See the Moment Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas Had 'Instant Chemistry' on Talk Show: 'You Are Wonderful'

Mar. 15, 2025

Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas: The moment they met.Photo:Courtesy of the Donahue Family

Courtesy of the Donahue Family

Phil DonahueandMarlo Thomashad quite the love story.

“I met Phil on the Donahue Show in 1977 - instant chemistry!” Thomas captioned a video of the episode on her YouTube channel in 2012.

During the segment, where Thomas was promoting her movieThieves,the two seemed to hit it off instantly.

“You are really fascinating,” Donahue said to Thomas as he grabbed her hand.

“You are wonderful,” she replied. “I said it when we were off the air and I want to say, you are loving and generous and you like women and it’s a pleasure.”

She added, not knowing they would be tying the knot just three years later, “Whoever is the woman in your life is very lucky.”

Donahue pointed out in the bookWhat Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life,which he and Thomas co-wrote in 2020, that her appearance on his show in 1977 was actually the second time they met.

Thomas was a guest for the first time in 1972 when he was shooting his show in Dayton, Ohio.

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Just one month before his death, in May 2024, Thomas told PEOPLE that she and Donahue had been enjoying their downtime after taking a break from their hectic schedules.

Last year, when the couple celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary, the actress told PEOPLE about the “three L’s” that kept their romance alive: “Love, listening and lust.”

Phil Donahue (left) and Marlo Thomas (right).Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Penske Media via Getty

Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Penske Media via Getty

“You have to listen and then you’ll know what the other person is really thinking and going through,” she explained. “You have to love each other. And without lust, you don’t have anything.”

In 2020, Thomas emphasized the importance of communication in maintaining a long marriage.

“Through the years, you learn that everything is not that big a deal, and this isn’t going to break us up no matter what, so you get used to saying, ‘Ok, let’s just talk it out,’” she said in a YouTube video forAARP.

“The secret of good communication? Screaming helps,” Donahue added jokingly. “At least then you know whether the person you’re screaming at is listening. Then go in the other room and count to 10.”

“A little humor certainly in a marriage goes a long way,” he concluded.

Phil Donahue (left) and Marlo Thomas (right).Sean Zanni/Getty Images for National Arts Club

Sean Zanni/Getty Images for National Arts Club

Donahue “passed away peacefully following a long illness” on Aug. 18, with Thomas and “his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie” there with him, his family first shared withToday.

They requested that if people wish to honor him, they donate toSt. Jude Children’s Research Hospitalor the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund in lieu of sending flowers.

source: people.com