Phil Donahue’s 44-Year Marriage to Marlo Thomas: How He Initially Prayed His Kids Would Accept Her—And It Was a ‘Disaster
Phil Donahue, Married to Marlo Thomas for 44 Years, Once Prayed His 5 Kids Would Accept Her – It Was a ‘Disaster’ at First
Prior to meeting talk show host Phil Donahue, a divorced father of five children, Marlo Thomas had no intention of getting married. On the other hand, Thomas had to get used to living with five men after being alone her entire life, and Donahue was anxious about his four teenage boys’ lack of harmony with his wife.
Marlo Thomas is a multitalented woman. She is a social activist, writer, singer, and actor. Thomas was a well-known celebrity who was famously single and had no plans to get married.
The actress acknowledged that after seeing her parents’ relationship, marriage began to seem unrealistic. Her father, Danny Thomas, was a well-known television personality who performed all over the nation as a comic before landing his own show, “The Danny Thomas Show.”
Rose Marie, her mother, was a budding singer and radio host who gave up her job to tour the nation with her spouse and raise a family. But Thomas claimed that witnessing her mother’s sacrifices taught her one very important lesson in life: how to love without conditions and live a regret-free existence.
Thomas took part in the feminist movement of the 1970s and is an activist feminist as well. The singer claimed that when she marched, she considered how little her mother had left behind to raise her children now.
Thomas became upset when she saw some of Rose’s performance photos because she thought it was unjust that her mother had given up so much of herself to be a wife and mother. Thomas went so far as to say that if their mother had had a career and a wonderful family life, she and her siblings would have been content with having half of her.
Thomas was raised in a close-knit brood even though she had no desire to have children. Because of her father’s hectic schedule, her parents were rarely together, but Thomas and her brothers also took frequent breaks from school to spend time with their families.
Growing up to become an activist, Thomas vowed to fulfill her mother’s aspirations and live a life solely focused on her own needs and desires in both her personal and professional lives.
However, the older she became, the more people inquired about her thoughts on taking the aisle. Thomas learnt early on to disregard advice from others on how to live since her mother used to remind her that she would die alone.
Nevertheless, Thomas discovered pleasure and love with talk show personality Phil Donahue—an unanticipated partner for someone who had grown up alone and had no children.
Donahue lived full-time with his five children after getting divorced. The moment the two appeared on Donahue’s show, they clicked and became friends. Thomas and Donahue had a lovely recollection of their early dating years. The pair gazed tenderly into each other’s eyes as they strolled through a garden.
By the time Thomas reached her early thirties, the most of her acquaintances were hitched, and she had already served as a bridesmaid on multiple occasions, not to mention the numerous requests for Godmothership.
The majority of her acquaintances would weep about not getting marriage proposals and yearned for marriage. Conversely, Thomas, who openly expressed his desire to remain single, was consistently asked to marry.
Thomas also took her groundedness to the sitcom “That Girl,” which she produced and starred in. In the sitcom, Thomas portrayed an unmarried, ambitious actress residing in New York. She said it was among the first occasions on TV when a woman publicly acknowledged that she didn’t want to get married, that she didn’t live with her family, and that she was single.
She went so far as to say that people were afraid to see a single woman without a family on television, so the authors wanted to rewrite the plot and have a six-year-old nephew or aunt visit her character. It was never about her flaws that she thought marriage was out of the question.
Thomas expressed confidence in her ability to be devoted and love someone, but she believed that marriage was more of a setting for one and a half people—one who pursues a prosperous profession and the other who supports and subordinates their goals.
Thomas viewed marriage mostly through the lens of her parents and the culture of the time. She admitted that she was afraid of getting married because she believed it would change who she was. The real-life commitment appeared to her like a prison. But then Donahue showed up and made a decision.
The TV personality did not want to get married again because he had already been married, but they were also united by their shared Catholic upbringing. Their distinctions were also noteworthy. Thomas was single and had no children, but they clicked right away. The singer called their first date uncomfortable and their second “fine.”
Thomas felt that society and her desire to further her career prevented her from becoming a mother. “I want it all,” Thomas remarked, so she could not deal with having to pick between her profession and having children.
Getting to Know Phil Donahue’s Kids
Donahue had a love past with Margret Cooney, his first wife, with whom he had five children, prior to meeting Thomas. In his adolescence, Donahue was also an ardent Catholic and participated in choirs; however, following his divorce from Cooney, the TV host severed his ties to the faith.
The dissolution of his first marriage served as the catalyst for his decision to leave the faith. Donahue was not eligible to receive church sacraments as he had not dissolved his marriage to Conney prior to entering into his second marriage.
When the host first met Thomas in 1977, she was invited to dinner. He struck Thomas as a lovely and attractive Irishman. The singer thought their relationship worked well since there was no need to chase time because neither of them wanted to get married.
Thomas raved about how quickly she fell in love with Donahue, even though she acknowledged that their first date was awkward. Kind of like a first love at first sight. or something like. She said, “Something chemical happened.
After the pair finally were married on May 21, 1980, Thomas had to move in with five guys after only two dogs. The shift was startling, she said, “I went from having two dogs to having four boys and a husband.”
Thomas was amazed by Donahue’s ability to raise four boys while his daughter stayed with her mother when they first started dating. Her initial encounter with them went well. The singer considered her stepchildren to be well-mannered and amiable.
Conversely, Donahue had fervently begged for his lads to act appropriately, show kindness, and embrace the woman in his life, and they fulfilled his wishes.
Donahue and Thomas acknowledged that the other had significantly changed their lives. The TV personality claimed that because he knew his wife would always have something to say, he learnt to listen and became knowledgeable about many social topics that he was ignorant of.
Regarding Thomas, she said that when she initially moved in with the Donahue guys, it was a cultural shock. Thomas thought she was stuck somewhere. The living and eating area was open, and the boys had their rooms separated from her and Donahue’s. She would eventually find solace in the dining room and read there.
Thomas said of living with males, “It was just a mess. Everything was disorganized. Everything was damaged. The absence of towels to dry off after a shower was one of the things that irritated her. She was given a ton of towels, but she made it plain that the white ones belonged to her alone.
The singer was aware that being a stepmother would be difficult, particularly since she had five teenage boys who were in and out of college. She had lived alone for more than forty years, so when the home filled up during the school vacations, it felt crowded to her.
But as time went on, Thomas warmed up to the children and grew to like being around them. One of her favorite holidays had become Christmas with the Donahue brothers.
Thomas disclosed that she and Donahue had split up three months prior to getting married when asked how they knew they were meant to be together. The couple became aware that their relationship was beginning to suffer as a result of juggling work, moving to various places, and integrating their families.
In order to avoid causing each other any more suffering, they made the decision to part ways. Thomas reestablished her friendship with her former boyfriend, and Donahue began dating, but they were miserable together.
During a phone call one evening, Donahue said to Thomas, “I never thought anyone could be irreplaceable.” Twelve weeks later, they were married. On Valentine’s Day 2022, Thomas gushed over her eternal Valentine and shared a unique photo from the day of her wedding.
The Eighties Lives of Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas
Thomas claimed that her marriage, which lasted for more than 40 years, had opened her many avenues. She clarified that she had opened doors for jealousy, trust, teammates, and space.
The singer clarified that her request for trust did not imply any mistrust in her marriage, but rather that she intended to be true to herself and give precedence to the things that were most important to her.
Over the course of their four decades together, the couple, who loved to travel, took several trips. Thomas even tweeted a photo from their tour to the Great Wall of China.
But spending time together was as vital, as the singer demonstrated when she posted a picture of herself and Donahue chowing down on popcorn during a Super Bowl game.
They also spent time with their grandchildren during this valuable time. Together, they enjoyed special meals and excursions. However, Thomas would give her husband a haircut when she wasn’t the year’s most adorable grandmother.
The actress posted a video of herself cutting Donahue’s hair, and although he initially looked scared, he eventually showed confidence in his wife’s ability to do the task well.
Donahue and Thomas remained enamored of each other even in their advanced years. They held hands, made out in public, danced, and strolled around. When asked how the two maintain their romance in an earlier interview, Thomas replied that their primary responsibility was to make time for one another.
Donahue and his wife would frequently spend their evenings attending sporting events and comedic clubs or lounging around the house on movie nights. But when Donahue died on August 18, 2024, at the age of 88, the brightness of their love faded. Both fans and the entertainment business mourned his passing deeply.
After a protracted illness, Donahue passed away quietly on Sunday, August 18, according to a statement from his family. His devoted golden retriever, Charlie, his sister, his wife Thomas, their kids, and their grandkids were all around him.
Thomas thanked her devoted followers on Instagram on Monday after revealing that she will be taking a temporary break to concentrate on her recovery.
