Luckily for Jimmy, he knew how to make money — $80 million. This fortune came from live appearances, movies, TV shows, and more. This money that the family members made has funded their ventures, fed their families, bought mansions and nice cars, and pretty much allowed them to live very comfortable lives.
It’s a shame that they barely made money from any of their record sales. It appears that having a talent for entertainment is not enough. Show business is, after all, a business. And one needs to know how to do business for this industry to be worth their while.
Changing the Lighting
Marie has her own set of requests and, well, demands when making TV appearances, but she doesn't want anything too crazy. It is not about blue M&Ms in her green room, ball-shaped water bottles, or rose quartz coffee machines. It has to do with the lighting, of all things.
Donny admitted that whenever the two do an interview, Marie asks for the lighting to be changed to make her look her best. While this might sound like borderline diva behavior, it is actually not a big deal. In fact, it is very common, and even down-to-earth stars make lighting demands.
No Money Made
Jimmy Osmond was the UK’s youngest number-one performer ever. You might think that fame, fortune, and millions of dollars followed that kind of success. And if the whole thing was happening today, there's a chance that would have been the case. However, Jimmy didn’t see a red cent from the sales of that album. In case you didn't know, show business is not fair. Not even to children, no matter how young or how talented.
He went further stating, “We sold 100 million records and the money we made on record sales is peanuts.” The money made, he said, was comparable to what you would make just selling merchandise now.
Diva Dressing Room
Marie has defied the pitfalls so many stars struggle with. One of them is becoming a diva. But, she did have a diva-like request (demand) before agreeing to perform at the Flamingo in Las Vegas. She wanted a larger dressing room.
However, the bigger dressing room was not for show or driven by some sort of ego. It was actually for the most wholesome reason you can imagine. She said the space was for all her kids to come to visit her. It is said that Marie constantly has 15 to 20 people in her dressing room along with her kids and dogs who occupy themselves by playing.
Jimmy’s Motors
Having an interest or a hobby is great. Having the finances to support your interest or hobby is even greater! Obviously, people who enjoy collecting shot glasses don't have to be millionaires, but anyone who collects cars as a hobby will need to have the dollars to back it up.
Jimmy Osmond loves cars, so when at the height of the family’s career, he would spoil himself a lot. He purchased his first house at age 14, apparently as a place to park all of the cars he was buying. This is a photo of Jimmy with a DeLorean that is similar to the one he had in the 80s.