Donny Osmond has recalled some of the most extraordinary encounters he has had with fans, from the height of “Osmond Mania” in the 1970s to his current solo residency in Las Vegas.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, the 67-year-old entertainer looked back on his most memorable fan interactions, addressed whether retirement is on his mind and explained why he has no plans to make a reality show about The Osmonds.
Asked to name his wildest fan experience, Donny said there had been “a lot of them,” particularly during the peak of his fame with The Osmonds.
One fan, he remembered, even attempted to “mail herself” to the group.
“There was a time when a girl tried to mail herself to us. She had this crate and she was going to package herself into it,” he said. “She got stopped.”
On another occasion, a determined fan tried to reach the musical group through their hotel.
Donny Osmond spoke exclusively with DailyMail.com on March 20
The 67-year-old singer revisited some of the most unusual fan encounters of his career
“There was one time when we were staying at this hotel in Miami and the floor was completely blocked off, but this lady booked herself into the hotel room above us,” Donny recalled.
“We saw a rope come down onto the balcony, and she was going to rappel down the back side to get to our stuff.”
Although Donny noted that such incidents are far less common now, he encountered another surprise last summer when he discovered unexpected visitors in his dressing room.
“On my last summer tour, as I was getting ready for my concert, I thought I was alone in my dressing room. Then I heard some noise coming from the shower,” he said.
“Two girls had snuck in and were hiding in the shower,” he added, describing the incident during his Direct from Vegas summer 2024 tour.
The women, who were in their 30s, had to be escorted from the dressing room.
“I mean, I was nice. I escorted them out,” Donny joked.
Donny returned to Las Vegas for his first solo residency at Harrah’s Las Vegas on the Strip in August 2021, where he now receives more requests for autographs and photos.
Donny said some of his most extreme fan encounters took place during his years with The Osmonds. “That stuff doesn’t happen that much anymore,” he joked
Donny continues to meet fans through the pre-show VIP experience at his Las Vegas residency
Before launching his solo Vegas show, Donny and his younger sister, Marie Osmond, 65, enjoyed an 11-year residency at the Flamingo Las Vegas, which ended in November 2019.
He has continued to refresh his current production, recently incorporating artificial intelligence to perform a duet with a 14-year-old version of himself.
Donny said the idea came from his desire to keep the show evolving. “I like to add things every once in a while to keep the show fresh,” he explained. “So I had this idea two years ago to sing with myself from 53 years ago.”
“I was 14 years old when I had the record ‘Puppy Love,’ and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if I could sing “Puppy Love” with myself from 53 years ago?’”
He eventually partnered with Zero Space in New York. With help from his 14-year-old grandson Daxton, the company scanned Donny’s face and digitally mapped it onto his grandson’s, using advanced technology alongside old recordings of the singer’s voice to create his younger onstage counterpart.
Donny also revealed that many fans return repeatedly to see him perform during his six-month Las Vegas run, describing it as “three-peat, four-peat, five-peat business.”
He keeps the 90-minute concert moving by adding different elements, including a 20-minute segment in which fans can request any song from his 65 albums and a 10-minute rap covering his six-decade career.
Retirement does not appear to be on the horizon. With additional residency dates extending through November 2025, Donny said he still has plenty of energy left.
Donny began his first solo residency at Harrah’s Las Vegas on the Strip in August 2021
In February 2025, Donny introduced an AI-generated 14-year-old version of himself to his show. “I’ll be sharing the stage with young Donny from 1972,” he said
New dates were added to Donny’s solo Las Vegas show, with performances at Harrah’s scheduled through November 2025
“Oh, I’ve still got a lot of fuel in this body,” he told DailyMail.com.
“When people come to a Donny Osmond concert, they either expect an amazing show or they don’t know what to expect.”
He often hears from audience members who tell him, “I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t expect what I got.”
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“That’s my philosophy in entertaining,” Donny said. “I want people to walk out saying it was more than the price of admission. I want to surprise people with the breadth of my career.”
As for the possibility of performing with Marie again, Donny said he has learned never to rule anything out—but another lengthy residency like their Las Vegas run seems unlikely.
“I’ve learned to say never say never. I don’t think we’d ever do a large residency like we did in Las Vegas,” he said. “That’s a lot of work, but you never know what can happen in show business. That’s what I’ve learned over the years, especially nowadays. Things can turn on a dime.”
One opportunity he is ruling out, however, is a reality show centered on The Osmonds.
“I’m never going to do a reality show with my family. I’m never going to do that,” he said. “First of all, why? Why would I have cameras come into their homes?”
Donny and Marie Osmond, 65, completed an 11-year residency at the Flamingo Las Vegas in November 2019
Asked whether he might perform with Marie again, Donny said, “I’ve learned to say never say never,” while acknowledging that another major Las Vegas residency would be a lot of work
“I don’t want to do that. I like privacy, and I want them to have a normal life because I know what it feels like to have your life as an open book,” he said.
“I try to keep my life as private as possible. There’s only so much privacy you can have when you’re a public figure.”
He added that he is similarly selective about what he shares online. “Even on my social media, there’s only so much I give out. But privacy is very, very important to me because in the world of show business, you can give away too much, and then you have nothing personal—nothing that belongs to you personally.”
Donny has been married to his wife, Debbie Osmond, for nearly 47 years. He has described their marriage as “the best decision” he has ever made. The couple have five sons: Don Jr., 45, Jeremy, 43, Brandon, 40, Christopher, 34, and Joshua, 27.
He is also a grandfather to 15 children, with a 16th grandchild on the way. When he is not performing, Donny said he enjoys spending time with his family at home in Utah.
His nephew Jared Osmond made headlines last year after appearing on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City while dating Britani Bateman, a friend of the cast.
Donny told DailyMail.com that he has met Britani only once, when Jared brought her to one of his Las Vegas shows. He described her as a “sweet lady.”
As for the reality series, Donny said, “I never saw it. I don’t really know much about it. I don’t watch it.”
Donny rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of The Osmonds alongside his four brothers, Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay
Donny said he would “never” make a reality show with his family because he values his private life, pictured with wife Debbie in 2013
Donny said Britani Bateman is the only member of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City he knows, after she dated his nephew Jared, pictured in March 2024
Although he has no interest in starring in a family reality show, Donny said he has received approaches from numerous programs. For now, though, his schedule is too full, with five stage performances each week.
Donny previously competed on the ninth season of Dancing With the Stars, winning the Mirror Ball Trophy in 2009.
He described the experience as “one of the hardest things I’ve ever done” and said he would welcome the opportunity to return to the show as a guest judge.
The “Hey Girl” singer also finished as runner-up during the first season of the hit singing competition The Masked Singer.
Performing in a peacock costume, Donny placed second behind rapper T-Pain.
A limited number of tickets are available for a pre-show VIP experience at Donny’s Las Vegas residency. The package includes a meet-and-greet, personal stories, a question-and-answer session and a special musical performance.
“My focus right now is Harrah’s Las Vegas. My residency is everything in my world,” Donny told DailyMail.com
The performer, who won Best Resident Performer/Headliner and Best Production Show in the 2024 Las Vegas Review-Journal Best of Las Vegas Awards, said his current priority remains his Harrah’s residency.
“My focus right now is Harrah’s Las Vegas. My residency is everything in my world,” he said.
“I have the greatest team of people around me—my dancers, my band, my crew. I call them the Donny team.”
“We’re all of one mind, and right now that means Las Vegas, Harrah’s Las Vegas, and making it even better than it is.”
He added that he hopes the production will continue to earn recognition in the years ahead.
“Because when people come to the show and don’t know what to expect, I want them to say, ‘That’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.’”
