Talk show legend Phil Donahue has been named as one of the 2024 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Donahue, 88, was born in Cleveland in 1935.
He worked as a journalist in Dayton, prior to launching his self-titled talk show in 1967.
When "The Phil Donahue Show" first started, it only aired in four cities: Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus and Indianapolis. In 1970, the show entered national syndication and ran until 1996.
Donahue's program is credited as one of the first talk shows to address controversial topics.
The program was also the first to include audience participation.
Donahue won several Daytime Emmy Awards for his show.
The other Presidential Medal of Freedom honorees for 2024 are:
- Michael R. Bloomberg
- Gregory J. Boyle
- James E. Clyburn
- Elizabeth Dole
- Medgar Wiley Evers (posthumous)
- Al Gore
- Clarence B. Jones
- John Kerry
- Frank R. Lautenberg (posthumous)
- Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky
- Opal Lee
- Ellen Ochoa
- Nancy Pelosi
- Jane Rigby
- Teresa Romero
- Judy Shepard
- James Francis Thorpe (posthumous)
- Michelle Yeoh
