Phil Donahue, host of the “Phil Donahue Show,” dies at the age of 88
Phil Donahue, host of the “Phil Donahue Show,” has died at the age of 88. With over 6,000 episodes on current social issues, he revolutionized daytime television.
Television icons pay tribute to legendary broadcaster Phil Donahue.
After the death of the former host of the “Phil Donahue Show” was confirmed by a family spokesman on Monday, Oprah Winfrey honored him for paving the way for her own success.
“There would have been no Oprah show if Phil Donahue hadn’t been the first to prove that daytime talk and women’s shows should be taken seriously,” Winfrey wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of the two together. “He was a pioneer. I’m glad I was able to thank him for that. Rest in peace, Phil.”
Donahue hosted his influential talk show from 1967 to 1996, in which the studio audience could also participate.
Winfrey previously said that while Donahue “didn’t invent talking to people on television, he did it better than anyone before him” and that “all of us who came after Phil Donahue owe him an enormous debt.”
TV veterans Katie Couric, Ricki Lake and Montel Williams honor Phil Donahue
Journalist Katie Couric said on Instagram she was “so sad” to hear the news of Donahue’s death, while longtime Fox News commentator Geraldo Rivera said on X that the loss “deeply saddens me.”
“He was a hero, a talk show pioneer who inspired me to try my hand at the genre he invented,” Rivera wrote. “What a historic figure.”
He added: “He was the most important talk show host of all time. He recognized that the daytime television audience was underserved. He thought about the housewives and gave them a path to the rest of the world. A giant has left us.”
Television presenter Ricki Lake also said on Instagram that she would “raise her glass in honor” of Donahue.
“Phil was an absolute legend and a pioneer in the talk show world,” she wrote, adding, “It was such an honor to stand next to him on Oprah’s show in 2010 celebrating talk show icons. Such a warm, super supportive and brilliant man. I am grateful for the path he paved and the legacy he left behind. May he rest in peace.”
His talk show colleague Montel Williams said Donahue was the “godfather of the genre” and “broke barriers by engaging audiences on pressing issues and setting a standard that many of us aspire to live up to.”
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A family spokesperson told USA TODAY that Donahue died after a long illness and was surrounded by his family and “his beloved golden retriever Charlie.”
Contributors: Bryan Alexander
