It’s been more than a year since the passing of legendary talk show host Phil Donahue, and his widow Marlo Thomas is opening up about how she’s been processing her grief.
‘I miss him a lot,’ the 88 year-old actress said while appearing on the Today show Tuesday.
Thomas made reference to the show’s Sheinelle Jones, who tragically lost her husband Uche Ojeh to brain cancer at the age of 45 this past May.
‘I’m doing well – I’m like Sheinelle,’ said Thomas, who works as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s national outreach director. Jones called Thomas her ‘earth angel,’ to which Thomas thanked her.
The That Girl star appeared Tuesday, more than 15 months after the influential TV pioneer died on August 18, 2024.
Donahue passed away ‘with Thomas, his children, his grandchildren, his sister and his dog by his side,’ a statement to the NBC morning show at the time read.
Phil Donahue’s widow Marlo Thomas, 88, is opening up about how she’s processed her grief in the period since his passing. Pictured in July 2024
The influential TV pioneer died August 18, 2024. Pictured in May 2024
Thomas made her the first television appearance since losing her spouse on Monday to unveil a brand new space at St. Jude’s Research Center; she had only made one public appearance since then.
Thomas returned to TV on Monday to showcase the hospital’s new Family Commons.
The area is a space where young patients can play, make art, music, and get their hair and nails done.
Thomas is the daughter of St. Jude’s founder Danny Thomas and has been serving as the hospital’s National Outreach Director.
Thomas did a tour of the space, describing how they have filled the center with everything their young patients need to momentarily forget about their health battle and feel like a child again.
‘It was actually thought of by the parents and the children,’ Thomas said. ‘What are they missing? A place to play, a place to do art, a place to play music. And even, we have a beauty salon! Because hair is very important to kids.’
Thomas continued, ‘The children are so scheduled, what the art does in terms of healing, it gives them back control; anything they want, they can even paint on the walls!’
‘Our main goal is to save a child’s life. And after that, give them back a quality of life,’ she said. ‘We’re trying to give them back their childhood.’
Marlo Thomas has unveiled a brand new space at St. Jude’s Research Center in her first TV appearance since the death of her husband Phil Donahue
Thomas lost her husband, Phil Donahue, last year; pictured 2020
The space is also off-limits to doctors: ‘There are no doctors here, no nurses, no medicine – this is playtime.’
While the Today appearance marks the first time she has appeared on small screens since the death of her spouse, she has slowly returned to the spotlight since then.
In May, she attended the Family Equality’s Night at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City – her first appearance since Donahue’s passing.
At the time, Thomas wrote on Instagram: ‘I’m sure by now you’ve heard the very sad news that I lost my sweetheart last night.
‘I know you understand that I’ll be stepping away from this page for a while to take care of myself and the many people who took care of Phil, and held him close to their hearts.
‘But I didn’t want to disappear without saying thank you for the beautiful messages of love and support that have been coming in all day,’ the 86-year-old actress disclaimed.
‘[A]nd for the wonderful and generous way that you’ve let Phil and me share our life adventure with you over the years.’
She continued: ‘As a man who spent his career loving his audiences, Phil got such a kick out of our cozy little community [on social media], and I know he would be very touched by the heartwarming thoughts and memories you’ve been sharing.
Thomas returned to small screens on Monday to showcase the hospital’s new Family Commons
The That Girl star is the daughter of St. Jude’s founder Danny Thomas and has been serving as the hospital’s National Outreach Director
‘Until I return, I wish you good health and happy days in the company of family and friends, and I hope that you will continue to hold close those you cherish most, just as I was blessed to do with my beloved Phillip,’ Donahue’s second wife said.
‘Love, Marlo,’ she went on to sign, while sharing a vintage photo of the pair on a European holiday.
‘P.S. This is one of my favorite photos of Phil and me,’ she wrote. ‘[T]aken on vacation.’
Countless comments offering words of consolation ensued, for a woman who had been married to Donahue for the past 44 years.
The pair actually met on the set of his program back in 1977 – with Donahue the host and Thomas his guest.
Donahue and Thomas pictured in May of 1985 at an event in LA
The two would go on to wed just three years later, following ‘instant chemistry’ felt by Thomas with the TV talker, she revealed in a 2015 post to Gacebook.
‘Phil and I met on his talk show, ‘Donahue,’ in 1977,’ Thomas, who continues to act and produce to this day, wrote at the time.
‘He flirted, I giggled, and his TV audience watched us fall in love.’
The couple would then marry in 1980.
