Phil Donahue, the renowned daytime talk show host, has passed away at the age of 88.
Donahue died “peacefully” at his home on Sunday, August 18, after a prolonged illness. He was surrounded by his wife of 44 years, Marlo Thomas, along with his sister, children, grandchildren, and his cherished golden retriever, Charlie, as per a statement shared with Today.
Born in 1935, Donahue began his media career in the late 1950s. He started as a local reporter in his home state of Ohio before launching his own talk show. The show initially aired on a local CBS affiliate before moving to a local NBC affiliate in Dayton, Ohio, in 1967. Three years later, it was syndicated and broadcast nationwide.
His talk show gained notoriety for addressing controversial issues, including child abuse in the Catholic Church and featuring the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
The Phil Donahue Show, later shortened to Donahue, set the stage for future daytime talk shows.
Donahue’s program was the first to let audience members ask questions to the guests.
“One day, I just walked into the audience, and it’s clear there wouldn’t have been a Donahue show if I hadn’t accidentally involved the audience,” Donahue remarked in an interview with WGN.
Beyond paving the way for other daytime hosts like Oprah Winfrey and Sally Jesse Raphael, Donahue earned 20 Emmy Awards and was recently honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Biden.
In place of flowers, Donahue’s family has asked for donations to be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund.
Phil Donahue, you will be missed. Thank you for your invaluable contributions to daytime television. Rest in peace.