records, and the money we made on record sales is peanuts.” However, he did make his fortune eventually…
Unfair Business
Making Their Fortune
Actually, Jimmy Osmond made $80 million! Not too shabby. If not from record sales, then how? Well, he used his movies, TV shows, live shows and other business ventures to amass this fortune. With more money, he and his family were able to gain artist freedom and lead more than comfortable family lives.
Making Their Fortune
Special Request
Naturally, celebrities have specific requests and Marie is no exception. Whenever she’s interviewed or performing she needs the perfect lighting. Hey, it’s not that ridiculous like only yellow Starbursts or 150 red roses. It was her brother Donny who revealed that she requests a specific lighting. Well, we’ve heard a lot worse!
Special Request
Not A Diva
Again, this next request seems very reasonable. Surely, one cannot call Marie a diva. As she decided to sign on for the Vegas performances, she asked for only one thing. Marie needed a bigger dressing room so her family could comfortably fit. You see, before her shows her kids and even dogs come sit with her, and all in all, she needed room for around 15 or even 20 people. Now, that’s really not so bad.
Not A Diva
Passion For Cars
We all have our passions and Jimmy sure loves his cars. He enjoys collecting them. Perhaps, when he bought his first house at age 14, it was just thought of as one big storage space for cars. Here, Jimmy is standing with a DeLorean, which is similar to one he purchased years back in the 1980’s.
Passion For Cars
Mysterious Purple Socks
We’re here to dispel all those sock rumors! Why the bright purple socks, fans wondered. Many speculated Donny had either OCD or thought they were good luck. At last, Donny cleared up the confusion. Back in the day, his mom made each child have a certain color so she knew whose socks were whose. Therefore, purple was the color his mom gave him. Aw, too cute!
Mysterious Purple Socks
Tips From Lucille Ball
So as we said, if you grow up in the spotlight, you usually get to meet and sometimes befriend other celebrities. Amazingly, Marie Osmond had the chance to meet and chat with the iconic Lucille Ball. This happened when Marie appeared on Ball’s show. During their talking, Lucille Ball gave Marie crucial tips for lighting and makeup. Hm, maybe that’s why Marie Osmond is so particular with lighting!
Tips From Lucille Ball
Staying Clean
As we’ve emphasized, this family is true to their Mormon faith. However, that didn’t stop people from trying to steer Donny off that clean path. In fact, Donny told interviewers that one idea when Virgin Records signed him, as a favor to Peter Gabriel, was to get Donny implicated in a drug scandal. They thought this image would somehow boost his credibility. Apparently, his name wasn’t announced during any of his songs’ radio play, and they wanted to change that. Despite this, Donny stayed clean and away from drug scandals.
Staying Clean
His Brother’s Girlfriend
Perhaps, you did not know, but their song, “Could She Be Mine?” had a bit of reality to it! Rewind to 1975, Donny is dating someone named Tammy and his brother was dating Debbie. The four of them attended an Elton John show, and Donny looked over at Debbie during “Your Song.” At this moment, he knew, “I’m going to marry her someday.” Actually, after she turned him down two times, she decided to go out with Donny. Now, they’ve been married since 1978!
His Brother’s Girlfriend
Separating Work and Home
Apparently, Donny is completely different when he’s working versus when he’s at home. According to the star, he remains fully focused at work and naturally, he’s passionate about his work. Though, once he’s home he transforms into a dedicated family man. In fact, he isn’t one of those stars with a full staff cleaning his home and doing his chores. Actually, he’s his own electrician and overall, very handy.
Separating Work And Home
Nutrisystem Diet
So we previously mentioned Marie’s weight loss, but now to get to her weight loss plans… As she noticed she was going up in sizes, she chose to slim down for not just her career, but health. She began promoting weight loss plans with nutrisystem. However, we must remember during her promotion of that diet, she also was on Dancing with the Stars and performing with Donny. Therefore, we have to factor in those six hour daily practices and not to mention, her joining a running club. Moral of the story, exercise is crucial in weight loss plans.
Nutrisystem Diet
Donny’s Expansive Family
Of course, you now know a lot about the duo, but let’s get into Donny and his family. Together with wife Debbie, he had five sons: Donald Clark, Jr., Jeremy James, Brandon Michael, Christopher Glen and Joshua Davis. From the oldest to youngest, there’s an age gap of around 20 years. Jeremy, the second oldest son, married and his baby was the first grandchild for Donny and Debbie. Donald Jr. and Brandon married after Jeremy.
Donny’s Expansive Family
Helping New Mothers
Once Marie became a mother to her son Brandon, things were not right. Her sadness did not dissipate. What we know now is that she was suffering from postpartum depression. Now, she’s really open about this experience with depression. Marie actively encourages new moms to get help if they recognize symptoms themselves.
Helping New Mothers
Disneyland Roots
Now, here’s a fun fact about when the Osmonds first tried to get a deal. It was the day of their big meeting with record executives in Los Angeles, but the producer canceled the meeting. Thus, their dad took the group to Disneyland. There they encountered the Dapper Dan Disney barbershop quartet. The family joined them for a song and before they knew it, a crowd gathered. In the crowd was Disneyland’s guest relations director, Tommy Walker. He approached them and asked them to sing that night for Disney After Dark. Amazing!
Disneyland Roots
Almost Bankrupt
As we’ve alluded to, things were not always going well financially for the family. In 1975, things got very tight because their two albums were not selling well. Thus, they used The Donny and Marie Show to try and revive things. Sadly, the network canceled it. Then, they tried two studio albums to make up for that television set they built. Again, the two albums also sold poorly. Miraculously, the family repaid all their debts and just narrowly avoided declaring bankruptcy!
Almost Bankrupt
