Sally Jessy Raphael Says Phil Donahue Had 'a Way of Understanding Women' and Relating to a Female Audience (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

(L) Sally Jessy Raphael and Phil Donahue.Photo:Ilya S. Savenok/Getty; Allen Berezovsky/Getty

Ilya S. Savenok/Getty; Allen Berezovsky/Getty

Sally Jessy Raphaelknows that the world has lost a true ally and pioneer inPhil Donahue.

“[Donahue] is known for being the inventor of the talk show,” Raphael shares. “He invented the whole idea of talk shows. I came next, then cameRicki Lake, then cameOprah [Winfrey], then cameJerry Springer, then cameMaury Povich, then cameGeraldo Rivera, then came — well, a whole lot. We were all born of Phil Donahue.”

(L) Phil Donahue and Sally Jessy Raphael.Ron Galella/Getty

Ron Galella/Getty

He also catered to “the daytime audience,” who he knew consisted mainly of women, Raphael shared. Noting how he could really “talk” as an “Irishman,” Raphael adds that “he liked women and women knew it and that was very unusual in those days.”

“Men in those days weren’t known for liking women,” she continues, recalling how his respect and admiration for women was evident on screen.

TheSallyhost also looks back on the moment when Donahuemetwith his second wifeMarlo Thomas. During the segment, where Thomas was promoting her movieThieves,the two seemed to hit it off instantly and they later tied the knot in 1980.

Courtesy of the Donahue Family

“You could see it on the screen,” Raphael says of their instant chemistry. “You could see he was very interested and so was she.”

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The statement noted he “passed away peacefully following a long illness.”

In lieu of flowers, his family members requested donations be made toSt. Jude Children’s Research Hospitalor the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund.

source: people.com