Phil Donahue as a father: Who are the legendary talk show host's 5 kids?
Daytime talk show legend Phil Donahue was a recognizable face to several generations of children — and he also had five kids of his own: Michael, Kevin, Daniel, Mary Rose and James.
The former "Donahue" host, who died Aug. 18 at age 88 after a long illness, raised his four sons as a single dad in Chicago after divorcing his first wife, Margaret Cooney, in 1975. His daughter lived with Cooney in New Mexico, according to the Washington Post.
Donahue took on full-time parenting duties when his oldest son, Michael, was a freshman in high school and his youngest, James, was in the sixth grade, he revealed to Megyn Kelly in 2017.
"I didn't know what to do with them. I was doing a show every day, running back and forth over my shoes. I certainly learned a lot about what women endured. I know the Downy goes in the rinse cycle," joked Donahue, who proudly called himself a "feminist" starting in the 1970s in solidarity with the women's movement.
Donahue once opened up about how his job kept him from being a more hands-on dad during an appearance on a panel in Washington devoted to parenting.
“I have this dream that I’m enchanting the world while my kids are at home smoking grass,” he said, according to the Washington Post. He also shared how he dealt with the issue, joking, “I go on a week’s trip and take two of them along. It halves my worry.”
Donahue married his second wife, actor and activist Marlo Thomas, in 1980. In a 2011 interview with the AARP, Thomas revealed that she set out to be more of a "friend" to than a mother figure to her husband's kids, reasoning, "They already had a mom."
Over the years, Thomas has shared behind-the-scenes photos on social media that capture her life at home with Donahue. Among them are dozens of pictures taken during visits with his children and grandchildren, who otherwise appear to avoid the spotlight.
Donahue died at home surrounded by Thomas, his kids and his grandchildren.
Read on to learn more about Donahue's five children.
Michael Donahue
Donahue and his first wife, Margaret Cooney, welcomed their first child, Michael, in the late 1950s.
Phil Donahue raised his four sons as as single dad in Chicago starting from the time Michael Donahue was a freshman in high school. He later graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
In January 1991, Michael Donahue was working as a marketing consultant for WTNH-TV in New Haven, Connecticut, when he got engaged to Martha Reed von Gal. The New York Times published his engagement announcement at the time.
The couple married at St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church in Greenwich, Connecticut, in April 1991.
According to a video Marlo Thomas posted in September 2021 on Instagram, Martha Reed Donahue helps raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which was founded by Thomas' father, actor and comedian Danny Thomas.
Michael Donahue and his wife share two children: a son, Connor, and daughter, Kenzie.
Christmas Eve dinner with some of our family. More to come tomorrow. Last night it was me, Phil, Michael, Kenzie, Reed, Mary Rose and Connor. What fun to be together!
Posted by Marlo Thomas on Friday, December 25, 2015
Kevin Donahue
Phil Donahue's second oldest son, Kevin Donahue, is an avid runner, according to Marlo Thomas, who shared a photo of him mid-race on Facebook in November 2013.
"He has run The New York (Marathon) in his 30s, 40s and 50s. His best time was 3:32 in Stockholm in 1996," wrote Thomas.
Two years before, Thomas shared a photo posing with her husband and stepson Kevin on a boat in Martha's Vineyard.
"Hello from Martha’s Vineyard aboard our boat 'MUGSY' with Phil and my stepson Kevin. All the Donahues have white hair!" she joked in her caption.
Hello from Martha's Vineyard aboard our boat "MUGSY" with Phil and my stepson Kevin. All the Donahues have white hair!
Posted by Marlo Thomas on Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Daniel Donahue
Like his siblings, Phil Donahue's third child, son Daniel Donahue, has kept out of the media's glare.
Marlo Thomas shared a photo of Daniel Donahue and Kevin Donahue visiting for Thanksgiving in November 2012.
"Thanksgiving at our house. Phil, two of his sons, Kevin & Dan, me and a gorgeous brown turkey! Hope you had a Happy Turkey Day, too!" she captioned the shot.
Mary Rose Donahue
Phil Donahue's only daughter, Mary Rose Donahue, was born in the mid-1960s. Mary Rose Donahue lived with her mother in New Mexico as a child, according to the Washington Post.
Marlo Thomas revealed on Facebook in 2011 that Mary Rose Donahue had just begun culinary school.
Later the same year, Mary Rose Donahue posed for a pic with her dad as he carved the family's Thanksgiving turkey.
James 'Jim' Donahue
Phil Donahue's youngest son, James Donahue, lived and practiced law in Honolulu, according to the Dayton Daily News.
He also spent more than 20 years working as an investigative researcher and writer for the Ralph Nader-founded citizen activist group Essential Information, the publication reported.
Jim Donahue died of an aortic aneurysm at age 51 in 2014.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com