Introduction:
After six decades in the spotlight, Donny Osmond has nothing left to prove. He’s conquered the charts, Broadway, television, and Las Vegas. Yet, the 65-year-old entertainer insists he’s far from done. For Osmond, retirement is not even on the horizon—at least not until he surpasses a record set by none other than Elvis Presley.
“I love what I do. I love getting on stage—it’s my drug of choice,” Osmond told the Evening Standard ahead of his 12-date UK tour this December. “I kind of see the end of the tunnel. It’s not very close, because I have a lot of things I still want to do. One of which—I think I have to get to—is 68 albums, because then I’ll beat Elvis.”
It’s a bold goal, but Osmond isn’t far off. His 65th album, Start Again, was released in 2021, and he’s already hard at work on his next. Though he admits the project is still in its early stages, he promises fans something “really unique with a very cool concept.”
A Personal Elvis Connection
Osmond’s ambition to outpace the King of Rock ’n’ Roll is more than a matter of numbers—it’s also deeply personal. His mother, Olive Osmond, shared a warm friendship with Presley, acting as a confidant during his rise to superstardom.
“She was almost like a surrogate mum to him,” Donny recalled with a smile. “He would call the house just to talk to my mom. One day my brother Jay picks up the phone, and this voice says, [doing Elvis impression] ‘Is your mother there?’ Jay says, ‘Yeah, who’s calling?’ and the voice says, ‘This is Elvis.’ Jay didn’t put two and two together, so he yells out, ‘Hey Mom, some guy named Elvis is on the phone!’”
Donny laughed as he retold the story. “We laughed our heads off when my mom told me that. Jay had no idea it was Elvis Presley on the line.”
Bringing Las Vegas to London
This December, Osmond will bring his award-winning Las Vegas residency show across the Atlantic for a UK run, including two shows at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. It will be his first tour there since 2017, and he’s promising the biggest, most ambitious production of his career.
“This show includes everything I’ve done—and that’s a lot of stuff,” he teased. Fans can expect a nostalgic journey through every phase of his career: from his early days performing with The Osmonds, to his chart-topping duets with sister Marie, to Broadway highlights, solo hits, and beyond.
One of the show’s most beloved features is a 15-minute request segment, where Osmond opens the floor to audience song requests. No teleprompters, no cues—just pure, spontaneous entertainment. For the UK shows, he plans to expand this portion, giving longtime fans a chance to relive the soundtrack of their lives.
A Family Man First
Despite the glitz and grind of performing five nights a week in Las Vegas, Osmond is quick to remind fans that family is his true anchor. Married to his wife, Debbie, for 45 years, the couple shares five grown sons and 12 grandchildren.
Debbie will be joining him for the UK tour, something he says makes the experience even sweeter. “Family is extremely important to me,” Osmond said. “In between curtain calls, I just relish being a grandpa.”
That role has brought its own set of unexpected joys—especially since his 2019 stint as “The Peacock” on The Masked Singer. “One of my grandsons, Truman, he still refers to me as ‘the Peacock,’” Osmond laughed. “He won’t call me Grandpa or anything else. He just says, ‘Hey, Peacock!’ I think I’ll be the Peacock for the rest of my life. And that’s fine by me.”
The Road Ahead
For a man who’s been in show business since childhood, Osmond still radiates the enthusiasm of a newcomer. His upcoming UK shows are less a farewell than a celebration—of endurance, reinvention, and the unshakable bond he shares with his fans.
“I love taking people on a journey,” he said. “That’s why I do this. That’s why I can’t stop yet.”
And as for retirement? Donny Osmond won’t even consider it until he’s surpassed Elvis’s record. With three more albums to go, fans can rest assured: the journey is far from over.