Phil Donahue, the iconic daytime talk show host, passed away peacefully at 88 on August 18, surrounded by his family, including his wife of 44 years, Marlo Thomas.
Starting his media career in the late 1950s, Donahue revolutionized talk shows with The Phil Donahue Show, which went national in 1970. Known for tackling controversial topics and allowing audience participation, his approach influenced future talk show hosts like Oprah Winfrey.
Throughout his career, Donahue earned 20 Emmy Awards and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His family requests donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund in his memory.
Phil Donahue is a pioneering American media personality best known for creating and hosting The Phil Donahue Show, also known simply as Donahue. The show, which ran from 1967 to 1996, was the first talk show format to feature audience participation, where guests and viewers could interact directly. This format had a huge influence on the talk show genre and paved the way for hosts like Oprah Winfrey and others.
Donahue is known for his progressive views and for tackling controversial and socially relevant topics on his show, such as civil rights, feminism, war, and religion—often giving a platform to voices that were underrepresented in mainstream media.
In addition to his talk show career, Phil Donahue has been active in political and social commentary. He co-directed the 2007 documentary Body of War, which follows an Iraq War veteran and critiques the U.S. invasion of Iraq.