Phil Donahue, the “King of Daytime Talk,” passed away at the age of 88 Sunday night while surrounded by family, including his wife, actress Marlo Thomas.
Since news about the famed talk show hosts’ passing reached headlines, many of his most popular moments have resurfaced on various social media platforms — one being from his show, “The Phil Donahue Show.” In a 1990 episode, Donahue invited controversial religious leader Louis Farrakhan as a guest for a two part program discussion surrounding issues including racism, equality, and injustice with the audience.
In a newly resurfaced clip, Donahue is seen holding a mic in front a white audience member who expressed her frustrations toward Farrakhan by saying white people have done their part when it comes to bringing equality.
She said, “I am so sick and tired of this chip that you’re carrying on your shoulder. We have bent over backwards, we have done backflips to make you feel equal.” As the crowd roars with applause she continues, “We have done everything.”
The resurfaced clip ignited new comments from viewers who shamed the original audience member for her opinions.
One person rhetorically asked, “Wait a sec. Is that the Original Karen?” Someone else wrote, “The original woman, imagine being that openly angry that people want to be treated equal.”
A third person simply asked, “Why is she angry?”
In the same clip, Donahue, who is known for being one of the first to allow audience members to ask guests questions during the show, walked over to a Black woman who had a question for the Nation of Islam leader. She wanted to know what actions should the community take to help the younger generation and improve the state of the country. She explained, “we can’t leave America. We have our roots here and we would like to stay but we would like to make it a better America.”
Farrakhan, who was born in the Bronx, NewYork, calmly gave his response, which he addressed to both women with a smile. He said, “If we wish to make our children better, one of the things we have to do is to teach them the knowledge of themselves. As a little boy my blessed mother kept instilling in me the love and the pride of being Black. She made me to know my history, to know my roots. So I grew up with a love for myself and secure within myself.”
“Never feeling inferior and certainly not feeling superior,” he said before pointing toward the first lady who spoke, “but that chip on the shoulder that the young lady spoke about is my self assurance, my confidence, my ability to speak the truth without fear. I don’t bend when I don’t have to. I don’t scratch where I don’t itch.” As Farrakhan spoke the camera cuts back to the audience, where the first woman can be seen turning her head, rolling her eyes and sighing.
But none of that intimidated Farrakhan. He said, “I look white people in the eye and speak honestly and truthfully and candidly and unhypocritically to you. That’s not a chip. That’s just self-assurance that comes from self knowledge. Teach your children that and whether we are here or there we’ll be able to make a future for ourselves.”
Donahue’s show ran for just under three decades, and the host gained a reputation of being an icon for using his platform to address contentious topics in which his audience members could join in on. Some of the attention-grabbing subjects discussed on the show included homosexuality, women’s rights, civil rights, and consumer protection.
He leaves behind his wife Marlo Thomas, whom he married in 1980, and his four children with his first wife, Marge Cooney.
