Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas were married for 44 years, and she was by his side when he passed away at home at the age of 88. The couple famously fell in love on live television, with Thomas recalling it was love at first sight, with something chemical happening between them. They initially kept their marriage out of the limelight, but in recent years became more public about it, even hosting a podcast about marriage success titled “Double Date with Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue.”
Donahue and Thomas first met when she was a guest on his talk show in 1977. The first time they met in 1972 when Thomas was promoting a TV special and came to Dayton, Ohio, where Donahue’s show was based. Donahue found her to be beautiful, bright, and the perfect guest, but it wasn’t until five years later when Thomas was back on his show in Chicago that they truly clicked. Instant chemistry was evident as they exchanged smiles and warm glances on the show, with flirting happening between them. After having dinner together, they both expressed doubts about getting married, but love blossomed as they trusted their hearts and made the effort to be together.
Despite the two-year age difference between Donahue and Thomas, they had a strong and lasting marriage without children of their own. Donahue had five children from a previous marriage, and Thomas decided to be their friend rather than a traditional mom. The couple’s secrets to a successful marriage included the three L’s: love, listening, and lust. They emphasized the importance of listening to each other, loving each other, and maintaining a sense of desire for each other. They also avoided critiquing each other’s projects and worked together on their book, “What Makes a Marriage Last,” breaking their rule of not working together.
In their book, Donahue and Thomas explored the secrets to long-lasting marriages with advice from famous couples who had been together 15 years or more. They found that gratitude, trust, and occasional therapy were among the keys to a successful marriage. Donahue emphasized the importance of wanting the marriage to last, while Thomas stressed the importance of accommodation over compromise or trying to change someone. The couple learned that there is not one secret to a lasting marriage, but rather a million secrets that need to be discovered and cherished through time. They believed that the longer you look for these reasons to stay in the marriage, the more you will find.
