Introduction
Donny Osmond is famous for his incredible career as a singer and performer, but he’s also a dad to five boys: Don Jr., Jeremy, Brandon, Chris and Josh.
He shares his five children with his wife of over 45 years, Debbie Osmond. The pair wed in 1978 and welcomed their first son one year later.
Donny Osmond’s Son Josh Gets Married in Backyard Wedding After Venue Cancels Due to Coronavirus
Despite his decades-long career, Donny has said that family always comes first. As he told PEOPLE, “That’s what balances my life out. Family is the most important thing, because the curtain will come down eventually, and then what do you have?”
Here is everything to know about Donny Osmond’s five children.
Don Osmond Jr., 46
Donny and Debbie welcomed their first son together, Donald Clark Osmond Jr., on July 31, 1979. As Don Jr. has shared, he was born after his father’s heyday as a teen idol and, as a result, missed out on the more intense phases of his dad’s career.
“I actually never saw the height of it all, like the crazed fans throwing themselves against the stage,” he told The Spectrum in 2016. Donny’s TV variety show Donny & Marie, in which he starred alongside his sister, ended six months before Don Jr. was born.
In 2022, Don Jr. told PEOPLE that family means everything to his dad.
“My father puts his family first, and he has unique ways of expressing it — like his orchard where each tree is dedicated to each one of his grandchildren,” he said. “Next to entertaining, my father’s greatest gift is to show love, and he does that in a big way.”
As an adult, Don Jr. runs his own marketing firm, OzComm, though he’s moved into business marketing instead of entertainment.
Don Jr. married his wife Jessica in 2010, and the two have four children together. Their youngest was born on Dec. 29, 2020.
Jeremy James Osmond, 44
Donny and Debbie welcomed their second child together, Jeremy Osmond, on June 8, 1981. In 2001, Donny opened up to The Guardian about his relationship with Jeremy and revealed that his second child went through a bit of a rebellious phase as a teen.
According to the outlet, in addition to reportedly piercing his tongue and eyebrow, Jeremy dyed his hair with leopard spots, left the Mormon faith and church he was raised in and did not speak to his family for four years.
“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 said. “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.”
Jeremy later reconnected with his family and even went on a mission to Italy in 2001. He married Melisa Osmond the following year, and the two have three children together.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Jeremy is a physical therapist who previously owned his own practice. He is currently the executive director at Pointe Meadows Health and Rehabilitation
Brandon Michael Osmond, 40
Donny and Debbie’s third son Brandon was born on Jan. 29, 1985. As an adult, Brandon is part of a design agency in Provo, Utah, and also owns his own company. Like his father, Brandon has a passion for music and performing, though, in a 2022 interview with Salt Lake City’s Fox13, he clarified that he mostly does so just for fun.
Brandon also spoke about the unique experience of growing up with a famous figure as a father. “There was one moment in my life where Donny Osmond and my dad crossed paths in my house. And it was really hard for me, because I had separated the two,” he told the outlet, recalling witnessing a call his dad received shortly after his grandfather, George Osmond, died in 2007.
“So he picks up the phone. And I hear this sweet high pitched voice. ‘Hey, Donny, I just wanted to call and just tell you, I’m sorry about your dad.’ And they have this conversation for maybe two or three minutes,” Brandon told Fox13. “He finishes it with ‘Thanks, Michael. That means a lot to me.’ And I realized that the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, just called my dad, my dad didn’t call him.”
He continued, “And it was really weird for me because they clashed. Donny Osmond and my dad were now the same person, and it really wrecked me. It really was a hard thing for me to see.”
Brandon married his wife Shelby in 2008, and the pair have four sons
Christopher Glenn Osmond, 34
Chris Osmond was born in Irvine, California, on Dec. 12, 1990. Chris expressed an interest in music and performing from an early age, largely inspired by his father’s career and success around the world.
According to his website, he took piano lessons as a child and DJ’d as a teen. He later studied post-production audio engineering in college before taking a job at Disney in Burbank, California.
In a 2022 interview with Fox13, Chris spoke about what it was like to be a part of a famous family, saying, “For us, we’re very fortunate to have that name. And to have an influence in this world for good. But … we still have to be super creative.”
Chris later appeared in season two of Claim to Fame, where he stumped contestants as they tried to guess his celebrity relative. Chris told PEOPLE that his dad was “laughing through” all the wrong guesses, which included everyone from Elvis Presley to Elton John.
In August 2023, Donny told PEOPLE that he thinks the clear generational gap played to the show’s advantage. “I think he’s making the show interesting because they [couldn’t] figure out who he is,” the legendary singer said.
“This dynamic of having Chris on the show, that’s what’s making it exciting because the older generation, they know exactly what it is,” Donny added. “And the younger kids, they have no idea.”
As for his own music career, Chris has released three singles. He currently lives in Utah with his wife Alta, whom he wed in 2017. The couple welcomed their daughter, Aussie, in December 2020, and their son, Dune, in June 2023.
Joshua Davis Osmond, 27
Donny and Debbie’s fifth son Joshua was born on Feb. 16, 1998.
In 2018, Donny shared on Instagram that Joshua had spent the previous two years serving as a missionary for the Church of Latter-day Saints in Rome, Italy.
“A wonderful reunion in Rome! 🇮🇹 After two years of valiantly serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Italy, our son Josh will return home with us for a reunion with the entire family,” he wrote. “What a birthday! What a Christmas.”
Over two years later, Josh married his wife Summer. After having to cancel their original wedding plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple wed during an intimate ceremony at his family’s home.
Following their nuptials, Josh told Closer Weekly that their wedding “turned out perfect” despite the change of plans. “It made the whole day more personal and special. The wedding turned out more beautiful than we could have even imagined. It was such a fun celebration of this new step we’re taking in life.”