Yahoo Lifestyle See the Moment Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas First Met on His Talk Show: 'You Are Wonderful'
"I met Phil on the Donahue Show in 1977 - instant chemistry!" the actress once said
Courtesy of the Donahue Family
Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas: The moment they metPhil Donahue and Marlo Thomas had quite the love story.
The legendary talk show host died on Sunday, Aug. 18, at the age of 88, and at the time, he had his wife by his side. The pair had been married for 44 years after first meeting when Thomas, an actress, was a guest on The Phil Donahue Show (a.k.a. Donahue).
“I met Phil on the Donahue Show in 1977 - instant chemistry!” Thomas captioned a video of the episode on her YouTube channel in 2012.
Related: Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue Open Up About the Secret to Their 40-Year Marriage
During the segment, where Thomas was promoting her movie Thieves, the two seemed to hit it off instantly.
“You are really fascinating,” Donahue said to Thomas as he grabbed her hand.
“You are wonderful,” she replied. “I said it when we were off the air and I want to say, you are loving and generous and you like women and it’s a pleasure.”
She added, not knowing they would be tying the knot just three years later, “Whoever is the woman in your life is very lucky.”
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Just one month before his death, in May 2024, Thomas told PEOPLE that she and Donahue had been enjoying their downtime after taking a break from their hectic schedules.
"We’re determined to get back to a slower pace, and that means curling up on the couch in front of the TV with a big bowl of popcorn. I like to call it ‘Netflix and Phil,'" she cleverly titled it.
Last year, when the couple celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary, the actress told PEOPLE about the "three L's" that kept their romance alive: "Love, listening and lust."
Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Penske Media via Getty
Phil Donahue (left) and Marlo Thomas (right)"You have to listen and then you'll know what the other person is really thinking and going through,” she explained. “You have to love each other. And without lust, you don't have anything."
In 2020, Thomas emphasized the importance of communication in maintaining a long marriage.
"Through the years, you learn that everything is not that big a deal, and this isn't going to break us up no matter what, so you get used to saying, 'Ok, let's just talk it out,’” she said in a YouTube video for AARP.
"The secret of good communication? Screaming helps," Donahue added jokingly. "At least then you know whether the person you're screaming at is listening. Then go in the other room and count to 10."
"A little humor certainly in a marriage goes a long way,” he concluded.
Sean Zanni/Getty Images for National Arts Club
Phil Donahue (left) and Marlo Thomas (right)Related: Paying Tribute to the Celebrities Who Have Died in 2024
Donahue “passed away peacefully following a long illness” on Aug. 18, with Thomas and "his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie” there with him, his family first shared with Today.
They requested that if people wish to honor him, they donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund in lieu of sending flowers.
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