The Osmonds: Twisted Double Lives Of Wholesome Family Act

The Osmonds found fame and fortune as America’s most wholesome family — but the wholesome pop star have enough dark and dirty secrets to rival the Kennedys or the Kardashians!

Over the years, The National ENQUIRER has unearthed sordid details about the family's hidden history of arrests, abuse, suicide, depression and bankruptcy. Their story began as the epitome of clean-cut American purity amid the turmoil of Vietnam and the Nixon administration. In 1971, the brothers went from cute kids singing with Andy Williams to pop stars  — with Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay and Donny scoring a No. 1 hit with “One Bad Apple.”

More chart toppers followed for The Osmond Brothers, along with Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond in the family's brief pop heyday. Then personal problems engulfed the troubled clan just when their musical appeal began to wane. The tight-knit Mormon family began to splinter as the 1970s came to a close with the Osmonds in horrific debt!

The family had lost $100 million through bad investments, embezzlement and scam artists through their decade on the pop charts. “A huge chunk of money was lost by the family in the late ’70s,” said a close source, “in part after they financially backed their own first-class TV production studio...['The Donny & Marie Show'] was canceled in 1979 after poor ratings, leaving the family in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy.”

The changes hit Marie worse than any of the brothers, added the insider, saying: “The only girl in the Osmond clan has had more dark secrets than all of her brothers combined!” Marie has been married three times, to two different men. She remarried her first husband Stephen after divorcing her second husband Brian. She suffered from such severe postpartum depression after the birth of son Matthew in 1999 that she ran away for several days.

In 2006, Marie even reportedly attempted suicide with prescription drugs — although her reps claimed it was an adverse reaction to medication. There were also claims that Marie's marriage to Brian had ended in physical abuse, although he's always denied raising a hand to his wife.

In 2009, Marie revealed that her oldest daughter Jessica is a lesbian — and in 2010, her son Michael committed suicide by jumping from his apartment building. A source told The ENQUIRER that, even now, “Marie is still reeling over the suicide of her son, and continues her day-to-day battle with depression.” Her support of gay rights has also caused a rift between her and Donny, who is strongly opposed to gay marriage.

Donny has experienced plenty of grief as well — notably from his second son, Jeremy, who pierced his tongue and eyebrow while dyeing his hair with leopard spots. His rebellion culminated in 2012 with a bust for discharging a firearm within city limits. In August, Donny had vocal-cord surgery to remove a polyp, and suffered from severe stage fright as a youngster.

“Donny was diagnosed with a social anxiety disorder. Right before he hit the stage, [he] suffered from panic attacks so severe that he was on the verge of a breakdown, keeping him from going on stage!” Merrill suffered from manic depression for years, with a source adding, “It got so bad at one point in his life, he had suicidal thoughts.”

Merrill also had to cope with his daughter Sheila being convicted of passing bad checks in 2011, later being sentenced to two years of probation. Jay is no stranger to heartbreak. He's been married twice, and his granddaughter London was killed in 2014 when a trailer door fell on her.

Alan Osmond was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1994, and caused controversy in 2011 after penning an article defending anti-gay reparative therapy. Wayne (pictured) was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1997. It was successfully treated, but forced him into showbiz retirement.

Sadly, as earlier reported by The ENQUIRER, all of the family turmoil has now left the siblings out of touch. Jimmy Osmond — who found fame as the "baby" of the family in the '70s — had admitted: "We don't get together much anymore!"