Donny Osmond speaks out on Lady Gaga video

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Using his daily radio program – The Donny Osmond Show – as a platform, Donny Osmond jumped into the controversy surrounding the recently released Lady Gaga “Telephone” video featuring Beyonce. The video has been widely criticized for its depiction of graphic violence and explicit sex.


Osmond was quite active during the record industry censorship debates of the late 1980s, taking a public stand against the Parents Music Resource Center founded by Tipper Gore and the group’s crusade for explicit lyric package labeling. He appeared before Congress in support of the RIAA and recording artists. 

“I’m all for freedom of speech and against any form of censorship, but all I know is that I’m a parent and I’m upset about this,” said Osmond. “Unlike 20 years ago, in today’s modern, viral world in which content becomes instantaneously available irrespective of age, I wonder whether the music industry might need to rethink its marketing policies with regard to making an explicit music video containing profanity, sexual exploitation, nudity, and graphic violence available to anyone with Internet access. I wouldn’t want my child to watch this video. Would you? What do you think? Should these two extremely gifted female role models for millions of young girls, maybe, have given a little more thought to the effect it might have on their core audience?”

The Donny Osmond Show is a lifestyle-driven music program airing across more than 75 markets in North America. The show is syndicated by McVay Syndication and distributed by Citadel Media in the United States and by Orbyt Radio in Canada. Osmond welcomes feedback at [email protected]

Listen to Donny’s commentary here.

Donny Osmond:

RBR-TVBR observation: OK, saw the video, and yes, totally inappropriate for kids. YouTube is at least restricting it to Over 18 members, but that’s quite easy to break by lying online. It’s not just about Lady Gaga and Beyonce, they are just good examples of a solid trend. Parents need to be vigilant about what their kids consume online — yet one more responsibility to add to the list.

Here is the video…watch at your own risk.