Introduction:
They grew up as some of the worlds’ biggest teen idols and now, decades later, Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond are still two of the most beloved celebs in music showbiz. Although the brother-sister duo have transformed their careers to become worldwide superstars, there are still tons of facts you might not know about them.
The pair’s show, Donny & Marie, first aired back in 1976 and made them the youngest entertainers in TV history to host their own hit variety series. Fast-forward nearly 40 years, and Donny and Marie are juggling their lives as parents, siblings, spouses and entertainers.
The “Paper Roses” songstress and the Masked Singer alum have celebrated many career milestones together. Aside from starring on their variety show for two seasons until 1979, they went on to appear in Goin’ Coconuts, toured the country and much more.
In 2008, Marie and Donny announced a six-week residency in Las Vegas. However, their show ended up being so successful that they headlined at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino for over 11 years. At the time they announced they would be ending their residency for good in March 2019, fans were heartbroken.
Fortunately, the “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” singer insisted this wouldn’t be the last you would see of the sibling pair. “It’s the end of the Donny and Marie show,” he shared during their announcement on Good Morning America. “It’s not the end of Donny and Marie.”
The Talk alum echoed her brother’s sweet sentiment during an exclusive interview with Closer in October 2019. “There’s this thing called DNA that kind of like makes you close,” Marie joked at the time. “Donny and I, we have so much history together. I mean, we’re family.”
Whether or not Donny and Marie ever team up again in the future, they couldn’t feel more grateful to have been by each other’s side throughout their iconic run — even if they “never [saw] eye-to-eye.” For now, Donny is headlining his own solo residency at Harrah’s, which is expected to run until November 2022, while Marie is focusing on her music and acting career.
“We can finish each other’s sentences and we know what each other’s thinking, but we are very different people. That’s our chemistry,” the stunning TV host jokingly shared with Closer in January 2019. “[Donny] loves everything organized and structured, while I like to breathe within the structure of the show. I’m always throwing a curveball at him. He goes crazy and it makes me laugh so I keep doing it.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see 12 fun facts about Donny and Marie!
Marie Has Said Donny Is Her Favorite Person to Be on Stage With
Marie always has nothing but amazing things to say about her talented brother. “Of all the performers I’ve shared a stage with in my career, Donny has proved to be the most all-around gifted entertainer,” she has gushed.
Donny Says He Struggled With ‘Horrible’ Anxiety in the ’90s
By the time the ’90s rolled around, Donny had already been in showbiz for nearly two decades. Despite all his experience, the singer said he struggled with “horrible” anxiety when he started working on 1999’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
“‘I’m going to lose it again, now that I’ve gotten it back,’” the star remembered thinking at the time, he revealed during a September 2021 interview with Page Six. “And it tore me to pieces because I thought, you know, I tried to be perfect. Anytime I would make a mistake on stage, I would berate myself, and I was very hard on myself.”
Looking back on his childhood, Donny said he was “raised with the theory that you as an audience member paid good money for this ticket,” therefore, it was his “job” to put on a good show “so that ticket is worth the price of admission.”
Fortunately, he got some advice from colleague Steven Pimlott. “[He] said, ‘It’s not your job the make the audience happy. You just have to have the best time in your life, and the audience peeks into that world.’ And it changed the whole perspective,” Donny shared. “So when I’m onstage now, yes, you want to be cognizant of making sure the audience is enjoying themselves, but they’re going to enjoy themselves if you’re having a blast.”
Donny Used to Wear Purple Socks to Their Shows
And for good reason! The brown-haired hunk used to don purple socks during shows so that fans could look for the color as the siblings were on stage. “I stopped when I was about 21 or 22. My wife turned to me and said, ‘Come on, grow up, will you?’ But I do, for sentimental reasons, have a box in my basement of the original pairs of purple socks,” he told Tulsa World in 2015.
They Were Made Into ‘Donny & Marie’ Barbie Dolls
Donny and Marie were made into Barbie Dolls in the ’70s — which has to be one of the coolest things! Donny has also been turned into a cartoon character at least twice before. First, in Rankin-Bass’ Saturday morning series The Osmonds in 1972.
Unfortunately, Marie was not a part of the cartoon series as she hadn’t made her performing debut at that time. Donny was also once a recurring character in Johnny Bravo.
Donny and Marie Went Their Separate Ways in the Early ’80s
Donny and Marie stopped singing together in the early ’80s to reestablish their careers as individual artists. “We always knew that we’d come back together again,” Donny has said, adding, “and when I saw this room at the Flamingo, with the booths, I called Marie and said, ‘This is it. This is the old Las Vegas that we grew up in.’”
Marie Agreed to Their Vegas Residency on One Condition
After taking a decade-long hiatus from performing together, Marie and Donny announced they were reuniting in 2008 for a six-month run in Las Vegas. Funny enough, Marie only agreed to the gig on the condition that she got a larger dressing room than Donny!
“Hey, I have more children, and I live here. I need the space,” she once joked, defending her bigger space, before quipping, “But George Wallace’s is bigger than mine.”
Donny and Marie Each Have a Favorite Song to Perform
“I like performing in Vegas because it allows me to perform many different styles of music,” Marie once revealed to Blog Vegas in 2015. “But the one that I look forward to, that challenges me every night, is ‘Nessun Dorma.’” As for Donny, his favorite is “Moon River.” He dished, “Of all the songs I perform in the show, this one reminds me of where entertainment began for me.”
They Don’t See Each Other Much Outside of Shows
During the time they were performing in Las Vegas, their Flamingo dressing rooms were next door to each other — but Donny said he didn’t see much of his sister until showtime.
And when their sets were over, Donny always has one destination in mind. “When I have time off, and I’m not doing anything, I’d rather go home and see my wife and kids,” he has said.
They’ve Even Been Turned Into Wax Figures
Donny and Marie took their Las Vegas Residency to a whole new level when Madame Tussauds unveiled their wax figures inside The Donny & Marie Showroom at the Flamingo resort. “It’s amazing how real they look … I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have sister,” Marie said at the time, according to Madame Tussauds, to which Donny replied, “I have one sister and one is enough!”
Donny Has One Major Pet Peeve
One of Donny’s pet peeves is when people spell his name like “Donnie.” The spelling error bothers the singer so much that his backstage crew at the Flamingo in Las Vegas once spelled it the wrong way on the gold star on his dressing room door as a joke
Donny Can Name the Most Embarrassing Moment He’s Ever Had on Stage
“It was during Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, my loincloth came off. In Salt Lake City, of all cities,” Donny explained during a Q&A on Reddit in 2015. “I grabbed a basket and covered myself back up! But the ensemble, the cast, they were chasing me and pulled it off me!”
Marie Is the Only Daughter of 9 Osmond Children
Besides Donny, Marie is also the sister to her seven other brothers — Virl Osmond, Tom Osmond, Alan Osmond, Wayne Osmond, Merrill Osmond, Jay Osmond and Jimmy Osmond.
Thanks to growing up with the boys, Marie has learned to become a jokester over the years. “My mom said to me, ‘You’re Marie Osmond: Your M.O. is to keep (the Osmond brothers) all humble,’” she has shared.
Donny Has a Secret to His Long-Lasting Career With Marie
Donny says the secret to a having a long-lasting career with Marie is “not hanging out together all the time — and having our own separate careers,” he once told the Daily Mail.