Entertainment

TV Pioneer Phil Donahue Dies at 88

EntertainmentPhil Donahue, who ruled daytime talk for years until Oprah overtook him, left a lasting imprintAndrew Dalton
Associated Press
Published: August 19, 2024 at 11:01 PMUpdated: August 20, 2024 at 4:46 PMTags: Oprah Winfrey, Marlo Thomas, Phil Donahue, U.S. news, EntertainmentFull Screen1 / 8AP1993
FILE – Phil Donahue hosts his television show in New York on Jan. 27, 1993. Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died. He was 88. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
LOS ANGELES – For nearly two decades, Phil Donahue was virtually the only TV talk show host to roam his audience with microphone and make them an essential part of his show.
His huge cultural influence — especially with the women who tended to watch television during the day in his era — finally led to a flock of cultural imitators in the 1980s, including one who would eventually knock him off his perch.
Recommended Videos
“For a long time I wondered why it took so long for..

Read more