Marie Osmond Won’t Leave Fortune to 8 Kids, 5 of Them Adopted — Despite Her $20M Fortune, She Wants Them to Work

• Marie Osmond grew up in a family of 11.
• Despite the circumstances, she became successful in life and made a lot of money.
• However, Marie did not forget about people who are suffering. She revealed all her money would go to charity instead of her children when she dies.

Country and pop artist Marie Osmond was born into a big family of 11 to parents Olive and George Osmond in Utah. Shortly after her birth, her four older brothers, Alan, Jay, Merrill, and Wayne, formed a barbershop quartet that later opened doors for the Osmond family as they developed musical careers and were known as The Osmonds.

Marie grew up in the limelight. At the tender age of three, she made her TV debut performing alongside her siblings on "The Andy Williams Show."

Although she later said she regretted nothing about spending much of her childhood as a star, the singer admitted in a 2001 interview that it was challenging at times because she could not "play" and had to work instead.

Marie established her public persona as a high-spirited and ever-smiling star but revealed it took a lot to maintain that image. Still, she has no regrets about it, saying she saw the bright side of all those difficult times:

"[..]It's amazing [that] the growth in your life doesn't come from the good things. It comes from the bad things if you try to look at it that way."

The actress comes from humble beginnings. Her mother, Olive, was born and raised in a small wooden cabin in Samaria, Oneida, Idaho. In June 2021, Marie went on a road trip with her husband, former basketball player Steve Craig.

The "Paper Roses" singer shared with her Twitter followers that she and her spouse made a stop at her mom's former home and posted a snapshot of the house alongside a picture of her parent's plaque.

"Steve and I are on a road trip and stopped in Idaho to see my mom's cabin! #roadtrip #family," she tweeted. The cabin was originally built in the 1870s, but the Samaria community rebuilt it in 2008.

Marie is not the only family member that has gone to the cabin. Seven of her eight siblings went there in May 2010, including her superstar brother, Donny, who had this to say about their beloved mother – who died in May 2004:

"This is so surreal. You can feel her presence here."

The singer was there with his brothers, Alan, Jay, Jimmy, Merrill, Tom, and Virl, at the small two-room cabin. Only Marie and Wayne were absent at the time.

The Osmond brothers went there for a ceremony of the dedication of the "Olive May Davis Osmond Cabin and Museum." While there, Donny touched an old sewing machine stand which he and his siblings previously carved their names into in the 1960s.

While inside the log cabin, the former teen idol hitmaker joked about how small it was, saying, "You can't say, 'Go to your room!'"

Despite the circumstances, Olive's kids grew up to make a fortune, especially her only daughter, Marie. She has an estimated net worth of $20 million.

As she first tasted fame at a young age, Marie collaborated with her dear brother Donny in 1976 by hosting the "Donny & Marie Show." The variety show only ran for three seasons from 1975 to 1979, but the Osmond siblings reunited for another television show called "Donny and Marie" in 1998, which lasted for two seasons.

The brother and sister duo continued to make money throughout the following decades. They signed for a six-week Las Vegas residency at the Flamingo Resort and Hotel, which was a massive success.

Donny and Marie had 16,000 shows in Vegas for eleven years until their final concert performance in November 2019. A month before bowing out alongside her brother, Marie joined the chat show "The Talk" as a co-host.

However, she only stayed on the TV program for a year before announcing her exit. Marie revealed on her Instagram account that she would be leaving to focus on her husband and children.

Loving Mom of 8 Kids

The Grammy nominee is a mother of eight kids, five of whom are adopted: Jessica, Brandon, Brianna, Abigail and Michael. Marie welcomed her first child, son Stephen Jr., in April 1983, with her first husband, Steve Craig. The couple wed in 1982 and divorced in 1985.

Following their split, she married Brian Blosil in 1986, and they had seven children together, Abigail, Brianna, Brandon, Jessica, Matthew, Michael, and Rachel. However, Marie and the actor divorced in 2007 after 21 years of marriage.

The television host's eldest child, Stephen, is now married to Claire Blosil, and the couple shares four kids together: daughter Oliver and sons Christian, Maxwell, and Stephen.

He once tried acting and had a stint in the 1989 movie, "It Nearly Wasn't Christmas," but now leads a life away from the spotlight.

Marie welcomed her second child, daughter Rachel in August 1989. She is also married to Gabriel Krueger, whom she wed in 2012, and the pair are parents of two sons, Rocket and Wolf. Out of all her kids, Marie said Rachel is more like her:

The attentive mother said her daughter has her character as she likes being in the know and tends to want to do every single thing.

Shortly after giving birth to Rachel, Marie, and Blosil adopted Jessica – born in December 1987. Jessica joined the family when she was only two years old.

Like her siblings, she is also married to Sara, with whom she exchanged wedding vows in June 2019. Jessica previously worked as a police officer and as a counselor.

Marie's fourth child is Brandon, born in November 1996. Although his mother is a famous Hollywood star, he has maintained a low profile for years.

However, he does feature in her social media uploads now and again, especially when he celebrates a birthday. The doting mom once paid tribute to him, writing that she loved him very much while calling him her "angel."

Marie's fifth child is Brianna, born in November 1997. Brianna, a makeup artist, became a mom herself when she welcomed her first child, Maude, in May 2019 with her husband, David Schwep.

A year later, in August 2020, the couple had their second child, a daughter named Mabel. Marie gushed over the exciting news on social media, saying her grandchild's arrival was a good "reminder" that life is about being jubilant.

The loving grandparent had her sixth child, son Matthew in July 1999. She loves the fact that he is a devoted man of faith. Marie welcomed her son with open arms when he returned home from a church mission.

The proud mother wrote in her Facebook post in January 2020 that she grew impatient to be reunited with him, adding that although she yearned for him, she enjoyed that fact that he kept her up to date about the weekly happenings while there.

Marie's seventh child is daughter Abigail who was born in September 2002. Abigail graduated from high school in May 2020.

For the special occasion, the "Meet Me in Montana" hitmaker bought her child a pair of toilet paper earrings to celebrate her achievement amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marie's eighth beloved child is her son Michael who arrived in May 1991. Sadly, he tragically took his own life at age 18 in February 2010.

Michael's mom still celebrates him on his birthdays every year on social media. In May 2020, Marie penned a sweet tribute to him on Instagram, saying she would forever love him while wishing him a happy birthday and calling him an "angel."

Besides being a doting mom, Marie is an accomplished superstar with more than 20 albums to her name. That said, she has the money to live as she pleases.

Marie has owned multiple homes over the years, but one that stands out for her is the one she shares with her darling husband, Craig, whom she married for the second time in 2011.

The TV star has given fans glimpses into her mansion, which has wooden floors, a gourmet kitchen, and breathtaking views. She once said every home she has owned; she has deemed it her sanctuary. The A-lister also showed off her craft room and explained, it's where she did her creative work such as painting, reading and lastly, where she created her "good memories."

Apart from that, Marie enjoys being a grandparent and admits she spoils her grandchildren rotten. She believes having grandkids is the highlight of every woman's life while joking that it is a relief she does not have to bring them up but can still have a blast with them.

Marie, 63, shared that at her age, she can still keep up with the young ones because she takes care of herself, deeming herself a '"fun" grandmother. Marie divulged that she once shared a photo on her social media showing a quilt she had made. One follower admired how she could still sit on the floor like she did and the entertainer responded by encouraging the person it's always possible with the right motivation.

Marie confessed she would often complain about her body until she realized that she had not lost herself and grew to love it again and look after it.

Donating All Her Money to Charity

Even though Marie adores her children and grandchildren dearly, she decided they would not inherit a cent from $20 million fortune.

During an episode on "The Talk" in March 2020, the former child star revealed she and her spouse Craig, would not be leaving their brood with inheritance money.

Marie told her co-hosts she believes leaving her children with her wealth would only stifle them from becoming independent individuals:

"I think you do a great disservice to your children to just hand them a fortune because you take away the one most important gift you can give your children, and that's the ability to work."

One of the reasons the Broadway star decided on this is because she wanted to avoid having her kids fight over how the inheritance would be distributed among them.

While some people agreed with her choice, co-host Sheryl Underwood had a different perspective. She said leaving a certain amount of money for children could help them with a boost to maintain a lifestyle that they are already used to–coming from a high-income home.

Still, Marie stands by her decision. In January 2023, she said she refuses to enable her brood by not allowing them to make something of themselves. The author added that she is unaware of anyone managed to amount to anything by being given money.

The Grammy Award nominee further stated that giving children an inheritance only motivates them to become lazy and feel entitled. Marie has witnessed such with kids from wealthy families who have nothing to keep them busy and get into trouble, adding that parents should allow their offspring to "be proud" of what they earn.

The global star clarified it does not mean she does not step in whenever she can when it comes to her sons and daughters, but that she does not casually give them money whenever they are in a bind. She emphasized:

"I worked hard, and I'm going to spend it all and have fun with my husband."

Marie has a charity called Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, which she co-founded with John Schneider, Mick Shannon, and Joseph G. Lake in 1983.

According to her website, she and her co-founders organized a telethon that raised almost $4.8 million for 22 children's hospitals to form the organization.

Today, the institution assists 10 million sick children, including those injured, to get treatment at 170 member hospitals across North America.

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals raises funds and awareness for the member hospitals that provide 32 million health care treatments yearly for children across the country and Canada.