:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/phil-donahue-reax-1-081924-b429bf5ee4984ee4a8d4e927e4170d79.jpg "Phil Donahue Was the First TV Host to Feature Someone with AIDS — All About the Late Star’s Groundbreaking Moment")
Throughout Phil Donahue’s career, the daytime TV veteran was known for how groundbreaking his talk show was.
Among his many pioneering moments, the late star was the first TV host to feature a person living with AIDS on The Phil Donahue Show — which was renamed Donahue in 1974.
The episode aired in 1982, when the number of AIDS cases was only in the hundreds.
On the show, Donahue introduced Philip Lanzaratta, who’d been diagnosed with Kaposi’s Sarcoma (a cancer associated with AIDS), Larry Kramer, screenwriter and Gay Men’s Health Crisis co-founder, and Dr. Dan William, who worked with patients with HIV/AIDS.
The broadcast featured a candid conversation discussing the rise in cases, symptoms of the disease, education of the medical community, discrimination against the gay community, treatment for patients with AIDS, and more.
Donahue later hosted the late Ryan White, a teenager from Indiana who was one of the first children to be diagnosed with AIDS, about talking to young people about the illness.
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In addition to discussing the AIDS epidemic, The Phil Donahue Show devoted its hour-long broadcast to a range of complex and controversial issues including child abuse in the Catholic Church, feminism and race relations, and it was the first to allow audience members to ask guests questions.
The renowned “King of Daytime Talk” went on to win 20 Emmy Awards (10 for outstanding host and 10 for the talk show itself) and paved the way for other daytime hosts such as Geraldo Rivera, Sally Jesse Raphael, Ricki Lake, Montel Williams and Oprah Winfrey.
Donahue died on Sunday, Aug. 18 at the age of 88, PEOPLE confirmed.
In a statement first reported by the Today show on Monday, Aug. 19, Donahue’s family said the groundbreaking TV talk show journalist died in his home surrounded by his family including his wife of 44 years — actress Marlo Thomas — as well as “his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie.”
The statement noted he “passed away peacefully following a long illness.”
Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
