Phil Donahue: Marlo Thomas shares heartbreaking tribute to TV talk show legend

Actress Marlo Thomas has told of her devastation after losing her husband of 44 years, TV talk show legend Phil Donahue.

Phil Donahue’s wife has paid tribute to her late husband of 44 years after the TV talk show legend’s death.

Donahue, who paved the way for Oprah Winfrey and others to follow with his cutting edge talk show, died aged 88 following a long illness, surrounded by his wife, his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie.

Marlo Thomas, who famously played Jennifer Aniston’s mum, Sandra Green, in Friends, met Donahue when she was a guest on his talk show in 1977 and the couple married in 1980.

Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas were married for 44 years. Picture: Getty Images

Marlo Thomas played Jennifer Aniston’s mother on Friends. Picture: Danny Feld/NBCU Photo Bank

Thomas posted a lengthy tribute on Instagram with a throwback photo of the couple riding a Vespa during what appeared to be an Italian holiday.

“I’m sure by now you’ve heard the very sad news that I lost my sweetheart last night,” she wrote.

“So I know you understand that I’ll be stepping away from this page for a while to take care of myself and the many people who took care of Phil, and held him close to their hearts.

Marlo Thomas posted a tribute to husband Phil Donahue with a throwback happy snap from a holiday in Italy. Picture: Instagram/Marlo Thomas

“But I didn’t want to disappear without saying thank you for the beautiful messages of love and support that have been coming in all day, and for the wonderful and generous way that you’ve let Phil and me share our life adventure with you over the years.

Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas first met on his talk show in 1977. Picture: Getty Images

“As a man who spent his career loving his audiences, Phil got such a kick out of our cozy little community here, and I know he would be very touched by the heartwarming thoughts and memories you’ve been sharing.”

Phil Donahue, the pioneering former host of The Phil Donahue Show, has died. Picture: AFP

In recent years, Thomas recalled that her first meeting with Donahue was “love at first sight”.

“Something chemical happened,” Thomas said on Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2021.

Donahue was first married to Margaret Cooney from 1958 to 1975. They had five children together: Michael, Kevin, Daniel, Mary Rose and James.

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. He also interviewed some of the biggest names in Hollywood and politics.

He even danced with Princess Diana during the royal’s 1996 trip to the US, a year before she died.

Phil Donahue danced with Princess Diana during her 1996 US tour, the year before she died. Picture: Supplied

In a statement posted to Instagram, Winfrey paid tribute to the TV icon.

“There wouldn’t have been an Oprah Show without Phil Donahue being the first to prove that daytime talk and women watching should be taken seriously,” Winfrey said. “He was a pioneer. I’m glad I got to thank him for it. Rest in peace, Phil.”

Oprah Winfrey said “there wouldn’t have been an Oprah show without Phil Donahue”. Picture: Supplied

“One sometimes suspects that Donahue’s idea of the perfect guest is an interracial lesbian couple who had a child by artificial insemination,” a Newsweek writer once wrote.

And Donahue’s show was largely responsible for introducing Australian audiences to daytime US talk shows, proving hugely popular when it aired on Network 10 in the 1980s and 1990s.

Donahue was the ratings king until 1985, when Oprah Winfrey launched her own talk show. “It’s just not possible to overstate the enormousness of her impact on the daytime television game,” he said. “It was staggering.” (She would dethrone him from the top of the ratings in 1987.)

The Phil Donahue Show ended in September 1996 after 29 years.

US President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Phil Donahue in May, just three months before his death. Picture: AFP

Donahue won 20 Emmy Awards, 10 for outstanding host and 10 for the talk show itself, for his game-changing work in television.

“We grew up with the feminist movement, the consumer movement, the gay rights movement, we grew up with the anti-war movement, with the environmental movement,” Donahue said in an interview in 2001.

“The last part of the 20th century, the time in which I was able to go out there in public on television and feature the people who had the most to say about these very compelling issues, had my name on it.”

In 2002, Donahue returned to TV to host a new talk show called simply, Donahue. The show was cancelled in 2003. Donahue went on to co-direct and produce the 2007 documentary film Body of War, about Iraq War veteran Tomas Young.

Just three months before his death, Donahue was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by US President Joe Biden.

The former host of The Phil Donahue Show got emotional as he was given the prestigious honour at the White House on May 3.

Thomas, who received her own Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2014, was there for her husband’s ceremony.

Phil Donahue was known for roaming through his audience and asking them questions during his show. Picture: Supplied

Donahue and Thomas talked about their marriage in an interview with People published in May.

“Being forced to quarantine during the pandemic taught us how great it was to slow down and hang out, but then the hectic schedule started again,” said Thomas.

Phil Donahue changed the face of daytime television. Picture: Supplied

“So we’re determined to get back to a slower pace, and that means curling up on the couch in front of the TV with a big bowl of popcorn. I like to call it ‘Netflix and Phil,’” she added.

In that same interview, Donahue conceded that he “occasionally” missed doing his beloved talk show.

“Sometimes I’ll shout my question to a guest on the screen and hope they’ll somehow hear me,” the TV icon said. “But to be honest, even though the medium has changed a bit — the sets are fancier, the productions are slicker, and the hosts are thankfully more diverse — all of the talk shows still cleave to the one thing that laid at the foundation of the 7,000 episodes I taped, and that’s curiosity.”

He continued, “I still believe that, despite our differences, we’re all part of this sprawling global family, and we just need to get to know each other, so that we can share the world together.”

Originally published as Phil Donahue: Marlo Thomas shares heartbreaking tribute to TV talk show legend