DONAHUE AND DUSTED
Daytime talk show trendsetter Phil Donahue has died aged 88. In the 60s, he had taken over a talk show hosted by Johnny Gilbert once the future Jeopardy! announcer left Ohio to host a New York-based game show. The programme, now refashioned The Phil Donahue Show, made its hot-button message clear even in the first episode with outspoken atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair as the guest. He interviewed everyone from Muhammad Ali to Alice Cooper to Erma Bombeck (one of his most frequent guest stars) and paved the way for the likes of Oprah. He never shied from his own beliefs even when unpopular, being pro-trans way back in the 80s and refusing to support the Iraq War even as it scuppered one of his later talk shows. The husband of That Girl star Marlo Thomas, he had recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was picked by two teams.
Phil Donahue
21 December 1935 – 18 August 2024, aged 88
2 TEAMS (💀💀💀💀💀💀 6 POINTS)