Tragic Secret Phil Donahue Took to Grave: Talk Show Pioneer Died 'Furious' He Was Fired 'for Not Muck-Raking Like Jerry Springer'
Phil Donahue was forced to walk away from daytime programming because he refused to imitate Jerry Springer.
Sept. 3 2024, Published 5:15 p.m. ET
Phil Donahue took a tragic secret with him to his grave.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the pioneering talk show titan died furious he was forced to walk away from his once-dominant daytime program because he wouldn't imitate competitors like Jerry Springer and Sally Jessy Raphael.
An insider said: "It really gnawed at Phil all these years he was sent packing as the TV landscape shifted underneath him.
"He was only 60 when his syndicated show got canceled and he felt he had a lot of years left doing it."
Jerry Springer and Sally Jessy Raphael, 89, were two of Donahue's biggest competitors when he was forced off the air.
The source continued: "And then he suffered the indignity of getting canned by MSNBC.
"At that point, he just realized TV was looking for something he couldn't deliver. But it made him angry and sad to be put out to pasture."
Donahue, who died last month at the age of 88, invented the genre by inviting audiences to question the guests – a format that's become standard.
He got his start on a local station in Dayton in 1967, then took the show national in 1974.
Donahue was a smash hit, was seen in more than 200 markets and went on to win nine Emmys.
But by the mid-1990s, the ratings had dropped dramatically as audiences turned the channel to watch the tawdry confessions, screaming matches and free-for-all melees on his rivals' shows.
An insider said: "It really gnawed at Phil all these years he was sent packing as the TV landscape shifted underneath him."
His one attempt at a comeback, with a politically themed program on MSNBC in 2002, was axed after only six months.
Donahue – who married Marlo Thomas, now 86, in 1980 – claimed management thought he was too liberal.
As RadarOnline.com reported, the news of the legendary talk show host's tragic secret comes after he passed away on August 18 at his home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan following a long illness.
His family said in a statement on August 19: "Donahue died at his home surrounded by his family, including his wife of 44 years, Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie."
Donahue, who was married to Marlo Thomas, passed away on August 18 at the age of 88.
Donahue was best known for pioneering the modern format of issue-based daytime talk shows when The Phil Donahue Show first premiered in November 1967.
He was also one of the first TV hosts to add the staple of audience participation into his program.
The Phil Donahue Show later became one of the most influential programs of its time and remained influential until it ended in September 1996.
Donahue's family said in a statement: "Donahue died at his home surrounded by his family, including his wife of 44 years, Marlo Thomas, his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie."
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The White House said upon presenting Donahue with the honor: "Phil Donahue is a journalist and television pioneer who pioneered the daytime issue-oriented television talk show.
"Donahue was the first daytime talk show to feature audience participation and one of the most influential televisions programs of its time."
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