In a new profile piece, the former star of 'Donny and Marie' also remembers the time his publicist suggested he get arrested crossing the border with drugs to generate some headlines.
- May 27, 2021
AceShowbiz - Donny Osmond's dad fired a stagehand after they swapped the singer's water for vodka.
The incident occurred when Donny was a teenager, at the height of his fame, and came off stage to grab a quick drink in between songs.
One night, the stagehand decided a switch would be funny, which Donny didn't realize until he was swallowing the clear liquid.
"I thought I was going to die," Donny told Deseret News, before quipping, "Best show I ever did in my life."
When his father found out about the practical joke gone wrong, the culprit was fired, with Donny adding, "That's abusive to a teenager."
The singer maintains he's never purposefully had alcohol in his life, and he has also never done drugs. But there was a time in his career, when his success was floundering, when his publicist suggested he get arrested crossing the U.S. border with drugs, just to generate some headlines.
While Donny admitted he considered it for a second, he eventually decided against it, and fired the publicist, admitting he couldn't imagine having to explain the scenario to his wife, children, siblings and those in his church.
"The problem was I knew it would work from a short-term point of view," the "Puppy Love" star mused. "But long term, it would kill me."
Elsewhere in the interview, Donny shared a story about Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Prince. He recalled that the late stars sought to talk about family with him. "Michael always wanted to talk about family.He had a rough childhood, so he would always ask about my family," he remembered. "A lot of people weren't as lucky as I was."
