Phil Donahue, the 'King of the American Talk Show', dies...He was 88 years old

Talk show pioneers, abortion, race, etc

9 Emmy Awards...Oprah Winfrey "Without Donahue, there would be no Oprah show"
Phil Donahue, a famous American talk show host, died at his home in Manhattan, New York, on Wednesday (local time). He was 88.


The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 19th that Donahue died of a chronic illness at a family gathering the day before.


Donahue hosted "The Feel Donahue Show," the first daytime program involving audiences, from 1967 to 1996, when he was 29 years old. He focused his attention by asking aggressive questions to guests, walking around the studio and communicating directly with the audience.


The Donahue show was very popular as it dealt with sensitive topics such as abortion, racial relations, and gender revolution, which were taboo, unlike the daytime program, which was a drama, game show, and lyrics program aimed at women who were the main audience at the time. In 1988, for the first time in the history of the talk show, the show dealt with sexual abuse against children in the Catholic Church.


In addition, the Donahue show covered a variety of socially hot issues at the time, including feminism, homosexuality, consumer protection, and citizenship. In 1979, People magazine called the Donahue show a "national forum for American housewives."


His new hosting method, which differentiated him from the previously standardized talk shows, has had a lot of influence on other TV talk shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show since then. Oprah Winfrey, the "Queen of Talk Shows," said, "Without Phil Donahue, there would be no Oprah show."


Donahue received nine Daytime Emmy Awards as the host of the best talk show. In May, President Joe Biden presented Donahue with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor. At the time, President Biden said, "Donahue led the discourse of the country through thousands of everyday conversations."


U.S. entertainment media Variety cited the non-threatening paternal image, bonding with a female audience and a sharp, non-aggressive interview style as the popularity factors of the Donahue show. In 1980, he received the Peabody Award, which is considered the most prestigious award in the U.S. broadcasting industry, amid the evaluation that "the ability to ask difficult questions and natural honesty stand out without causing unpleasantness."


However, Donahue announced his retirement in the late 1980s, losing ground to programs by latecomers including Oprah Winfrey. The Donahue Show aired about 7,000 episodes until its end in 1996. After his retirement, Donahue resumed broadcasting activities on MSNBC in 2002.


In a statement, the deceased's family asked for donations to St. Jude Children's Hospital or the Phil Donahue and Notre Dame Scholarship Foundation instead of artificial flowers.