Marie Osmond's son enters rehab
November 15, 2007

It's been a rough period in the life of Marie Osmond, first with her passing out on live TV during ABC's Dancing With the Stars, and then with the death of her father, George Osmond, shortly afterwards. Now, Marie Osmond is in for possibly the toughest challenge yet, as the popular singer confirmed to the media on Wednesday that her 16-year-old son Michael has entered rehab for an undisclosed treatment.

In a statement released to the media, which was quoted by E Online, Marie Osmond stated that, "My son Michael is an amazing young man, shown through his courage in facing his issues. As his mother, I couldn't be more proud of him." Osmond's statement went on to say, "The press and public have always been kind and gracious in the past, and I know they will continue to respect our privacy during this time."

The first public acknowledgement that Marie Osmond's son was struggling with a problem came when Marie taped a segment for Wednesday night's edition of the CNN program Larry King Live. During the interview, Osmond stated that, "My son was put into a rehab. It's really hard. It's really hard. But it's a reality." Throughout the entire interview, Marie Osmond would not confirm what it was that Michael Osmond was sent to rehab for. Despite the fact she wouldn't delve into that specific detail, she did discuss some of the insights she has a a mother.

Osmond said on Larry King Live that, "It's a hard world kids are growing up in... They're dealing with peer pressure They're having these -- they're called pharm parties, where they go and steal, you know, medicines out of their parents' [medicine] cabinets." Osmond continued, "And they dump them in a bowl and they just take them until they pass out. My son didn't do that. But, you know, he's dealing with a lot of issues." The 48-year-old Dancing With the Stars contestant offered up her unconditional support for her son on Larry King's program, stating, "My son is amazing. He's dealing with a lot. He's one of my kids. He's dealing with adoption issues, all kinds of things right now."

Marie Osmond wasn't alone on the Larry King show, as her brother Donny accompanied her during her appearance. Donny Osmond said to Larry King that, "A lot of people in this country and a lot of people in the world are dealing with these kinds of issues. And the Osmond family, just because we're a close family, it doesn't mean we're exempt from those issues, because society can throw a lot of trash at you... But think about the fact that -- as sappy as a lot of people may think this is -- we are a close family."