Phil Donahue, legendary talk show host, dead at 88

Phil Donahue, the legendary daytime talk show host, is dead. He was 88.

Donahue died “peacefully” at his home Sunday, August 18, following a long illness. He was surrounded by his wife of 44 years, Marlo Thomas, as well as “his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie,” according to a statement shared with Today.

Born in 1935, Donahue began his career in media in the late 1950s. After working as a local reporter in his native Ohio, Donahue launched his eponymous talk show. It initially aired on a local CBS affiliate before changing to a local NBC affiliate in Dayton, Ohio in 1967. Three years later it was picked up for syndication and aired around the country.

The Phil Donahue Show, later changed to Donahue, paved the way for future daytime talk shows.

Donahue’s show was the first to allow audience members to question guests.

“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,” Donahue told WGN in an interview.

In addition to paving the way for other daytime hosts such as Oprah Winfrey and Sally Jesse Raphael, Donahue won 20 Emmy Awards and most recently was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Biden.

Donahue’s family requested in lieu of flowers donations be made to to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund.

Phil Donahue, we will miss you. Thank you for all your contributions to daytime television. May you rest in peace.

Related Posts

❤️ Alan Jackson stepped away from the microphone and waved for his wife, Denise, to join him on stage. They shared a sweet kiss as they slow danced to “Remember When.” Watch-in-comments!👇

Headlining the opening night of the two-day event in front of a crowded crowd, Alan Jackson brought pure country energy to the Two Step Inn music festival…

MY HUSBAND MOCKED ME, CALLING ME “FAT” IN MY NEW DRESS – I DECIDED TO TEACH HIM A LESSON HE’LL NEVER FORGET. For the past few years, I’ve been struggling with my weight. No matter what I did, those extra pounds just wouldn’t budge! The thing is, I’m a pastry chef, and you can imagine that tasting everything is part of the job. And my husband, Bryce… well, he didn’t make things any easier. Most women hope for support from their partner, but mine never missed a chance to mock me. When I put on my new dress, he said, “TAKE IT OFF! BUY YOURSELF A GYM MEMBERSHIP.” And then he called his friends and laughed, making jokes about my weight, and thinking I couldn’t hear. But the final straw was when I finally managed to drag him to an important culinary event, and he had the nerve to flirt with another woman right in front of me! When I confronted them, he simply said, “THIS IS HOW A WOMAN SHOULD LOOK IN A DRESS. GO AWAY!” He continued to laugh with her. My heart shattered into tiny pieces, but I knew I wouldn’t tolerate it any longer. I’d had enough. He would pay for all the humiliation because I had an ace up my sleeve.👇

For years, my husband made fun of my weight. I often turned to food to deal with the problems in our marriage. One day, he crossed the…

Gen-Z does not like ‘passive aggressive’ thumbs up emoji Check the 1st comment 👇👇

Gen-Z has a lot of differences from the generations before them. And we might not understand all of them, but it might do well for us to…

In a heartwarming and highly anticipated announcement, Greg Gutfeld, the ever-charismatic host of Gutfeld! on Fox News, has surprised his audience and co-host, Kat Timpf, with the exciting news of her return to the network. After months of speculation and eager anticipation from fans, Kat will be making her grand comeback to Fox News soon, and the announcement has created a wave of excitement across the media landscape.👇👇

As part of the announcement, Fox News has planned a special segment to celebrate Timpf’s return. The segment will feature highlights from her time on the show,…

How Many Circles Do You See – Your Answer Reveals What Your Anger Means😮🤔👉 Check the first comment

In the vast sea of social media content, memes, and viral posts, few topics intrigue people as much as quick, eye-catching “personality tests.” You might have scrolled…

I TOOK MY NEPHEW TO THE FARM TO TEACH HIM A LESSON—BUT HE ENDED UP TEACHING ME ONE My sister begged me to watch her kid while she flew out for a work trip. “Just a few days,” she said. “Take him to the farm. Show him something real.” So I packed up little Reuben—eleven, pale as milk, hair like corn silk—and drove him out to my place in the valley. No screens. No Wi-Fi. Just goats, chickens, and the kind of silence that makes city folks twitchy. He didn’t complain, but he had this look like he’d been dropped into a museum that smelled like poop. Day one, I made him muck stalls. Day two, we mended a busted fence in the back pasture. I kept telling him, “This is good for you. Builds grit.” He just nodded and tried to keep up, dragging his little boots through the mud. Then on day three, something shifted. I saw him crouched by the chicken coop, whispering to one of the hens like they were old friends. I asked what he was doing, and he said, “She’s the only one who doesn’t yell at me when I mess up.” That hit me right in the chest. Later that evening, I found him by the barn, feeding the runt goat we usually ignore. He’d named her “Marshmallow.” Said she was the only one who looked lonelier than he felt. I asked, “Why do you feel lonely?” And he looked at me, eyes all full of something he hadn’t figured out how to say yet. That night, I called my sister and asked some questions I probably should’ve asked years ago. But the real moment—the one I still can’t shake—was what I found in the shed the next morning. He’d written something on a scrap of wood and nailed it above the door, right where we all would see it. It said—⬇️

My sister begged me to watch her kid while she flew out for a work trip. “Just a few days,” she said. “Take him to the farm….