The Osmonds star said he and Jackson would reunite to “laugh and reminisce” about the comparisons made between both of their respective careers.
Donny Osmond is looking back at his friendship with Michael Jackson.
The entertainer, who grew up in the popular family band the Osmonds, reflected on the frequent comparisons between his upbringing and Jackson’s as a member of the Jackson 5 as part of the recent MTV Entertainment Studios documentary, Larger than Life: Reign of the Boybands.
“I spent a lot of time with Michael Jackson. I mean, you look at the Osmonds and the Jackson 5, the comparisons of the two families are just uncanny,” Osmond explained. “There’s nine children in each family. Mike and I are both the seventh child of nine. Our mothers’ birthdays are on the same day. Michael and I are the same age.”
The similarities didn’t stop there. Both Osmond and Jackson, who died at age 50 in 2009, rose to popularity at a young age as part of their respective family bands, before eventually going off to start their own successful solo careers. In fact, the “One Bad Apple” singer said that he and Jackson would often reunite to “laugh and reminisce” about their similar childhoods and career comparisons.
“Michael said something to me one day,” he recalled. “He said, ‘Donny, you’re the only person on this planet that knows what my childhood was like.’”
In addition to their walks down memory lane together, Osmond noted that Jackson would also often tell him stories about his father Joe Jackson. He added, “You look at the dangers of show business in general, whether you’re a single artist or a boyband, I don’t know if I could have been able to survive show business if I didn’t have my family.”
Osmond also revealed that his own father, George Osmond, similarly made sure that all of his children understood the importance of having an incredibly strong work ethic.
“I remember as a tiny little kid, my brothers in front of that piano playing and learning the parts and harmonizing to where it was perfect,” he said. “My dad was an army sergeant and so that kind of infiltrated how he raised us. I never wanted to disappoint my father.”
Even at the height of their fame in the 1970s, the Osmonds weren’t allowed to slack off. “When we hit big, my father said, ‘Back in the rehearsal hall. Learn a new number. Keep this engine going,”” he said. “I think having a very strong father figure was very important for our success, however it can go a little overboard.”
