Pioneering talk show host Phil Donahue passed away Sunday (Aug. 18) evening. He was 88 years old.
His family confirmed the news to Today, stating he passed away in his home following a “long illness.” Donahue was surrounded by his wife of 44 years, actress Marlo Thomas, as well as his sister, children, grandchildren, and his dog, Charlie.
Donahue began helming his self-titled talk show series in 1967, when it began as a morning interview program in Dayton, Ohio, according to Variety. The show later moved to Chicago where it became the first series to feature audience participation and invite audience members to ask questions. It later became known as Donahue in 1974, after which the show hit its stride and was broadcast on more than 200 stations before it ended in 1996 in New York City.
“One day, I just went out in the audience, and it’s clear there would be no Donahue show if I hadn’t somehow accidentally brought in the audience,” he told WGN-TV in 2023.
The show highlighted divisive political issues, including abortion, civil rights, religion, and more, with celebrity guests.
Donahue became known for hitting hot-button issues. He landed Nelson Mandela’s first talk show appearance from Lusaka, Zambia, after he was released from prison. He also taped five episodes in the Soviet Union in 1987, before later hosting a debate between Bill Clinton and Jerry Brown Jr.
He became known as the “king of daytime talk” for pioneering the hour-long talk show format.
“If there had been no Phil Donahue show, there would be no Oprah Winfrey Show,” Oprah Winfrey wrote in a 2002 issue of O, the Oprah Magazine. “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.”
He married Thomas after they met when she appeared as a guest on his talk show in 1977. Thomas shared a photo of them together on his show in 2015, writing, “It was instant chemistry. He flirted, I giggled, and his TV audience watched us fall in love.”
Earlier this year, she shared another photo of them just “a few months” after they first met. “Sparks continued to fly! They still do! How lucky are we?!” she wrote.
After Donahue, he made a handful of appearances in television, often appearing as himself. In 2007, he wrote, directed and produced the Oscar-nominated documentary Body of War.
Donahue earned 20 Emmy Awards throughout his career in television, including 10 for Outstanding Talk Show Host and 10 for The Phil Donahue Show. He also received a Peabody Award in 1980.
This past May, Donahue was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House by President Joe Biden.
Donahue is survived by Thomas and his four children, from his first marriage.