Kelly Ripa Remembers Legendary Host Phil Donahue As An Equally Great Friend

The death of pioneering television icon Phil Donahue has inspired a wave of tributes from those who knew him as a host and as a friend. One such tribute came from Kelly Ripa, who took to social media to speak of Donahue’s character as a rare gem of a true pal.

Donahue is remembered for The Phil Donahue Show, which embraced audience participation at a level that had been unprecedented during its reign. His fanbase grew when he married fellow television giant Marlo Thomas, who he met on his program. It’s a story Ripa is very familiar with herself, having met her husband, fellow actor Mark Consuelos, when they both starred in All My Children. Through all their respective career milestones, Ripa never forgot the friendship she could rely upon from Donahue.

Kelly Ripa pays tribute to Phil Donahue as a talented host and as a friend

Many have spoken to the ways that Donahue reshaped the television landscape, not just for getting Americans from all sorts of beliefs and backgrounds to chat about issues relevant to the everyday citizen, but even for working with Soviet journalists for the two sides of the Cold War to chat with one another. But those who knew him also knew Donahue as a reliable presence, and that is the side of him Ripa spoke of in her tribute.

Following news of Donahue’s death, Ripa took to social media to share a picture of both TV couples—Ripa beside Marlo and Donahue next to Consuelos—smiling from ear to ear.

“Good friends are hard to come by and even harder to lose,” mourned Ripa in the captions. “To a life well lived. We love you Marlo and will miss Phil eternally #ripphildonahue.”

The passing of genuine trailblazer

Tributes have poured in for Donahue, and joining Ripa are Oprah Winfrey, Ricki Lake, Andy Cohen, Montel Williams, and more. One of the most bittersweet posts came from Marlo, who was married to Donahue for 44 years, after the two enjoyed “instant chemistry” on his show. At the time of their meeting, Thomas was not looking for a relationship, and so simply told Donahue that whoever the woman in his life was, she was quite lucky.

On May 21, 1980, she became that woman.

Thomas remembered Donahue as “a man who spent his career loving his audiences.” Marlo frequently shared family updates on social media, which were often met with great enthusiasm from the community of fans the couple accumulated over almost 70 years. Every bit was appreciated, Marlo assured her Instagram followers, saying that Donahue “got such a kick out of our cozy little community here.”