Former teen idol Donny Osmond didn’t expect the harsh advice he got from Michael Jackson.
Appearing on The Adam Carolla Show, Osmond opens up about the career slump he experienced in the 1980s. Wanting to get back on top, he turned to Jackson, with whom he shared a bond thanks to having similar backgrounds in the industry.
“He said, ‘Your name’s poison, Donny. You gotta change your name,'” remembers Osmond, and it wasn’t the advice he was expecting from the “Thriller” star.
At the time, Osmond found what Jackson said “very offensive,” but soon realized the pop star was right due to the reality of his career at the time.
“The name Donny Osmond was a joke, years ago,” he admitted. “If you said you like Donny Osmond music, you were ousted.”
Osmond recalls a time when New York’s WPLJ radio station played the 1988 song, “Soldier of Love,” and it became a success among listeners. It soared on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and hit the No. 2 spot. Its success was thanks to the radio station not revealing the artist, Osmond.
“They did me a favor by not saying who I was, and it became a hit,” he explained.
The singer rose to fame as a member of The Osmunds, a family music group that gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s. They became known for their songs like “One Bad Apple” and “Crazy Horses.”
In the 1970s, Osmong did well in his solo career with “Away Little Girl” reaching No.1 on the Billboard charts. He was largely known for his clean-cut teen idol image and appeal among younger audiences.
Having had a similar career upbringing to Jackson, Osmond remembers, “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.'”
Osmond headline his solo show in Las Vegas, with performance through November 2025.
