Legendary talk show host Phil Donahue died yesterday at the age of 88 following a long illness. He was called the “king of daytime talk” and his show was the first to feature a format that included audience participation.
Donahue started his career in 1957 as a production assistant at KYW radio and television in Cleveland. He became a stringer for the CBS Evening News and an anchor of the morning newscast at WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio.
In January 1970, The Phil Donahue Show entered national syndication. He’d regularly discuss hot-button issues and over the years interviewed everyone from John Wayne and Muhammed Ali to Ronald Reagan and Farrah Fawcett. Ralph Nader was his most frequent guest, and Donahue even campaigned for him in 2000.
As the ’90s progressed, the talk show format became increasingly saturated, with popular shows hosted by Oprah Winfrey, Sally Jessy Raphael, and Montel Williams, among others. As the ratings of The Phil Donahue Show declined, Donahue decided to retire rather than have the show canceled. So after 29 years and nearly 7,000 episodes, the final episode aired on September 13, 1996.
Donahue was married to Marlo Thomas, who he met when she was a guest on his show in 1977. Over the course of his broadcasting career, Donahue received 20 Emmy Awards. He received a Peabody Award in 1980 and just this year was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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