Phil Donahue, talk show pioneer, dead at 88

Phil Donahue, talk show pioneer, dead at 88

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched a television genre that made household names of Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, has died. He was 88. NBC’s Today show said Donahue died on Sunday after a long illness. Dubbed “the king of daytime talk,” Donahue was the first to incorporate audience participation in a talk show, … Read more