JamesG
01-23-2026, 09:35 PM
Donny Osmond Explains Why the Comedy on "Donny & Marie" Looked Silly: "It's Kind of Endearing"
by Lauren Huff
January 23, 2026
Fifty years after "Donny & Marie" first hit the airwaves, Donny Osmond can look back on the comedic elements of his and his sister's variety show and admit they were "kind of silly."
"We never really knew anything about variety television," the former teen idol recently told PEOPLE, referring to himself and sibling Marie Osmond. "We were thrown into comedy, and that's why I say some of the comedy stuff is kind of silly, because we weren't comedians. We're singers, but it's forgivable when you think of the time element, and it's kind of endearing, at least it is for me. It's so fun to look back and say, 'Oh, I should have done that differently, and that was so stupid,' but it worked."
The variety show, which was inspired by the popular "Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour", premiered Jan. 23, 1976. It also served as a star vehicle to further promote the Osmond siblings, who were already pop stars in their own right.
"Donny & Marie", which ultimately aired on ABC through May 1979, was so popular that it forced the siblings to postpone their music careers for a bit so they could promote their other endeavor.
Donny credits some of that aforementioned "endearing" quality with the show's success.
"The Donny & Marie team, there was something about it that was just organic," he said. "It was real. It wasn't manufactured because if it were manufactured, a lot of people would take shots at it, and they did. Over the years, they'd take shots at Donny & Marie because of the goody-goody factor."
"I love my show to pieces," he continued. "I mean, I work my butt off, and I love every moment of those 90 minutes each night, but there's a lump in my throat when I turn around, and I'm singing 'In My Life,' and I'm seeing the Donny & Marie show from first perspective."
https://ew.com/donny-osmond-explains-why-donny-and-marie-comedy-looked-silly-11891893
by Lauren Huff
January 23, 2026
Fifty years after "Donny & Marie" first hit the airwaves, Donny Osmond can look back on the comedic elements of his and his sister's variety show and admit they were "kind of silly."
"We never really knew anything about variety television," the former teen idol recently told PEOPLE, referring to himself and sibling Marie Osmond. "We were thrown into comedy, and that's why I say some of the comedy stuff is kind of silly, because we weren't comedians. We're singers, but it's forgivable when you think of the time element, and it's kind of endearing, at least it is for me. It's so fun to look back and say, 'Oh, I should have done that differently, and that was so stupid,' but it worked."
The variety show, which was inspired by the popular "Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour", premiered Jan. 23, 1976. It also served as a star vehicle to further promote the Osmond siblings, who were already pop stars in their own right.
"Donny & Marie", which ultimately aired on ABC through May 1979, was so popular that it forced the siblings to postpone their music careers for a bit so they could promote their other endeavor.
Donny credits some of that aforementioned "endearing" quality with the show's success.
"The Donny & Marie team, there was something about it that was just organic," he said. "It was real. It wasn't manufactured because if it were manufactured, a lot of people would take shots at it, and they did. Over the years, they'd take shots at Donny & Marie because of the goody-goody factor."
"I love my show to pieces," he continued. "I mean, I work my butt off, and I love every moment of those 90 minutes each night, but there's a lump in my throat when I turn around, and I'm singing 'In My Life,' and I'm seeing the Donny & Marie show from first perspective."
https://ew.com/donny-osmond-explains-why-donny-and-marie-comedy-looked-silly-11891893