Phil Donahue, the pioneering talk show host who changed the face of daytime television, died Sunday night, August 18, 2024 at his home, surrounded by his family. He was 88. According to media reports, Donahue passed away peacefully after a prolonged illness, with his wife, children, grandchildren, sister, and beloved golden retriever, Charlie, by his side.
Donahue, best known for “The Phil Donahue Show,” was a trailblazer in the talk show format, having created a show that featured live audience participation and tackled taboo topics long before they were mainstream. His groundbreaking show aired from 1967 to 1996, spanning 26 years and over 6,000 episodes. It became the first nationally syndicated talk show in 1970.
Donahue’s show gained attention for discussing controversial subjects like abortion, homosexuality, and feminism during a period when few others ventured into such topics. A journalist from Newsweek once noted that Donahue seemed to favor guests like an interracial lesbian couple who had a child through artificial insemination. His openness to addressing these challenging issues helped make him a well-known figure and earned him a devoted following.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1935, Donahue began his career in radio before moving to television. His approach to involving his audience in discussions, rather than just presenting them with interviews, set his show apart and made it one of the most popular daytime programs of its time.
Donahue’s influence on television persisted even after Oprah Winfrey took the daytime ratings crown in the mid-1980s. Reflecting on Oprah’s success, Donahue said, “It’s just not possible to overstate the enormousness of her impact on the daytime television game. It was staggering.”
Over the course of his career, Donahue won numerous Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award. His final broadcast came in 1996 when he retired after nearly three decades on the air. Winfrey herself presented him with a Lifetime Achievement award, recognizing his lasting contribution to television.
Though Donahue retired from his show, he briefly returned to TV in 2002, hosting a short-lived show on MSNBC. Even in retirement, Donahue remained active in media, co-directing the documentary “Body of War” in 2007, which focused on a wounded Iraq war veteran.
In May 2024, President Joe Biden honored Phil Donahue with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. During the ceremony, Biden recognized Donahue as a transformative figure in television, acknowledging his pioneering efforts in reshaping daytime talk shows and his significant contributions to the landscape of American media. Donahue’s work on “The Phil Donahue Show” was highlighted as a groundbreaking achievement influencing many future talk show formats.
Oprah Winfrey has often credited Phil Donahue with paving the way for her career. She expressed that her show wouldn’t have existed without Donahue, as he was the first to demonstrate that daytime talk and its predominantly female audience deserved to be taken seriously. Oprah acknowledged Donahue as a pioneer in the television industry, and she was grateful to have had the chance to thank him for his influence on her success.
Donahue is survived by his wife, actress Marlo Thomas, 86, and his children, Michael, Daniel, Kevin, and Mary Rose, whom he shared with his first wife, Margaret Cooney. His son Jim passed away in 2014 due to an aortic aneurysm.
In place of flowers, Donahue’s family has requested donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund, two causes close to his heart.