Donny Osmond Reveals Michael Jackson's 'Offensive' Career Advice That Changed Everything

Donny Osmond is opening up about the unfiltered career advice he received from the late Michael Jackson, and it wasn't exactly a confidence boost.

Both Osmond and Jackson achieved fame at a young age through their family bands. However, Osmond struggled to transition from child star to adult performer. Seeking guidance, he approached Jackson, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 50.

"The name Donny Osmond was a joke, years ago," Osmond candidly shared in a recent Instagram clip from his 2023 appearance on The Adam Carolla Show. "If you said you liked Donny Osmond music, you were ousted."

He reminisced about radio station WPLJ in New York, which first got hold of his 1988 single "Soldier of Love" as an import. "They played the record to test it because they liked the song, but they just didn't want to say my name," he added.

In recalling the year 1983, post-"Thriller," Osmond asked Jackson, "Mike, how do I get back on the charts?"

Jackson's response struck a nerve. "Your name's poison, Donny. You gotta change your name," Osmond said, laughing.

"It was very offensive," he admitted. "It was tough to hear that. But he was right, because in '89, radio stations all across the country played my music but didn't say my name."

Ultimately, he noted, "They did me a favor by not saying who I was, and it became a hit. Then they found out it was me."

Osmond continued to reflect on his relationship with Jackson in last year's MTV documentary, Larger than Life: Reign of the Boybands.

"I spent a lot of time with Michael Jackson," he explained. "You look at the Osmonds and the Jackson 5; the comparisons of the two families are just uncanny. There are 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 "One Bad Apple" singer fondly recalled how he and Jackson often gathered to "laugh and reminisce" about their shared childhood experiences and career paths.

"Michael said something to me one day," Osmond remembered. "He said, 'Donny, you're the only person on this planet that knows what my childhood was like.'"

One time, he also reminisced about the moment they drove to get tacos around California.

In a 2018 interview, Osmond described the scene: "We're in a limo, going down Sunset Boulevard and we're eating tacos. We were just two kids trying to be normal."