Phil Donahue, the TV journalist and personality behind the legendary “Phil Donahue Show,” died on Sunday, his family confirmed in a statement to People.
He was 88.
Donahue’s pioneering talk show, which ran from 1967 to 1996, drew huge audiences — and tackled contentious topics like race relations, sexual politics, abortion, incest, child abuse in the Catholic Church, and LGBTQ+ issues. While also having on the biggest names in Hollywood and politics.
Donahue’s show was so controversial that a Newsweek writer once wrote, “One sometimes suspects that Donahue’s idea of the perfect guest is an interracial lesbian couple who had a child by artificial insemination,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Donahue’s cutting-edge show was also the first to take questions directly from audience members, which he seamlessly weaved into his hour-long broadcast.
“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-TV — the network that hosted his show from 1974 to 1982 — last year.
It was a groundbreaking style that helped mold the talk show format. Donahue’s hit show would become the foundation for future popular hosts like Geraldo Rivera, Jerry Springer, and even Oprah Winfrey.
“He’s basically the father of the modern talk show,” Steve Novak, a longtime director and producer at WGN-TV, also told the network in 2023.
Donahue is survived by his wife of 44 years, actor Marlo Thomas, as well as his sister, children, grandchildren, and his golden retriever Charlie, his family said in a statement to People.
