Phil Donahue, Legendary Talk Show Host Fired by MSNBC for Airing Antiwar Views, Dies at 88

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The pioneering TV host Phil Donahue, who revolutionized daytime television by tackling major social and political issues in front of a studio audience, has died at the age of 88. _The Phil Donahue Show_, later renamed _Donahue_, ran from the 1960s through to 1996, and the affable host won 20 Emmy Awards and received a Peabody Award throughout his career. In 2003, Donahue was fired from his primetime MSNBC talk show for airing antiwar voices during the run-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, when most of the corporate media was cheerleading the Bush administration’s drive for war. Donahue spoke with _Democracy Now!_ about his firing in 2013, describing it as a decision “from far above” in the network. “They were terrified of the antiwar voice,” he said. Donahue is survived by his wife Marlo Thomas, his four children and his grandchildren.

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21 thoughts on “Phil Donahue, Legendary Talk Show Host Fired by MSNBC for Airing Antiwar Views, Dies at 88”

  1. Phil lost his career for speaking out against the build up of US Genocide and War Crimes in the Middle East. Now, almost 25 years later, barely a word against the US backed Genocide in Gaza in the US Media, as everyone has learned their lesson not to question US Genocide. When Mehdi Hasan dared to speak out on MSNBC, he lost his job. When US University Students were 'allowed' to have student protests, the University Presidents were hauled into Congress, as what looked like a reenactment of the McCarthy Hearings of the 1950s. In the Vile United States, the one thing you can count on is the more things change, the more they stay the same. RIP Phil.

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  7. … and corporate media are still doing this ridiculous “cancel culture.” It happens all the time. Most recently on YouTube when the journalist was accused of being anti-Israel. Freedom of speech 😂😂😂 … right!!! RIP Phil and enjoy your next life.

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  11. Really? The man had an amazing career, and your headline is about a time that is just a blip. It should be in your report that he was fired by MSNBC for Airing Antiwar Views but that is not how you will honor him and define him in a headline? He worked there for less than a year. Pitiful.

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  17. My sister was in the hospital, dying of cancer in March 2023. On her death bed she listened to the radio and heard that GW was getting ready to invade Iraq. The day before she died, I went to see her, she asked me with tears in her eyes if US would begin war in Iraq. I lied to her and said NO, I think it's only propaganda. My niece called 19 March 2023, my sister had just died. I went to see her, she was at last resting. On my way back from the hospital I heard on the car radio that bombing of Iraq had just started. I was so happy that my sister didn't live to hear that. No WMD were ever found in Iraq, President Sadam Hussein was hanged. As Tim Walz would say = ''Mind your own damn business'' US had no business in Iraq. Peace and Love ☮☮☮☮☮
    John LENNON WAS RIGHT – I ADMIRE PHIL DONAHUE MORE THAN EVER, I DIDN'T KNOW HE HAD BEEN FIRED FOR HIS POLITICAL STANCE. RIP Mr Donahue = a great man ♥

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  20. Fired when his show was often the top-rated show in its time slot, simply because his content displeased the neocons. It's like DemNow's treatment of Aaron Mate, Glenn Greenwald, Matt Taibbi, and others whose reporting displeases the neocons — personas non grata on this once progressive program. Too bad DemNow! took that big Democrat donor money and peddled Russiagate and the neocon perspective after 2016, otherwise they wouldn't be peddling so much neocon/authoritarian claptrap, these days.

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