Phillip John "Phil" Donahue (born December 21, 1935) is an American media personality, writer, and film producer, best known as the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, the first tabloid talk show. The show had a 26-year run on U.S. national TV, preceded by three years of local broadcast in Dayton, Ohio, before ending in 1996..