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 was 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 “Osmond mania” 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, who was born into stardom as her brothers were already famous by the time she was born.
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.”
Considering his background, it’s no surprise to learn that Donny is a keen family man — not only does he come from a large family, but his career was forged alongside his siblings. Married to his wife Debbie Osmond, Donny would go on to have a brood of boys himself, five to be exact!
For the past 25 years, Donny has commuted to his job as an entertainer in Los Angeles because he decided to settle down with his family in a place called Provo, Utah. Donny lived in the state growing up and always loved it, and now he is passing that passion onto his family. Keep reading to learn more about Donny’s family and the mid-west town they live in.
Donny Osmond, Debbie Osmond (2013), (Brian Ach/WireImage/Getty images)
Donny Osmond and his wife Debbie Osmond have been together for over 40 years. After meeting as teenagers, the pair dated for a few years before getting married in 1978. They then grew their family, eventually having five children together: Donald, who was born in July 1979, then Jeremy in June 1981, followed by Brandon in 1985, Christopher in 1990, and finally, Joshua in 1998.
In a Facebook post, as reported by Closer Weekly, Donny spoke about meeting Debbie when she was 15 years old, as she was the “hot babe cheerleader in town.” After dating his brother Jay Osmond first, Donny went on to win over Debbie’s heart, but he says it took him three years to do that. He reminisced:
“We’ve shared a wonderful life together. Debbie gave me five wonderful sons. We now have beautiful daughters-in-law.”
Now it was time for Donny to gush about his five sons on social media, which he did earlier this week. Posting to his Instagram page, Donny shared a picture of himself surrounded by his five boys, who are now all grown men.
Dressed up in suits and smiling widely to the camera, all of the Osmond men look just as handsome as each other. Donny captioned the photo:
“One of the best parts of being a father is getting to watch your children begin to learn the joy of fatherhood themselves. I couldn’t ask for better sons than these 5 wonderful men.”
A doting dad, Donny is clearly enamored with his family, and it’s truly heartwarming to see.
Speaking with Utah Valley 360, Donny said of his home in Provo Riverbottoms, “I’m just a neighbor to these people.” The star is grateful for that fact. He says his neighbors have shown great hospitality and welcomed him and his family like one of their own.
With the respect and privacy he gets from his community, Donny has felt that Provo is the perfect place to raise his sons. “In the crazy world of entertainment, it is so comforting to live with my family in an area where we can just be a family. I know some people recognize me, but they are extremely polite,” he shared.
Donny was born in Ogden, Utah, and lived in the state until he was 3-years-old. “Even though we lived in California, I always felt that Utah was my home,” the star recalled.
The entertainment industry requires a lot of moving around, and Donny felt it was important to settle down and raise his sons somewhere they could call home. He explained:
“We’ve lived in so many different places. And in addition to being a great influence for my children, I like Provo because even though it’s a smaller community than Los Angeles, for example, you get the feeling of a nice metropolitan area. And I love it. I appreciate the fact that I’m just a neighbor and can enjoy being a member of the community.”
Beginning in 1993, Donny started getting offers to play Joseph in the Salt Lake City production of “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat,” but he repeatedly turned them down. “I’ve always felt weird about performing for my neighbors,” Donny said. “After you perform, you can’t just leave town and not hear the reviews.”
The star eventually did play Joseph in Salt Lake City and said he regretted waiting so long. What do you think of Donny’s home in Provo? Let us know, and feel free to pass this on to the Donny Osmond fans in your life.
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