Remembering Phil Donahue: The Inventor of the Talk Show

Daytime legend Sally Jessy Raphael has praised her talk show host peer Phil Donahue following his death at age 88.

Donahue died at his home following a lengthy illness on Sunday, surrounded by his family including wife Marlo Thomas.

Speaking with People, Raphael – who hosted her eponymous show from 1983 to 2002 – called Donahue the ‘inventor of the talk show’ as she commended the respect he had for his female audience.

‘He invented the whole idea of talk shows. I came next, then came Ricki Lake, then came Oprah [Winfrey], then came Jerry Springer, then came Maury Povich, then came Geraldo Rivera, then came — well, a whole lot. We were all born of Phil Donahue,’ she told the outlet.

Raphael said Donahue provided a show that interested the ‘the daytime audience’ – whom he was aware was primarily made up of women.

Daytime legend Sally Jessy Raphael has praised her talk show host peer Phil Donahue following his death at age 88; the pair pictured in 1995

‘He liked women and women knew it and that was very unusual in those days,’ Raphael said. ‘Men in those days weren’t known for liking women.’

Donahue famously met his second wife Marlo Thomas when she was a guest on his show in 1977 and Raphael said their chemistry was evident to viewers.

‘You could see he was very interested and so was she,’ he said.

Following news of Donahue’s death, Raphael tweeted: ‘This is a very sad day. I admired Phil Donahue for so many reasons, and he was one of the finest broadcasters in American television.

‘If there wasn’t a Phil, there would have never been a Sally. My thoughts & prayers go out to Marlo and their family.’

During an appearance alongside Geraldo Rivera on NewsNations’ Elizabeth Vargas Reports, Raphael re-iterated that Donahue cared about his female viewers.

Speaking about how Donahue incorporated the audience into his show, Raphael said: ‘He did more than that, he had phone calls at the beginning of the sixties and the seventies, he’d say, “Is the caller on?” And then he went into the audience. The thing about it was he liked women. And that was at a time when there weren’t many men that we thought liked us,’ she said.

She added: ‘He was indeed a natural but Geraldo was completely right – A, he invented daytime and B he invented making the audience the show,’ she said.

Speaking with People, Raphael – who hosted her eponymous show from 1983 to 2002 – called Donahue the ‘inventor of the talk show’ as she commended the respect he had for his female audience; pictured 2013

Donahue died Sunday following a lengthy illness, his family announced.

The host of The Phil Donahue Show passed away at the age of 88 while surrounded by relatives, including his actress wife Marlo, at his home.

A talk-show trailblazer, his program was the first of its kind, including now commonplace concepts like audience participation.

It ran for nearly 30 years, solidifying the onetime news reporter’s place in the annals of TV history.

Donahue had recently been awarded the presidential medal of freedom for his storied career.

She paid tribute to Donahue following news of his death on Twitter

Donahue is survived by his wife sister, children, and grandchildren, all of whom were by his side Sunday night when he passed, their statement said.

Also present was his beloved golden retriever, Charlie, as the illness he had been battling remains unknown.

His wife Marlo paid tribute to him on Instagram, sharing a sweet photo of the pair riding a motorbike together on vacation.

‘I’m sure by now you’ve heard the very sad news that I lost my sweetheart last night,’ she wrote in the caption.

‘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.

The host of The Phil Donahue Show passed away at the age of 88 while surrounded by relatives, including his actress wife Marlo, at his home

‘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.

‘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,’ she said.