On the CBS show “The Talk,” popular Vegas performer and former child star Marie Osmond revealed that she and her husband will not leave any of their fortune to their seven living children and will instead donate it to charity.
In the following clip, which originally aired on Friday, Feb. 27, Osmond told her fellow hosts she believes leaving her children a large inheritance would actually be “a great disservice to them.”
“Congratulations kids,” the host joked, looking into the camera, as she shared that she and her husband came to the decision together.
“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,” Osmond said. “I just let them be proud of what they make and I’m going to give mine to my charity.”
The conversation was prompted by reports that Kirk Douglas had left nearly all of his fortune to charity, according to Yahoo! News.
Osmond also revealed that her decision was partially motivated by her desire to prevent her children from fighting over the details of how the inheritance is distributed, Fox News reports.
While Osmond’s decision was met with applause, her co-host Sheryl Underwood pushed back, saying leaving children a substantial inheritance can help give them “a leg up” and help them continue to live the kind of life they had become accustomed to being raised in a high income home.
Osmond’s announcement has inspired a broader conversation in the public eye as well. While some people think she’s making the right decision, others aren’t so sure, implying that it may harm her relationship with her children.