Donny Osmond opened up about raising his five sons in a rare comment for the legendary singer, who revealed the most important lesson that he imparted on the boys.
The 67-year-old sat down with former Tiger Beat editor Ann Moses decades after they first met, in a sweet reunion for the pair.
The next generation
When asked about his children, Donny shared that he and his wife Debbie encouraged them to make their own choices in life.
“I let them decide what they wanted to do, give them the choice,” he said in the interview. “And they’ve done a very good job with everything they’ve decided.”
“Debbie and I live by the principle, teach your children correct principles, and let them govern themselves,” he continued. “Don’t be a helicopter parent – and you have to be to a certain extent, a certain age – but at some point in time, let them fly out of the nest. But teach correct principles.”
© InstagramThe “Puppy Love” singer posted a snippet of the interview to Instagram and reiterated the lesson in his caption.
“Debbie and I raise our family hoping to instil morals and principles, those guys do the rest!” he wrote.
“So many years later, I can’t say how surprised and proud I am to have seen them take off on their own life journeys. Loved chatting with my friend, Ann Moses, about this.”
A talented brood
© Getty ImagesDonny and Debbie, who have been married for 47 years, share sons Don Jr., Jeremy, Brandon, Christopher and Joshua. Their eldest, Don Jr., runs his own business marketing firm and opted into the career in part due to his upbringing as the son of a celebrity.
“I was sick and tired of the media,” he told Spectrum in 2016. “I just had a lot of bad experiences. It ate at me. So I decided I’d go into PR and become the spin doctor of all spin doctors.”
Jeremy, 44, was a rebellious teen and was estranged from his family for several years before repairing the relationship with his parents.
© Getty Images“I think a lot of the rebellion came from the fact that he was my son – you know, this whole Osmond thing. He couldn’t stand the whole Osmond image,” Donny told The Guardian in 2001.
“When you are forced to be a certain thing, that’s why you want to rebel: ‘I don’t want to be pigeonholed, I don’t want to be just another Mormon Osmond,’ you know.”
“But in the end, he realized: ‘You know what, I don’t need to do this.’ He came back. And now he is serving a mission in Italy,” the star revealed at the time. Jeremy now works as a physical therapist.
Down to earth
© InstagramAs for his middle child, Brandon, he works at a design agency and keeps music as a hobby.
Christopher, 34, followed his dad into the entertainment industry and has released three singles throughout his career. He shared with Entertainment Weekly in 2023 that hailing from a famous family didn’t guarantee success in the music industry.
“I still got to work, I still got to put food on the table just like anybody else,” he told the outlet.
© WireImage“For us, we’re very fortunate to have that name. And to have an influence in this world for good,” Christopher later told Fox13. “But we still have to be super creative.”
As for Donny’s youngest, Joshua, the 27-year-old gained his business degree from Utah Valley University in 2016 and tied the knot with his childhood sweetheart amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former child star couldn’t have done it all without his beloved wife Debbie, whom he credited with keeping his “feet on the ground” throughout their decades-long marriage. “Debbie has given my life stability,” he told People.
To hear Donny’s incredible singing voice, watch below…
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