Marie Osmond

Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959)<ref name="M Biography">Template:Cite web</ref> is an American singer, actress, television personality, author, and businesswoman. She is known for her girl-next-door image and her decades-long career in many different areas. Her musical career, primarily focused on country music, included a large number of chart singles with four reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Her 1973 cover of "Paper Roses," released when she was 14, made her the youngest female act with a number-one country single. Between 1985 and 1986, she also had number-one country singles with "Meet Me in Montana," "There's No Stopping Your Heart," and "You're Still New to Me." As a television personality, she has been a host of Donny & Marie (alongside brother Donny Osmond) and on The Talk. Her acting career includes appearances in television films and Broadway musicals; she has also written several books and helped found the Children's Miracle Network.

The eighth of nine children in the Osmond family, she made her television debut on The Andy Williams Show. At age 13, she established a career as a country recording artist. She began recording alongside her brother Donny, leading to the creation of their own syndicated variety show, which aired through 1979. In the early 1980s, the Osmond family lost most of its fortune, and Marie performed alongside her siblings. She also attempted to launch an acting career, experimenting with the variety show Marie. She then refocused her attention on the country genre and signed a contract with Capitol Records in 1985. Between 1985 and 1990, she had three number-one singles and released several albums, including There's No Stopping Your Heart (1985).

In the 1990s, Osmond established her own collection of dolls, which the QVC network sold. She made her Broadway debut in The King and I in 1994. Between 1998 and 2000, she reunited professionally with Donny for the network talk show Donny & Marie. During this period, she publicly spoke about her struggles with postpartum depression, later the focus of her book Behind the Smile: My Journey Out of Postpartum Depression. In 2004, she hosted her own radio series, entitled Marie & Friends and, in 2007, appeared in a season of Dancing with the Stars.

She and Donny reunited their act between 2008 and 2019 for a residency at the Flamingo hotel in Las Vegas. The show later produced an album of their duets in 2009. In 2010, she returned with the solo studio album I Can Do This. In 2016, her country album Music Is Medicine followed and then, in 2021, came her classical album, Unexpected. Osmond also co-hosted The Talk between 2019 and 2020. And she appeared in several Lifetime television films, such as The Christmas Edition in 2020.

Childhood

Olive Marie Osmond was born October 13, 1959, in Ogden, Utah, her father's 42nd birthday.<ref name="whitburn">Template:Cite book</ref> She was the eighth of nine children (and only daughter) born to Olive May and George Virl Osmond. Her brothers are Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny and Jimmy Osmond. She was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.<ref name="Biography">Template:Cite web</ref> Virl and Tom were both born deaf. Her remaining brothers began performing from an early age as a barbershop quartet and eventually found success on The Andy Williams Show in the 1960s.<ref name="People Biography">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Her brothers' success prompted the family to move to Los Angeles. In 1964, when Marie was four years old, she made her first televised appearance on The Andy Williams Show.<ref name="Biography"/>

Most of Marie's childhood was spent at home with her mother, along with Virl, Tom, Donny, and Jimmy.Template:Sfn Marie was closest to Donny during their childhood, and the pair often played together. "Donny and I were rambunctious playmates, who never gave our mother a moment to rest," Osmond recounted in her book Behind the Smile: My Journey Out of Postpartum Depression.Template:Sfn She also accompanied her brothers to concerts in her early childhood, often helping organize stage equipment and wardrobes.Template:Sfn When the family was home, they spent much of their free time singing and harmonizing with each other. "I never knew a day of my childhood life where music wasn't being played, practiced, written, or sung," she recalled in 2009.Template:Sfn

Music career

1973–1979: Teenage country music success and collaborations with Donny

By 1970, her brothers had formed their own group, The Osmonds. During this period, they rose to commercial stardom with a series of successful pop singles. It was then suggested that Marie could have her own music career.<ref name="allmusicbio">Template:Cite web</ref> She chose to market herself as a country music artist, explaining that it was the only genre that allowed women to have a family and career.<ref name="St. Louis">Template:Cite magazine</ref> As a preteen, she recorded a demo tape, singing Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors." Subsequently, Don Ovens of MGM Records heard it; impressed by her singing, he signed her to a solo recording contract with the label's Nashville division.<ref name="25 Hits">Template:Cite journal</ref>

A black-and-white photograph of Marie Osmond and her father.

Osmond and her father, 1974.

Ovens convinced country artist Sonny James to produce her first recording session. In June 1973, Osmond and her mother flew to Nashville, Tennessee where she recorded nine previously-memorized songs. Among the tracks was "Paper Roses," which would be released as her debut single in August 1973.<ref name="25 Hits"/> The song later reached the number-one spot on both the US country songs chart<ref name=Gutman>Template:Cite news</ref> and the Canadian country tracks chart.<ref name="RPM Country Songs">Template:Cite web</ref> The song also crossed over to the US Hot 100, peaking at number five<ref name="Hot 100">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and went to number two in the United Kingdom.<ref name="UK">Template:Cite web</ref> Osmond's debut studio album was released in September 1973 and topped the US country albums chart.<ref name="Country Albums">Template:Cite magazine</ref> At 14 years old,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> she became the youngest female country artist whose debut single hit number one in the US.<ref name="allmusicbio"/>

In 1974, Osmond's next solo single "In My Little Corner of the World" became a top-40 US country single. Then, in 1975, her "Who's Sorry Now"<ref name="Country Songs">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="RPM Country Songs"/> became a top-40 pop single in the US and Canada.<ref name="Hot 100"/><ref name="RPM Top Singles">Template:Cite web</ref> Two corresponding studio albums, named after Osmond's follow-up singles, rose to the US country chart in 1974 and 1975, respectively.<ref name="Country Albums"/>

By the early 1970s, Donny had established his own recording career, apart from his brothers' group.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1974, he was in the studio recording the song "I'm Leaving It All Up to You," but was having difficulty hitting its high notes. After Marie came in to sing harmony, the song began to launch the siblings' collaborative recording career.<ref name="St. Louis"/> With both receiving credit, the track reached number four on the US Hot 100,<ref name="DM Hot 100">Template:Cite magazine</ref> while reaching the top five in Canada,<ref name="DM RPM Top Singles">Template:Cite web</ref> The Netherlands,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ireland,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the UK.<ref name="UK"/> An album of the same name sold over 500,000 copies in the US and produced another international top-ten single, "Morning Side of the Mountain."<ref name="RIAA">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="DM Hot 100"/><ref name="UK"/> As a duo, Donny and Marie had five more US top 40 singles through 1978: "Deep Purple," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration," and "On the Shelf."<ref name="DM Hot 100"/>

From 1976 to 1979, the siblings hosted their own network variety show called Donny & Marie.<ref name="allmusicbio"/> The duo released three more studio albums with MGM during the show's run: Featuring Songs from Their Television Show (1976), New Season (1976), and Winning Combination.<ref name="DM Billboard 200">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Both of their 1976 studio albums certified as gold in the US after each had sold 500,000 copies.<ref name="RIAA"/> In 1977, Rick Hall produced Marie's next solo album, entitled This Is the Way That I Feel. Unlike her previous releases, it was collection of pop songs.<ref name="This Is the Way That I Feel">Template:Cite web</ref> Released on Polydor Records, This Is the Way That I Feel peaked at number 152 in the US<ref name="Billboard 200">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and its title track reached number 39 on the US Hot 100.<ref name="Hot 100"/>

1985–1995: Country music comeback in adulthood

Osmond returned to country music in the 1980s.<ref name="Sounds Like Nashville">Template:Cite web</ref> She was signed to Capitol Records by Nashville label-head Jim Foglesong.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Foglesong paired her with Dan Seals to record the duet "Meet Me in Montana".<ref name="Sounds Like Nashville"/> Released as a single in 1985, it became Osmond's second number one single on the US country chart,<ref name="Country Songs"/> and reached number 19 on Canada's country chart.<ref name="RPM Country Songs"/> Additionally, the song won the Vocal Duo of the Year accolade at the Country Music Association Awards.<ref name="Sounds Like Nashville"/> "Meet Me in Montana" was included on Osmond's first Capitol album There's No Stopping Your Heart (1985).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The album was praised by critics who found her well-suited to singing country pop material.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The disc's title track was chosen as the album's second single and ultimately became her first solo single since "Paper Roses" to reach number one on the US and Canadian country charts. Its third single "Read My Lips" reached the US and Canadian country top five in 1986.<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="RPM Country Songs"/>

Marie Osmond, wearing a yellow dress and singing into a microphone.

Singing on board the USS Ranger, during a special Suzanne Somers show, 1981

In 1986, Osmond was nominated by the Academy of Country Music for Top Female Vocalist and by the Grammy Awards for her duet with Dan Seals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Osmond, her husband and children then moved to Nashville to further her country career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Along with her four children, Osmond traveled the United States on a tour bus doing hundreds of shows a year. "It was a pretty good life, as long as you didn't mind scraping cow pie off your shoes once in a while," she later wrote in her 2009 memoir.Template:Sfn

Capitol released Osmond's next album in August 1986 I Only Wanted You. The disc was her second produced with Paul Worley in Nashville.<ref name="I Only Wanted You">Template:Cite journal</ref> Billboard praised its country pop production calling it "glowing".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Along with her previous project, I Only Wanted You made the top 20 of the US country albums chart.<ref name="Country Albums"/> The album featured a duet with Paul Davis called "You're Still New to Me".<ref name="I Only Wanted You"/> Although Davis had pitched her the song, it was Osmond's idea to record it as a duet with him.<ref name="Sounds Like Nashville"/> Released as a single, the Osmond-Davis duet topped the US and Canadian country charts in 1986. The album's title track was spawned as the disc's second single and reached the top 20 on both nation's country charts in 1987.<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="RPM Country Songs"/>

In July 1988, Osmond's next Capitol studio album All in Love was released. The disc's production was described by critics as "excessively sweet" and "slick".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It reached the top 30 of the US country albums chart.<ref name="Country Albums"/> Its three singles reached positions outside the US and Canadian country top 40: "Without a Trace", "Sweet Life" (another duet with Paul Davis) and "I'm in Love and He's in Dallas".<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="RPM Country Songs"/> Her final Capitol studio album was 1989's Steppin' Stone, which reached the US country albums top 70.<ref name="Country Albums"/> Critics took notice of the album's traditional country production compared to her previous projects.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Similar to her previous release, all three of its singles (the title track, "Slowly But Surely", "Let Me Be the First") failed to peak in positions inside the US and Canadian country top 40.<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="RPM Country Songs"/>

In 1990, Curb Records released Osmond's first compilation of greatest hits under the title The Best of Marie Osmond.<ref name="Best of Marie Osmond">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Thorny Roses">Template:Cite news</ref> The album contained some new recordings,<ref name="Thorny Roses"/> one of which was the single "Like a Hurricane". It reached number 57 on the US country songs chart in 1990.<ref name="Country Songs"/> Another new track was a re-recording of "Paper Roses", which Osmond remade due to the copyright challenges with including the original. Osmond brought in the song's original producer (Sonny James) and several of the original studio musicians to re-make the track.<ref name="Thorny Roses"/> In 1995, Osmond returned to the US country charts with the new Curb single "What Kind of Man (Walks on a Woman)".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Two previews of songs from an anticipated album were included in the single's release.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> However, Osmond ultimately chose to make a career change finding it challenging to balance family life with touring.Template:Sfn

2008–present: Las Vegas residency and return to music

A digital marquee, displaying pictures of Donny and Marie Osmond with the text "Donny & Marie, voted #1 3 years in a row".

Signage at the Flamingo Las Vegas, advertising Donny and Marie's residency.

Following Marie's success on Dancing With the Stars, she reunited with Donny for a week of shows at the MGM Grand Las Vegas in July 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That led to a six-week run at the Flamingo Las Vegas, which ultimately turned into an 11-year residency through November 2019.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The show had a total of 1730 performances, the most of any singing act in Las Vegas history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Flamingo Showroom was renamed the Donny & Marie Showroom from 2013 to 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The duo earned three of the Las Vegas Review-JournalTemplate:'s Best of Las Vegas Awards in 2012 including "Best Show", "Best All-Around Performer" (Donny & Marie), and "Best Singer".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Vegas show moved to Caesars Atlantic City for two weeks in August 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A new studio album by the duo titled Donny & Marie was released by MPCA in May 2011. It featured both covers and new material.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The album reached the top 30 in the US<ref name="DM Billboard 200"/> and number 41 in the UK.<ref name="UK"/>

As solo artist, Osmond's first studio album in nearly 20 years was released in 2007 titled Magic of Christmas. It was followed by I Can Do This in 2010, which featured hymns and spiritual material.<ref name="allmusicbio"/> It reached number 71 in the US.<ref name="Billboard 200"/> Following this, Osmond decided that she no longer wanted to record music. However, an instinctual revelation prompted her to return to it. "There was this voice saying ‘Marie, you should never let age define your music'," she told Sounds Like Nashville.<ref name="Sounds Like Nashville"/> In 2016, Osmond released her tenth studio album Music Is Medicine. It was her first studio album of country music since 1989's Steppin' Stone. Produced by Jason Deere, the project featured collaborations with Olivia Newton-John, Sisqo and Marty Ro (of Diamond Rio).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Music Is Medicine reached number ten on the US country chart, becoming Osmond's first solo album since Paper Roses to make the top ten list.<ref name="Country Albums"/> AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album three out of five stars and concluded, "Despite the ambitious cast of characters, it's music that's meant to soothe and comfort old friends, and it certainly succeeds in that regard."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2021, Osmond's next studio album was released titled Unexpected.<ref name="allmusicbio"/> The project was a collection of operatic and traditional pop music. Although fearful about recording an album of material outside her comfort zone, Osmond decided to "not be afraid of a new door opening". The album featured the Prague Symphony Orchestra and included a cover of "Nessun Dorma", a song she had been performing on stage for years.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Other tracks included show tunes like "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" and "On My Own".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Upon its release, Unexpected peaked at number six on the US classical albums chart<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and number one on the US classical crossover albums chart.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Voice and musical style

Osmond has a soprano vocal range. This was not discovered until she performed on Broadway in the 1990s and a vocal coach believed she could sing higher than she was aware of.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Osmond's music has been classified in the genres of country pop,<ref name="Women">Template:Cite book</ref> pop,<ref name="This Is the Way That I Feel"/> classical<ref name="Classical">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and opera.<ref name="Classical"/> In describing her wide range of musical styles, The Blade wrote, "To hear Marie Osmond’s voice is to hear more than a half century of American pop culture history."<ref name="Blade">Template:Cite news</ref> In describing the country pop era of her career, writers Robert K. Oermann and Mary A. Bufwack wrote, "Like the other country-pop crossover queens of her era, Marie had a patriotic, high-energy fashion conscious concert act that matched her upbeat pop-flavored tunes."<ref name="Women"/> When explaining her own musical styles, Osmond said, "Yes, I’m country; that’s what I chose to be, but it was very easy for me to sing pop because my brothers did. But as I have grown and I did Broadway and all different kinds of things, I fell in love with that style."<ref name="Blade"/>

Acting, radio, and television career

1976–1986: Donny & Marie and television breakthrough

A black-and-white photograph of Donny and Marie Osmond.

Donny and Marie Osmond in 1977

In 1976, programmer Fred Silverman offered Donny and Marie their own television variety series after seeing them perform on The Mike Douglas Show. The resulting show titled Donny & Marie aired on ABC beginning the same year. It was produced by Sid and Marty Krofft.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The show brought in an estimated 14 million viewers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On the program, the sibling duo sang and performed comedy sketches. The duo performed together, separately and with guest performers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Notably, the show also featured the Osmond brothers.<ref name="M Biography"/> The pair became known for one of the show's songs which featured the line, "I'm a little bit country and I'm a little bit rock and roll".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Donny & Marie show was considered by writers to showcase the siblings' "squeaky clean" and "family friendly" image.<ref name="M Biography"/><ref name="CBS Donny and Marie">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="WaPo Donny and Marie">Template:Cite news</ref> The siblings often worked 18-hour days learning scripts, changing into costumes and practicing choreography. Marie continued her schooling and was tutored on-set for three hours dailyTemplate:Sfn while also being expected to complete chores while she was home.<ref name="M Biography"/> Weighing 110 pounds, Marie was told by a producer to lose ten pounds or "the entire show would be canceled". Following the statement, her weight dropped to 93 pounds and she struggled to stay awake during rehearsals. Osmond continued to perform on the show, citing her responsibility to her family and her audience.Template:Sfn Donny and & Marie was later re-titled to The Osmond Family Hour and was canceled in May 1979.<ref name="M Biography"/>

In 1978, Donny and Marie debuted in their first feature film titled Goin' Coconuts. The film told the story of two siblings who are put in the center of criminal activity between two gangs while at a concert in Hawaii.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The film was considered a commercial failure at the box office when it was released in 1978.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Later that year, Marie appeared in the ABC television film The Gift of Love, which was based on the O. Henry story The Gift of the Magi. The film told the story of a newlywed couple and starred opposite Timothy Bottoms.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In the late 1970s, Marie was considered for the role of Sandy in the film version of Grease, later explaining that the original character was "not a nice girl" and "a lot edgier".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1978, Osmond starred in a sitcom pilot titled Marie. Although originally made for ABC, it did not make the new season schedule.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Between 1980 and 1981, Osmond briefly had her own variety show titled Marie.<ref name="M Biography"/> In the early 1980s, Osmond made acting appearances in more television films including I Married Wyatt Earp<ref name=azmarried1994>Template:Cite book</ref> and Rooster.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1984, she voiced the role of The Nursery Magic Fairy/Velveteen Rabbit in The Velveteen Rabbit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1982, she played her mother Olive in the television movie Side by Side: The True Story of the Osmond Family.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> She then hosted the television program Ripley's Believe It or Not! in 1985.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1994–2009: Broadway and return to television

Osmond focused her attention towards her recording career in the 1980s. She returned to acting in the 1990s when her touring schedule allowed her less time with her children. "I knew that I never wanted to have to choose between a child who needed me and a concert performance ever again. It was all the motivation I needed to make a life and a career change," she wrote in 2009.Template:Sfn Manager Karl Engemann arranged for Osmond to meet with the creators of a new touring production of The Sound of Music. The creators gave her more freedom to balance her family life and her career. Ultimately, she agreed to the lead role of Maria von Trapp.Template:Sfn She worked alongside vocal coach Barbara Smith Davis to retrain her voice for the role.Template:Sfn Between 1994 and 1995, she toured in the show's traveling production throughout the United States.<ref name="M Biography"/> Variety praised her performance, commenting, "Forget the misleadingly sappy posters: she is a more interesting Maria than that."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1997, Osmond starred as Anna Leonowens in The King and I. It was her debut performance on New York's Broadway stage.<ref name="Playbill">Template:Cite web</ref> The Los Angeles Times found Osmond's to be an "adequate Anna" but found "she falters in important ways".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Meanwhile Variety praised her vocal performance, writing, "Osmond's soprano has developed into a fine instrument".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

A head shot of Marie Osmond.

Osmond at the National Press Club, 2000.

In the middle 1990s, Osmond returned to television. In 1995, she starred as Julia Wallace in the ABC sitcom Maybe This Time. Osmond played a divorced mother who was also balancing an entertainment career. The show also featured Betty White who played the role of her mother.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After 18 episodes, the show was cancelled in February 1996.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> She was then approached by Dick Clark to re-launch the original Donny & Marie television program as a talk show. Although hesitant to work with her brother again, she ultimately agreed. Along with her husband and children, she moved to Los Angeles and she began filming the program.Template:Sfn In September 1998, Donny & Marie was launched on daytime television.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "Donny and Marie Osmond don’t seem much different from their days as the clean-cut teenage siblings on the ‘70s ABC musical-variety series, 'Donny and Marie'," wrote Susan King of the Los Angeles Times.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The duo taped one-hour programs six times a week, with six segments in each program.Template:Sfn After two seasons, the talk show was canceled due to "poor ratings".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1999, Donny and Marie co-hosted the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. From co-hosting, she became the first female host to announce the winner of the pageant.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2004, Osmond hosted a five-hour radio show on the weekdays titled Marie and Friends. The show included conversations with guests and played current adult contemporary music. Primarily the show was geared towards women, with Osmond commenting, "I'm looking forward to healthy adult conversation with women my own age!"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The show was aired in the mid-western and western United States, primarily in Utah, Idaho, Washington state and California.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2006, Osmond was cast as a judge on the Simon Cowell-created television competition Celebrity Duets. The show paired non-singing celebrities with professional musicians for duet performances.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Duets">Template:Cite magazine</ref> "Marie Osmond acting as a cogent adviser is about the most impressive element in 'Celebrity Duets'," wrote Phil Gallo of Variety.<ref name="Duets"/> The same year it was reported by Entertainment Tonight magazine that she would join the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful soap opera but scheduling conflicts prevented this from happening at the time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In August 2007, Osmond was cast on Dancing with the Stars alongside Jane Seymour and Wayne Newton.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The ballroom dancing program paired celebrities with professional dancers for weekly live competitions. In her 2009 autobiography, Osmond wrote that she "didn't know how to dance" and at one point had to "crawl up the stairs" to her bedroom because her muscles were so sore following rehearsals.Template:Sfn Two months into the show, she began experiencing breathing difficulties and fainted on air during an episode. She was medically evaluated and was reportedly "fine" following the collapse.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She continued performing on the show until being eliminated in November 2007. She ultimately placed in third.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2009, Osmond was given the opportunity to host her own talk show but due to economic challenges in the US at the time, the show was not aired.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

2010–present: Marie, The Talk and further television roles

The Donny and Marie duo produced a holiday musical called Donny & MarieTemplate:SndsA Broadway Christmas, which was originally scheduled to play on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre from December 9–19, 2010. The show was then extended through December 30, 2010, and again to January 2, 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the early 2010s, Emmy Awards producer David McKenzie re-approached Osmond about hosting her own talk show. She agreed<ref name="Marie talk show">Template:Cite news</ref> and in 2012, it was announced that she would have her own talk show on the Hallmark Channel titled Marie. The program replaced The Martha Stewart Show which ran during the same time of the day. Osmond's program featured guests who discussed social issues and provided lifestyle advice.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Specifically, the talk show featured Osmond performing, along with specific advice on cooking and fashion.<ref name=AZFamily>Template:Cite news</ref> The show debuted in late 2012 featuring Betty White as her first guest.<ref name="Marie talk show"/> "She’s nothing but a cordial host, as if she was speaking and entertaining her guests – and her viewers – in the intimacy of her own home," wrote Media Village.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2013, Hallmark cancelled the show after one season of being aired, stating that the channel already had too many talk show offerings. A proposal to air the talk show on another network was in the works.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

After leaving the Hallmark Channel, Osmond became a regular fill-in co-host on the CBS daytime show The Talk. She guest-hosted for a total of 40 times.<ref name="The Talk">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She was then approached by the head of CBS daytime television to become an official co-host.<ref name="The Talk"/> In 2019, Osmond was announced as the official replacement for Sara Gilbert on The Talk, co-hosting alongside Sheryl Underwood, Carrie Ann Inaba, Sharon Osbourne and Eve. "I am thrilled to now call this my day job," she told People magazine.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In September 2020, Osmond departed the show after one season, citing a focus on family and other television opportunities. Osmond left at the same time that producer John Redmann departed the show and it was announced that the pair would collaborate in other television opportunities.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Following her departure, Osmond acted in several television films. In 2019, she played Cassie, a Nashville singer, in the Lifetime film The Road Home for Christmas. Her co-stars included Rob Mayes and Marla Sokoloff.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2020, she co-starred in a second Lifetime television film with Carly Hughes called The Christmas Edition.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021, Osmond co-starred in a third Lifetime television film titled A Fiancé for Christmas, which told the story of a single woman who makes a fake wedding registry and ultimately finds love in unexpected places.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Digital Journal praised Osmond's performance as the character of Margaret, calling her "fabulous".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The same year, Osmond appeared on an episode of Fantasy Island as Shaye Fury, a fictional country singer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2023, she made an appearance on the show The Bold and the Beautiful.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Business career

Children's Miracle Network

Osmond was inspired to help sick children after watching how her deaf siblings struggled learning to speak and communicate. Her parents also encouraged her to help support individuals in need. "My parents strongly believed that philanthropy was not only something we could do in our spare time but something that was to be part of our weekly schedule," she recalled.Template:Sfn In 1981, Osmond and her brothers were hosting actor John Schneider at their home. Both Schneider and Osmond had a passion for helping sick children.Template:Sfn The result was the pair co-founding the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.Template:Sfn The organization provides funds to sick children and their donations are given to hospitals across the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since its creation, the organization has been said to have raised $7 billion dollars for children.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Osmond has collaborated and met with hundreds of families since its creationTemplate:Sfn and is part of the program's annual broadcast to raise funds.Template:Sfn "I’m grateful that Children’s Miracle Network has given families access to financial and emotional support, technology, and the best research available, so they don’t have to figure it out on their own the way my mother did," she wrote in 2009.Template:Sfn

Doll business

Osmond and her mother started collecting dolls as a young child. In each city her family would tour in, they would purchase a doll as a souvenir.Template:Sfn During her free time, Osmond started sculpting her own dolls in adulthood. Ultimately, it turned into a business in 1990 titled Marie Osmond Fine Porcelain Dolls. Osmond's dolls were also sold at Wal-Mart retailers starting at $29. Other dolls were sold in prices between $65 and $2000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She also debuted her doll collection on the QVC network during this period. Among her most notable was the Olive May doll, based on her own mother.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The doll later set a collectible record on QVC, selling three million dolls in less than 15 minutes.Template:Sfn A total of 40 dolls in six different series comprised the original porcelain collection. They were titled: Victoriana Collection, Classic Reproductions, Children of the World, Children of All Ages and Miracle Children (in reference to Children's Miracle Network).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2001, Osmond claimed that she had designed an estimated 550 different dolls.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to her official website, Osmond is now "retired" from the doll-making industry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Nutrisystem

In the 2000s, Osmond had gained roughly 40 pounds (18 kg). When her mother suffered a stroke, she told her daughter, "Marie, don't do what I did. Take care of yourself."Template:Sfn In 2007, she chose to make a change to her lifestyle and physical wellness after her children became increasingly worried about her weight. "If I didn't feel a sense of urgency to do something for myself, I need to do it for my own children," she wrote in her autobiography.Template:Sfn The same year, Osmond found the Nutrisystem program and she lost a total of 50 pounds (23 kg). She reportedly went from being a size 14 to a size four. Osmond then became a spokesperson for the brand shortly after losing the weight.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On Nutrisystems's official website, Osmond is listed under their category labeled "success stories" where she explains her journey with the program.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She has since created a program through the company called "Complete 50" for women age 50 and older.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Writing career

Osmond is the author of four books, three of which have made The New York Times Best Seller list.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her first was 2001's Behind the Smile: My Journey Out of Postpartum Depression. It was co-written with Marcia Wilkie and Osmond's physician Dr. Judith Moore.Template:Sfn The book described how Osmond suffered from postpartum depression following the birth of her child in the late 1990s. Her hope was that giving voice to postpartum depression would inspire other women take action of their own mental health.<ref name="Book1">Template:Cite news</ref> Ability magazine positively remarked that the book "candidly discloses her experience" with postpartum depression.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The book made Osmond the first celebrity to speak openly about postpartum depression.<ref name="The Talk"/>

Osmond and Marcia Wilkie then co-authored a second book in 2009 titled Might as Well Laugh About It Now.Template:Sfn The memoir discussed highlights and memories from her life. "I really wanted to put some things down that were really meaningful to me. It’s really about attitude ... you can either let life get you down or you can laugh about it," she told the San Diego Union-Tribune.<ref name="Book2">Template:Cite news</ref> Along with positive memories, Osmond also described some challenging points in her life.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Deseret News called the book both "funny" and "moving". "The book is easy to read and is written in a conversational tone that makes the reader feel as though Osmond is a friend retelling stories from her life instead of a distant celebrity," highlighted Emiley Morgan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Osmond wrote two books in the 2010s decade. In 2010, she penned a book of handcrafted project designs called Marie Osmond's Heartfelt Giving: Sew and Quilt for Family and Friends,<ref name="Book3">Template:Cite web</ref> (Martingale & Company).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The "how-to" book gave step-by-step instructions of crafts people can make using a sewing machine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2013, Osmond's third book was released titled The Key Is Love. The book consisted of anecdotes from her personal life, many of which circled back to her own mother. Osmond notably talked about her son's death in the book.<ref name="book4">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Public image

Along with her siblings, Osmond's public image has been described as being "squeaky clean".<ref name="Image">Template:Cite news</ref> She has also been described as the "girl next door".<ref name="CBS Donny and Marie"/> When describing her image, the News & Record wrote, "Maybe Marie Osmond needs to get in a brawl in a cool L.A. club, snatch up a Sharon Stone-type film role or start hanging out with Madonna in Miami."<ref name="Image 2">Template:Cite news</ref> The Washington Post explained that the Osmond family were "squeaky-clean Mormons who, by all accounts, never indulged in the better-known temptations of showbiz."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At one point, she was offered $5 million to appear in Playboy magazine. But she declined, later saying, "I could have used [the money]. I wouldn't want to see my mom like that, and I really wanted to be a mom."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In describing her own public image, Osmond commented, "Those people [reviewers] probably still see a naive little girl in their minds. I have to laugh at people like that because you cannot grow up in the business and not see everything and then some. The reviewers can stay back in that time, but I'm moving forward."<ref name="Image 2"/>

Personal life

Relationships, marriages, and children

Osmond was briefly engaged to acting student Jeff Crayton in May 1979. However, they broke their engagement two months later.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She also dated singer Andy Gibb around the same time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1981, she briefly dated John Schneider.Template:Sfn

Osmond has been married three times, including twice to the same spouse.<ref name="Steve Craig">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1982, she wed her first husband, Stephen Lyle Craig,<ref name="Steve Craig 2">Template:Cite news</ref> then a basketball player for Brigham Young University.Template:Sfn Their first child, Stephen James Craig, was born in 1983. The couple divorced in 1985.<ref name="Steve Craig"/> "Steve and I had made several attempts to go back and make our very young marriage work, but it failed. I was being scrutinized in the tabloids and the paparazzi seemed to show up wherever I went. I was emotionally exhausted," she wrote in her autobiography.Template:Sfn In 1986, she married record producer Brian Blosil in a private ceremony with her family in attendance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Osmond was drawn to Blosil's "dry sense of humor" after meeting him at a family party.Template:Sfn Osmond and Blosil had seven children, five of whom were adopted. Their two biological children are Rachael and Matthew. Their five adopted children are Jessica, Michael, Brandon, Brianna, and Abigail.<ref name="div">Template:Cite news</ref> After 21 years of marriage, the couple divorced in 2007.<ref name="Steve Craig"/> Both parties released a joint statement stating that neither one assigned fault for the divorce.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Following her second divorce, Osmond said she "never wanted to be married again".<ref name="Steve Craig"/> Despite this, she and her former husband Steve Craig reunited after their son arranged a meeting.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> They rekindled their relationship and secretly dated for two years before revealing it publicly. "I didn't want anybody to get hurt, you know if it didn't work out. And gosh, it just worked out," Osmond said.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The couple remarried on May 4, 2011, in a private ceremony at the Las Vegas Mormon Temple<ref name="Steve Craig"/> with the bride wearing her dress from their original wedding in 1982.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A few months later, the newly remarried couple attended their son's wedding.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "The thing about a second marriage is that you realize things you thought were so important aren't. I love being with my husband. He is the sweetest man I know. He lives to serve and really listens to people's needs," she told People magazine.<ref name="Steve Craig"/>

Osmond's daughter, Jessica, is lesbian. In an interview, Osmond commented, "I know how I love my children and I know God loves all of his children as a father. I pray for everyone to use their lives to be happy and feel accomplished. That is what this life is for."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In March 2020, Osmond stated that she will leave her fortune to charity upon her death, stating that it would be a disservice to her children to leave the money to them, and noting that they need to make their own money.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal setbacks and challenges

In 1976, Karl Engemann began managing the recording careers of Donny, Marie, Jimmy, and the Osmond Brothers group. He was appointed personal manager at various career stages of all the Osmond children three years later, and eventually only of Marie. In December 2009, Marie parted company with Karl Engemann.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Osmond and her law firm wrote that Engemann made "repeated defamatory and derogatory comments to third parties, multiple breaches of fiduciary duties, entering into unauthorized commitments, seeking to obtain monies outside the purview of the management agreement and other violations of his obligations."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Template:Quote box

In 1999, Osmond publicly spoke about her battle with postpartum depression after giving birth to her son Matthew.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She spoke in detail about her challenges in her 2001 book Behind the Smile.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the book, she explained that it felt "much darker" than the baby blues and that she was "fading away minute by minute".Template:Sfn Osmond started experiencing panic attacks,Template:Sfn fatigue,Template:Sfn neck pain (which resulted in a hospital visit)Template:Sfn and suicidal ideations.Template:Sfn In one instance, she drove miles up California's Pacific Coast Highway leaving her children in the care of two nannies, who did not know where she was going.Template:Sfn She then received a call from her husband, who convinced her to pull off the highway and check into a hotel.Template:Sfn She then began receiving natural healing treatments through physician Dr. Judith Moore.Template:Sfn Osmond found that both medication and therapeutic mind-body work ultimately lifted her depression.Template:Sfn After discussing postpartum depression on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Osmond said that she received "thousands of emails and handwritten letters" from people about their own struggles with the disorder.Template:Sfn

Osmond also revealed in her 2001 book that she had been sexually abused in her youth, though she did not publicly disclose the identity of her abuser.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She believed that the abuse later led to her struggles with postpartum depression. "In my life, the normally positive quality of putting others first resulted in long-term negative effects because it was out of balance," she wrote.Template:Sfn She later revealed that her childhood abuse also resulted in developing body dysmorphia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In August 2006, several U.S. tabloids suggested that she had attempted suicide. Her publicity team denied it, claiming she had suffered an adverse reaction to a medication she was taking.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On February 26, 2010, Osmond's adopted son Michael died by suicide, jumping off an eighth-floor balcony.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He reportedly battled depression and addiction, and had been in rehabilitation at the age of 12.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was also bullied from a young age.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Osmond wrote in her 2013 book The Key Is Love that he had been "emotionally down" in the weeks prior to his suicide.<ref name="The Key Is Love">Template:Cite book</ref> Osmond later revealed that she had missed a phone call from her son shortly before his death<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> because she was onstage in Las Vegas.<ref name="The Key Is Love"/> An autopsy found no drugs in his system.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Osmond returned to work two weeks following her son's death. "The stage is my safe place. It doesn't scare me like it scares people. And I knew if I didn't get back onstage I may never get back onstage."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Discography

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Solo studio albums

• Paper Roses (1973)
• In My Little Corner of the World (1974)
• Who's Sorry Now (1975)
• This Is the Way That I Feel (1977)
• There's No Stopping Your Heart (1985)
• I Only Wanted You (1986)
• All in Love (1988)
• Steppin' Stone (1989)
• I Can Do This (2010)
• Music Is Medicine (2016)
• Unexpected (2021)

Template:Col-2 Donny and Marie studio albums

• I'm Leaving It All Up to You (1974)
• Make the World Go Away (1975)
• Featuring Songs from Their Television Show (1976)
• New Season (1976)
• Winning Combination (1977)
• A Broadway Christmas (2010)
• Donny & Marie (2011)

Filmography

Films

• Hugo the Hippo (1975)
• The Gift of Love (1978)
• Goin' Coconuts (1978)
• The Velveteen Rabbit (1984)
• Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night (1998)
• O Christmas Tree (1999)

Books

• Behind the Smile: My Journey Out of Postpartum Depression (2001) Template:Small<ref name="Book1"/>
• Might as Well Laugh About It Now (2009) Template:Small<ref name="Book2"/>
• Marie Osmond's Heartfelt Giving: Sew and Quilt for Family and Friends (2010)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• The Key Is Love: My Mother's Wisdom, A Daughter's Gratitude (2013) Template:Small<ref name="book4"/>

Awards and nominations

Marie Osmond has received several awards and nominations, notably from the Academy of Country Music,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Country Music Association,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Grammy Awards<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Daytime Emmy Awards.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

References

Books

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book

External links

• Marie Osmond Official website
• Template:IMDb name
• Template:IBDB name
• Marie Osmond Getting Divorced – People magazine, March 30, 2007
• BBC News, Marie Osmond sings Paper Roses for Kilmarnock fans, 1 February 2013