Donny Osmond ‘Never Wanted’ to ‘Disappoint’ His Father While Performing in Family Band

Donny Osmond found superstardom at a young age as a member of the musical group The Osmonds. But behind the mega-successful band was the influence of family patriarch George Osmond.

“The work ethic my father instilled in us was second to none,” Donny, 66, recalled in MTV Entertainment Studios’ Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands documentary. “I remember as a tiny little kid, my brothers in front of that piano playing and learning the parts and harmonizing to where it was perfect. My dad was an army sergeant and so that kind of infiltrated how he raised us. I never wanted to disappoint my father.”

Even when the group, which consisted of siblings Donny, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay and Jimmy, landed a hit, they were still pushed to keep grinding.

“When we hit big, my father said, ‘Back in the rehearsal hall. Learn a new number. Keep this engine going,'” the “Puppy Love” singer explained. “I think having a very strong father figure was very important for our success, however it can go a little overboard.”

Donny compared his experience in a popular band as a child to the experience of Michael Jackson and his brothers, who performed as the Jackson 5.

“If you look at the Osmonds and the Jackson 5, the comparisons of the two families are just uncanny,” the Dancing With the Stars winner explained. “There are nine children in each family. Mike and I are both the seventh child of nine. Our mothers’ birthdays are on the same day. Michael and I are the same age.”

Witnessing the rise of boy bands in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Donny made a major revelation about his career.

“You look at the dangers of show business in general, whether you’re a single artist or a boyband, I don’t know if I could have been able to survive show business if I didn’t have my family,” he explained.

For Donny, spending time with Michael gave him the opportunity to bond with someone who was going through the same path of stardom as he was.

“We would get together and just laugh and reminisce about the comparisons and the similarities,” Donny said. “Michael said something to me one day and he said, ‘Donny, you’re the only person on this planet that knows what my childhood is like.'”

This wasn’t the first time Donny publicly opened up about his friendship with Michael. He remembered his final conversation with the “Billie Jean” singer before his death on June 25, 2009, at age 50.

“I said, ‘Mike, where are you?’ He says, ‘I can’t tell you.’ I said, ‘Mike, come on. You’re talking to me. Where are you?’ He said, ‘Please don’t tell anybody, but I’m in Phoenix. I rented a tour bus and I got my kids and we drove to Phoenix and I’m in hiding right now,” Donny recalled in a February 2022 interview with Page Six.

“I said, ‘It’s a nine-hour drive to my home in Utah,” he added. “’I want your kids to go swimming with my kids. You’re going to have a wonderful conversation with my wife and myself. And I’m going to bring some normalcy into your life.’”

“And he said, ‘I really need that right now.’ But he never took me up on it,” Donny said.

Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands is out now on Paramount+.