By: Suman
Phil Donahue, known as the "King of Daytime Talk," passed away on Sunday, August 18, at the age of 88.
Donahue began his media career in the late 1950s. He launched his groundbreaking talk show, The Phil Donahue Show, in 1967 in Dayton, Ohio.
Donahue moved his show to Chicago in 1974, where he found his niche by involving the studio audience.
He was the first American talk show host to broadcast from the Soviet Union and conducted a historic interview with Nelson Mandela in 1990.
Over the years, Donahue interviewed a wide range of celebrities, from musicians to politicians, and won 20 Emmy Awards for his work.
After the final taping of his show in 1996, Donahue returned to TV briefly in 2002 with a new program on MSNBC.
Donahue married Marlo Thomas in 1980 after they met on his talk show. The couple co-authored a book on marriage in 2020 and shared their secrets to a happy relationship. In 2023,
In May 2024, Donahue was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden, recognizing his contributions to American media and culture.