Phil Donahue, the host of The Phil Donahue Show, has died after a long illness at age 88. After hearing the sad news, the first thought that crossed my mind is how he was both my first crush and inspiration to become a journalist.
The Phil Donahue Show, which aired for nearly 30 years, typically featured one guest per episode, so it is better to delve into serious issues in considerable depth. The episodes were not exploitative, and he treated his studio audience with respect. Mr. Donahue also made his way through the seats and handed the mic to audience members with questions for the guests.
Watching his show each day from my home in Chicago was a study in bold reporting, research, and questioning. So, during a college break when my friend’s father, a prominent producer at WGN-TV where The Donahue Show was taped, invited me to come to the audience, I was thrilled!
The topic was the Equal Rights Amendment, and one of the guests was ultra-conservative Phyllis Schlafly. They wanted audience members to ask her difficult questions, and I was studying journalism and women’s studies, so they felt I was perfect for the role.
This was my first time being on television and I remember it like it was yesterday – I quickly got over my stage fright, asked two questions, and received the transcript of the episode in the mail a few weeks later.
This experience on The Donahue Show cemented my resolve to get even more involved in writing about women’s rights and human rights, and as such I had the pleasure of interviewing Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Geraldine Ferraro, and Hillary Clinton. I also held college internships at the National Organization for Women, 9 to 5, AARP, and other advocacy groups that I continue to support today.
Years later, I was excited to find out that Mr. Donahue was presenting a new offering in front of a national TV writer’s group of which I was a member at the time.
On that day, I was able to get Mr. Donahue’s attention, to tell him that I missed his original TV show, and was eager to write about future endeavors. He was as kind and gracious as I had hoped that he would be and we talked for about 10 minutes before he had to move on to other press activities that day. I also bought his best-selling book the moment it was published.
As an entertainment writer, I also had the opportunity to meet and interview his wife, actor, Marlo Thomas, and I joked with her that she nabbed my first crush. She laughed and told me that I had great taste.
Mr. Donahue was a pioneer, who changed the TV talk show landscape and this king of daytime. They met when Thomas was a guest on his show.
Earlier this summer, Mr. Donahue was presented with The Medal of Honor by President Joe Biden – a fitting tribute for an iconic journalist.
Numerous celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Sally Jessy Raphael, Holly Robinson Peete, and Deborah Roberts, have expressed their sadness over the passing of this iconic man, as well as love and prayers for Mr. Donahue’s family.
A family statement reads, “Groundbreaking TV talk show journalist Phil Donahue died Sunday night at home surrounded by his wife of 44 years Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, grandchildren, and his beloved Golden Retriever Charlie. Donahue was 88 years old and passed away peacefully following a long illness.”
Mr. Donahue’s warmth, charm, ability to probe complicated topics, and respect for his audience will be sorely missed by his decades of fans and admirers, as well as his close-knit family.
I can still remember his words of encouragement the times that we met and how much all of this meant to me. Clearly, an impactful life well lived!