Oprah Winfrey Declares 'There Wouldn't Have Been an Oprah Show Without Phil Donahue' in Tribute to Talk Show Legend

Mar. 15, 2025

(L-R) Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey.Photo:ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy

ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy

After Donahuedied at the age of 88 on Sunday, Aug. 18, friends and fans remembered him for being a trailblazer in the talk show world.

Winfrey was among those who remembered the journalist in a sweet statement to PEOPLE, crediting him for her own success.

“There wouldn’t have been anOprah Showwithout Phil Donahue being the first to prove that daytime talk and women watching should be taken seriously,” she wrote. “He was a pioneer. I’m glad I got to thank him for it.”

“Rest in peace Phil,” she concluded.

Winfrey also took to Instagram to share the same statement, posting it alongside a black-and-white photo of the two embracing.

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Although his exact cause of death was not revealed, the statement, which was also shared with PEOPLE, explained that the journalist “passed away peacefully following a long illness.”

With its hour-long episodes,The Phil Donahue Showaddressed issues such as child abuse in the Catholic Church, feminism and race relations. It also was the first show to cultivate an interaction between the in-studio audience and the host, allowing audience members to ask questions.

“One day, I just went out in the audience, and it’s clear there would be noDonahueshow if I hadn’t somehow accidentally brought in the audience,” Donahue previously said.

Phil Donahue blows a kiss to Oprah Winfrey as she presents him with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 23rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in New York Wednesday, May 22, 1996.AP Photo/Ron Frehm

AP Photo/Ron Frehm

The show, later renamedDonahue,relocated to Chicago in 1974 and continued with its success.

By 1985,Donahuewas set in New York City, shooting out of the iconic 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Throughout his career, Donahue won 20 Emmy Awards (10 for outstanding host and 10 for the talk show itself), which paved the way for other daytime hosts likeGeraldo Rivera,Sally Jesse Raphael,Ricki Lake,Montel WilliamsandWinfrey— whose show, like Donahue’s, had roots in Chicago.

source: people.com