Phil Donahue, talk show host pioneer and husband of Marlo Thomas, dies at 88 (2024)

Phil Donahue,an innovative TV host who rose to fame in the late 1960s after he was the first person to interact with a studio audience on a talk show and brought new ideas into American living rooms, died Sunday, his family said.

He was 88.

The cause of death was not immediately disclosed. His family said he'd been suffering from a "long illness."

"Groundbreaking TV talk show journalist Phil Donahue died Sunday night at home surrounded by his wife of 44 years Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever Charlie," his family said in a statement.

"Donahue was 88 years old and passed away peacefully following a long illness."

Phil Donahue, talk show host pioneer and husband of Marlo Thomas, dies at 88 (1)

Thomas posted to Instagram on Monday to tell her followers she'd be stepping away from her page a while to take care of herself.

She wrote that she didn't want to leave without expressing gratitude for the support she has received and the "wonderful and generous way that you've let Phil and me share our life adventure with you over the years."

"As a man who spent his career loving his audiences, Phil got such a kick out of our cozy little community here, and I know he would be very touched by the heartwarming thoughts and memories you've been sharing," Thomas wrote.

The post was an image of her and Donahue on a motorized scooter, which she described as one of her favorite photos of them together from a vacation.

Thomas told her followers that she wished them well in her absence and hoped they held those they cherished close "as I was blessed to do with my beloved Phillip."

At his peak, his nationally syndicated "The Phil Donahue Show" — later renamed "Donahue" — was a ratings hit and a precursor to similar shows with hosts Montel Williams and Jerry Springer.

Oprah Winfrey described Donahue as a trailblazer who invented smart talk in the afternoon and brought startling new ideas into the living rooms and laundry rooms of American women.

“His show debuted nationally, and the whole country came to know his personal brand of issue-driven straight talk,” Winfrey said in 2002.

“If there had been no Phil Donahue show, there would be no 'Oprah Winfrey' show. He was the first to acknowledge that women are interested in more than mascara tips and cake recipes — that we’re intelligent, we’re concerned about the world around us, and we want the best possible lives for ourselves.”

But Donahue ushering in a new wave of television happened by accident.

He first tried the audience participation format while he was taping his show in Dayton, Ohio, in 1967. The audience arrived for a variety show, which, unbeknownst to them, had been canceled, according to The New York Times.

Donahue suggested letting them watch his interview with Madalyn Murray O’Hair, then a celebrity for being an atheist. Soon, he allowed members of the audience to ask questions. Decades later, his brand of television became an industry standard that continues today.

“Phil Donahue essentially started this company and began an entire industry in daytime syndication,” Bob Turner, then president of Multimedia Entertainment, said in a statement to the Times in 1996 when Donahue announced his retirement.

Donahue was a contributor to NBC's "TODAY" show from 1979 until 1988. He returned to television in 2002 as a prime-time host on MSNBC, but his show was canceled after less than a year. (MSNBC and NBC News share the same parent company, NBCUniversal.)

Away from interviewing entertainers and touching on polarizing topics such as war and abortion, Donahue was a self-described feminist.

He became an advocate for women’s rights after he noticed how women decades ago were treated in the workplace.

“I was always proud of that,” Donahue said during a taping of NBC’s "Megyn Kelly Today" in 2017.

In the 1960s, “a boss could tell his secretary to walk around the room so he could look at her; poke her in the chest and get away with it. There was nothing she could do about it,” Donahue said during the episode.

He also noted how many women at the time didn’t host daytime talk shows, unlike now.

“It reminds me of how far we’ve come, how far women have come,” he said.

Donahue was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1993.

Phil Donahue, talk show host pioneer and husband of Marlo Thomas, dies at 88 (2)

During that ceremony, Thomas recalled how her husband put the toughest issues faced by Americans in stark and understandable language.

"He forced us to take a hard look at the real and imagined goals of the Persian Gulf War, the pros and cons of condom distribution in schools and legalized drug abuse," she said.

"He laid out the savings and loan crisis in terms so plain that anybody who had ever taken freshman math could get a grip on the ripoff."

He won nine Daytime Emmy Awards, dominating the outstanding syndicated talk show host category from the mid-1970s to the mid-’80s.

Phil Donahue, talk show host pioneer and husband of Marlo Thomas, dies at 88 (3)

President Joe Biden honored him this year with a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

The White House called him a "television pioneer," whose daytime chat show became "one of the most influential" programs of its time.

In lieu of flowers, loved ones asked for donations to be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund.

Donahue's wife and his father-in-law, Danny Thomas, have long been associated with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Donahue married Thomas in 1980, making them one of the most enduring couples in show business.

She's best known for her work on the groundbreaking sitcom "That Girl," which ran for five seasons on ABC from 1966 to 1971.

It was one of the first network shows to focus on a single woman seeking a career. More shows with that nature would follow in the 1970s and ’80s, such as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Kate and Allie."

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Phil Donahue, talk show host pioneer and husband of Marlo Thomas, dies at 88 (2024)

FAQs

Phil Donahue, talk show host pioneer and husband of Marlo Thomas, dies at 88? ›

He was 88. Donahue died Sunday night surrounded by his wife, actor Marlo Thomas, and his sister, children and grandchildren, his publicist said in a statement. He died peacefully after a long illness, the statement said, without providing additional details.

Was Phil Donahue still married to Marlo Thomas when he died? ›

Marlo Thomas thanks fans for 'beautiful messages' following death of husband Phil Donahue. The world loved Phil Donahue, and Marlo Thomas is giving that love back. Thomas, who was married to the talk show icon for over 40 years, spoke out for the first time since Donahue's death via an Instagram post Monday.

What year did Phil Donahue come out? ›

"The Phil Donahue Show" began in 1967 as a local series in Dayton, Ohio. It was syndicated nationally in 1969 and relocated to Chicago in 1974, with the show's title shortened to just "Donahue."

Where is Phil Donahue now? ›

As revealed in a statement to TODAY, Donahue passed at his Manhattan home on August 18, 2024 surrounded by his family and loved ones, including his wife of 44 years, Marlo Thomas.

Who was Phil Donahue's spouse? ›

Donahue married actress Marlo Thomas on May 21, 1980.

What did Phil Donahue pass away from? ›

Donahue died Sunday night surrounded by his wife, actor Marlo Thomas, and his sister, children and grandchildren, his publicist said in a statement. He died peacefully after a long illness, the statement said, without providing additional details.

What's the age difference between Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue? ›

What's the age difference between Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas? There was a two-year age difference. Phil Donahue was born in December 1935 and Marlo Thomas was born in November 1937.

What nationality is Marlo Thomas? ›

Margaret Julia "Marlo" Thomas (born November 21, 1937) is an American actress, producer, author, and social activist. She is best known for starring on the sitcom That Girl (1966–1971) and her children's franchise Free to Be... You and Me.

Was Marlo Thomas adopted by Danny Thomas? ›

Margaret Thomas, first nicknamed Margo and then Marlo, was born on November 21, 1937, in Deerfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. One of three children of entertainer Danny Thomas and his wife, Rosie, Marlo was raised in Beverly Hills, California.

What are the names of Phil Donahue's children? ›

Donahue married his college sweetheart, Margaret Cooney, in 1958, shortly after graduating from the University of Notre Dame. They welcomed four sons, Michael, Kevin, Daniel and James, and one daughter, Mary Rose.

Why did The Phil Donahue Show go off the air? ›

The ratings of The Phil Donahue Show continued to decline, and Donahue decided to retire rather than have the show canceled. The final episode aired on September 13, 1996.

Does Marlo Thomas own St. Jude's? ›

The daughter and eldest child of Danny Thomas, the renowned entertainer and founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Marlo proudly serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude.

How old was Troy Donahue when he died? ›

Donahue, 65, died at 6 a.m. at Saint John's Hospital in Santa Monica, according to Bob Palmer, a family friend. The actor had been admitted to the hospital Thursday after suffering a heart attack. An emergency angioplasty was successful, but Donahue then suffered a second heart attack, Palmer said.

What happened to Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette? ›

Pleshette filed for divorce in June 1964 on the grounds of mental cruelty from Donahue. She was awarded the divorce by the Superior court in Santa Monica, California. She would later state that Donahue was a "sweet, good man... [They] just were never destined to be married [and] didn't have the same values."

Who played the eldest daughter in Father Knows Best? ›

Mary Eleanor Donahue, credited as Elinor Donahue, is an American actress, best remembered today for playing the role of Betty Anderson, the eldest child of Jim and Margaret Anderson, on the 1950s American sitcom Father Knows Best.

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