Introduction:
Marie Osmond on Family, Fame, and Finding Her Way Back to Love
When Marie Osmond walked onto The Drew Barrymore Show, the crowd roared — not just for the performer they’ve loved for decades, but for a woman whose life has been an open book of reinvention, resilience, and remarkable grace.
“I was introduced as the youngest Osmond brother,” she laughed, recalling her first TV appearance at age three on The Andy Williams Show. By 12, she was recording Paper Roses; by 14, she and her brother Donny were household names with their own variety show. “I’ve never not worked a year of my life since then,” she told Drew, with a smile that held both pride and perspective.
But Marie’s story — and what she wanted to share that day — went far beyond show business.
The Lessons of Olive Osmond
Marie credits her late mother, Olive, for grounding her in reality despite the fame that surrounded the Osmond family. “I remember coming home after a 15-hour day and saying, ‘Mom, I have to get to sleep — I need to look good on camera tomorrow,’” Marie recalled.
Her mother’s reply was blunt:
“You haven’t done your chores.”
When a teenage Marie protested — pointing out that she was “Marie Osmond” and that her show was dubbed in 17 languages — her mother handed her a toilet brush. “She said, ‘That’s a job. Jobs come and go. This is reality. Now get to work.’”
From sewing and baking to gutting fish, Olive made sure her daughter could stand on her own two feet. “She taught me how to live in the real world,” Marie said. “My mom once told me, ‘I don’t care if you hate me — if you do, that means I’m doing a good job.’”
Balancing Stardom and Motherhood
That sense of grounding stayed with Marie when she became a mother herself. With eight children — a mix of biological and adopted — she knew that fame couldn’t come before family.
“I didn’t make as much on the road when I was touring because I took all my kids with me,” she told Drew. “It wasn’t great for airplane tickets — but I did it because I love my children. I was the only breadwinner, and I wanted to be there for them.”
It’s why she took her Las Vegas residency — an 11-year run that allowed her to work while staying close to home. “The fact that you prioritized your children,” Drew said, “you’ll never regret that.”
Marie nodded. “Never.”
Love, Lost and Found
The conversation took a joyful turn when Marie shared the story of her second marriage — to her first husband, Stephen Craig. The couple originally wed in 1982, divorced in 1985, and found their way back to each other decades later.
“People always ask him, ‘How do you make a marriage work?’” Marie laughed. “He says, ‘Spend 25 years apart.’”
Their reunion wasn’t planned. Marie had moved to Las Vegas and asked her son, Stephen Jr., to help her move. “He said, ‘Dad’s with me — can he come help?’” Marie recalled with a grin. “He never remarried. I guess I’m a hard habit to break.”
Seeing each other again reignited something timeless. “You have to realize people change,” Marie reflected, “but some things don’t — like the friendship. We were just soulmates.”
And then came the most extraordinary twist of all. Five days before their 2011 wedding, the custom gown she’d designed fell apart. Heartbroken, she went to work — and found an old box leaning against her car. Inside was her original 1982 wedding dress, untouched, despite years of moving. “To this day, I don’t know where it came from,” Marie said, her voice breaking. “I swear it was my mom.”
A Legacy of Love and Strength
From a child star to a mother, performer, and now grandmother, Marie Osmond has lived many lives in one. Through every chapter — fame, loss, motherhood, and rediscovered love — her heart has remained steady in gratitude.
“I feel so blessed,” she told Drew. “Through everything, the good and the hard, I know I’ve been given a beautiful life.”