After leading a full and inspiring life, Phil Donahue passed away on August 18, 2024, Sunday, at the age of 88. His publicist confirmed Phil Donahue’s death through a statement but did not mention the exact cause of death saying that the TV host was battling with a “long illness” and was alongside “his wife of 44 years Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever Charlie” at the time of his death.
Phil Donahue’s Early Life
Phil Donahue led a full life and a “Normal Rockwell Type” in his own words. He was born on December 21, 1935. His father worked towards selling furniture to help run the home’s expenses while his mom looked after their home.
He went to Catholic schools and even served as an altar boy. He then opted for a business administration degree at the University of Notre Dame. Along with his studies, he also worked as an entry-level assistant at a small radio station. After graduating in 1957, he joined a radio station in Cleveland, KYW radio, and replaced an announcer while he was on leave.
Then, in 1958 he went on to work for another radio station in Adrian. It was at this job that Phil discovered his love for journalism.
A Look At Phil Donahue’s Career
In 1967, Phil Donahue’s career as a daytime tv host really began and it was every bit magnificent. It was in this year that he began “The Phil Donahue Show” in Dayton, Ohio which was aired on a national level three years later. It started with him hosting Madalyn Murray O’Hair, an atheist and one of the most hated women in the US. Phil continued opting for controversial topics for his first week and even included a video of childbirth.
Furthermore, during Phil Donahue’s first day as a TV host, the station brought in a studio audience. However, this studio audience was called based on the variety show that was about to take place and was replaced by Phil’s talk show. Nonetheless, Phil decided that he was going to let the audience stay and even went out of his way, chatting with them during breaks and understanding their point of view. Then, one day during his talk show he decided to get up and walk into the audience to get their point of view on air making his show stand out and creating a whole new way for talk show hosts to conduct their shows.
In 1974, he relocated the show from Ohio to Chicago and stayed there for nearly ten years building his career. During this time, he even used CBS Chicago’s studios as the home base for his newly renamed “Donahue” show gaining a massive fanbase.
By 1985, he decided that it was time to move and shifted the show to New York.
Throughout his career, Phil interviewed several people from Muhammad Ali and Nelson Mandel to Jimmy Carter and Mel Brooks. He had even invited his wife, Marlo Thomas, for an interview but little did they know that they would be spending the rest of their lives together.
Then, in 1995, New York’s WNBC decided to let go of Phil Donahue and his talk show as it was unable to get the desired ratings. Finally, on September 13, 1996, Phil’s last episode aired with it being the end of an era.
At the time, Oprah Winfrey came out in support of Phil and paid a tribute to his long career by saying, “Phil really opened the door to this genre, and for that, I am grateful. I have said from the very first day of my show, if there hadn’t been a Phil, there wouldn’t have been a me.”
Moreover, Phil Donahue was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1993 owing to his long career and his contributions to the entertainment industry.
Phil Donahue Gets Awarded With The Presidential Medal of Freedom
Just sometime before Phil Donahue death, Phil Donahue got awarded the presidential medal of freedom by President Biden this year during a White House ceremony. While giving Phil the award, the President spoke about the TV host’s long career and how impactful it had remained over the years. He said, “He helped change hearts and minds through honest and open dialogue. And over the course of a defining career in television and through thousands of daily conversations, Phil Donahue steered the nation’s discourse and spoke to our better angels.”
Today, even after Phil Donahue death no one can ever deny his major role in women empowerment and helping daytime TV shows evolve through the years. After all, he worked as a host for 29 years and released around 6000 episodes which helped him bag several awards.
