Meet The Five Children Of Phil Donahue And Marlo Thomas

It was true love at first sight when host Phil Donahue met fellow television star Marlo Thomas in 1977. The two tied the knot and remained together for over four decades, forming a blended family along the way. Together, Donahue and Thomas had five children. Though they were from his previous marriage, they were able to grow close to their new stepmother, Donahue’s second wife.

When joining the family, Thomas was determined that she would not try to become the children’s new mother; they already had one, Margaret Cooney, who had been his college sweetheart and who he married in 1958, though they divorced in 1975. Rather, Marlo wanted to be a friend to the kids that union resulted in: sons Michael, Kevin, Daniel, and James, as well as daughter Mary Rose.

Meet the children of Phil Donahue, starting with Michael

Michael Phillip Donahue is the eldest of Phil Donahue’s children, born in 1959, and a former student of the University of Colorado at Boulder. His father began his career on the radio, quickly becoming a force in the industry and landing successful interviews with icons of the era, from Muhammad Ali to Elton John to JFK, during his presidential campaign. Similarly, Michael had dreams of broadcasting success.

His dreams took him to Katz American TV, ABC at WTNH-TV in New Haven, Connecticut, then to Katz again in Boston, according to People.

On April 27, 1991, Michael married his own sweetheart, Martha Reed von Gal, known more popularly as Reed, who is a fierce advocate for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and, according to Marlo as of 2020, is the owner and director of the Little Red Wagon PlaySchool. In addition to both boasting strong careers, the couple also share son Connor and daughter Kenzie, who Marlo fiercely adores, writing in one tribute post, “Kenzie is not my [biological] grandchild. But I love her as I do all my biological nieces and nephews. She is my family and I love every moment of her dear life that we have shared.”

The television host and his first wife also had a second son, Kevin

Kevin was born around 1959, according to People, and was among the children who stayed with Donahue after the divorce. Kevin studied at the University of Kansas. Marlo, close with Kevin too, revealed that he is an enthusiastic athlete, especially when it comes to running.

“He has run The New York (Marathon) in his 30s, 40s and 50s. His best time was 3:32 in Stockholm in 1996,” she shared in a Facebook photo post from 2013. Another photo from Thomas shows the blended family at Martha’s Vineyard together. “Hello from Martha’s Vineyard aboard our boat ‘MUGSY’ with Phil and my stepson Kevin,” she captioned the post. “All the Donahues have white hair,” she teasingly added.

Meet third son Daniel Donahue, who enjoys his privacy

People estimates Daniel’s birth year to be around 1961, but beyond that, there is limited knowledge about the third of the Donahue children. He, like his siblings, does appear in one of Marlo’s cherished family photos, this one from Thanksgiving November 2012.

“Thanksgiving at our house. Phil, two of his sons, Kevin & Dan, me and a gorgeous brown turkey!” Marlo captioned that post. “Hope you had a Happy Turkey Day, too!”

Of the five Donahue children, Mary Rose is the only daughter

Mary Rose Donahue was born around the mid-1960s, according to TODAY, with People putting the year at around 1965. The Washington Post reports that Mary lived with her mother as a child, residing in New Mexico. Even so, Marlo keeps in contact with Mary and said on Facebook that the fourth Donahue child was starting culinary school as of 2011.

Using some of those cooking capabilities, Mary Rose later appeared in a Thanksgiving family photo carving the holiday turkey later that same year.

James’s story ends in tragedy

People puts James Patrick Donahue’s birth year at around 1963. He worked as an investigative journalist for two decades, and resided in Honolulu, where he also practiced law, according to the Dayton Daily News. Although James did not pursue a career in broadcasting like his father, the publication also notes that James would research and write for the Ralph Nader-founded citizen activist group Essential Information.

Tragically, in August 2014, James suffered from an aortic aneurysm. He was fondly remembered by a former Ohio neighbor of the Donahues, Maddi Breslin, who mourned, “I dearly loved him and thought of him as one of my own kids.” Similarly, Marlo in a tribute to James called him “a great light in our family, a funny character and an independent spirit.”

James was only 51 years old when he died. He was cremated, his ashes scattered in the waters of Honolulu, where once he had found such meaningful work.