Donny And Marie Osmond On The Pressures Of Being Child Stars

Dec 02, 2020 by apost team

Being a child star has its perks—you get to travel, experience things your peers can’t even dream of, and already start earning money, but it also has its pitfalls. Two of the most famous child stars are siblings Donny and Marie Osmond.

The pair starred as a duo on stage and screen for many years, and were very successful, with a fanbase around the world. However, their success came at a price. We look at the pressures they faced growing up in the limelight.

Donny Osmond rose to fame when he joined his brothers’ band, The Osmonds, made up of Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, and Donny. During their peak between 1971 and 1975, the boy band were constantly top of the charts and created mass hysteria from fans wherever they went. Crowds of teenagers, often crying and screaming, would even end up chasing them. The phenomenon of “Osmondmania” was widespread, heightened by their clean-cut idol status due to their religious beliefs and wholesome lifestyle.

The Osmonds came from a large family, with eight brothers, Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, and Jimmy Osmond and one sister, Marie Osmond. With her brothers already famous before she was born, Marie Osmond was born into stardom. Marie Osmond first joined her brothers’ band when she was just four years old when she accompanied them on "The Andy Williams Show."

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When The Osmonds stopped producing music, Marie and Donny became a pop duo. They released the popular singles “Morning Side of the Mountain” and “I’m Leaving It All Up to You.” Their continued growth in popularity led them to front their own show in 1976 called “Donny & Marie.”

The pressure on the stars due to their full-on schedule and trying to maintain their perfect image was unavoidable. Marie Osmond was only 16 years old, and studying at the time of the peak of their fame, and Donny Osmond was trying to be the calm big brother, but at 17 years old, he was also struggling with the pressure of the primetime show. According to Pens & Patron, the pair often worked 20-hour-days and had to learn new songs and dance routines, as well as memorize multiple scripts.

It has become obvious that the anxiety they were exposed to as teens has had a lasting impact. Marie Osmond’s pressure came from being the only Osmond girl and needing to live up to brother Donny Osmond’s image.

“It hadn’t been easy growing up in the music industry in the ’70s – and for two reasons. Not only was I a girl, but I was [also] the only female Osmond. I felt a huge pressure on all sides,” she told the Daily Mail.

Marie’s weight in particular was a hot topic in the media, with a lot of pressure on staying thin. In a 2015 interview with Closer magazine Marie confessed:

“I was 103 pounds, and I had producers telling me I was fat—I got down to 90 pounds at one point. The head trips were intense. Food was becoming my enemy, and it should not be that way.”

Marie also released a book called “Behind the Smile” where she opens up about her postpartum depression.

She told The New York Post “I basically gave the baby to the babysitter, gave her the credit card, got in my car and just really felt that my kids would be better off if they did not have a mother.”

Donny Osmond also had his fair share of pressure. When rumors began circulating that he was dating in 1978, the popularity of the show began to wane. With Donny no longer an eligible bachelor, hearts around the world were broken.

It turned out that he was dating Debra Glenn, who he married in 1978. This incredibly happy moment for Donny Osmond ended up being the downfall of his career. His split from entertaining with his sister in the 80s to carve out solo careers left him with an uncool image, and he ended up disappearing from the public eye for almost a decade.

Despite the turbulent start to their careers, both Donny and Marie Osmond managed to have successful revivals through taking part in shows such as “Dancing with the Stars” and have put together their very own musical which tells the real story of The Osmonds. Through all the ups and downs, the siblings have stayed close, and haven’t let the pressure and traumas from the past beat them.

In 2015, Donny revealed to Closer: “I look back at my life as all these peaks and valleys, and “Donny & Marie” happens to be a peak. The bad times dissipate and you only remember the good. When I see those old clips, sometimes I cringe, but it still brings a nice big smile to my face.”

And that’s the most important message, as long as you have support from loved ones you can get through anything.

Share this story with anyone who needs a message of support and hope today and let us know your thoughts on this famous duo’s legacy.