The iconic host took on a bevy of controversial topics on his show, which reinvented the daytime talk show format.
People.com has just reported that daytime talk show host icon Phil Donahue has passed away at the age of 88. In a statement provided by his family, they confirmed that Donahue had “died in his home surrounded by his family including his wife of 44 years — actress Marlo Thomas — as well as his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie.” The statement also confirmed that he had “passed away peacefully following a long illness.” The family also requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund.
Those of you who grew up in the 90s probably caught the tail-end of his famous talk show Donahue, which he created and hosted as it evolved from the local series The Phil Donahue Show from Dayton, Ohio, in 1967 to the New York City institution, which concluded in September of 1996.
His show would gather viewers by hitting the hard topics that broadcast television would seldom devote time and discussion to. These issues would include child abuse in the Catholic Church, feminism and race relations. His show would also institute the groundbreaking practice of having members from his audience ask questions to the guests in order to gain more perspective and clarity. In 1974, Donahue blazed the trail to this famous daytime talk show format when he moved his show from Dayton to Chicago.
Ron Weiner, the former director of Donahue, had told WGN in 2023, “When Phil came to Chicago, he found his most important element — the Chicago studio audience. From that point, the program really took off.” In that story, Donahue himself added, “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’s format would give way to shows like Oprah, in which the famous host would acknowledge in a September 2002 issue of O Magazine, “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.”
Donahue’s career would include an incredible win of 20 Emmy Awards and his popular format was carried on with hosts like Oprah Winfrey, Geraldo Rivera, Ricki Lake, Sally Jesse Raphael and Montel Williams. The format would also receive a sensationalistic makeover when The Jerry Springer Show brought a new kind of crude action and excitement to the format.