Oprah Winfrey and Rosie O’Donnell have posted tributes to Phil Donahue on Instagram.
She writes: “There wouldn’t have been an Oprah Show without Phil Donahue being the first to prove that daytime talk and women watching should be taken seriously. He was a pioneer. I’m glad I got to thank him for it. Rest in peace Phil.”
She’s right. Phil paved the way for Oprah’s success. The whole idea of wading into the audience and letting them participate — a signature Oprah move — was invented by Donahue. Also, bringing difficult subjects to the land of women’s television.
But Donahue was more than that. With his live broadcast at 9m from New York, Donahue covered breaking political news and anything else that needed immediate coverage. If something crazy had happened the day before, “Donahue” had it the next morning.
