‘Today’: Marlo Thomas Returns to TV for First Time After Husband Phil Donahue’s Death

For her first TV appearance since her husband Phil Donahue‘s death last year, Marlo Thomas shone a light on the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s latest addition.

In a prerecorded package that aired on the Monday, November 24, episode of Today, Thomas gave NBC’s Morgan Radford a tour of the hospital’s new Family Commons area. The wing features a variety of fun areas for the hospital’s young patients, including a playroom, a nail salon, a recording studio, and more.

“It was actually thought of by the parents and the children,” Thomas explained during the segment. “What are they missing? A place to play. A place to do art, a place to play music. And even, we have a beauty salon, because hair is very important to kids.”

She went on to state, “There are no doctors here, no nurses, no medicine. This is play time.”

After the tour, Marlo sat down with a group of St. Jude patients, one of whom asked her what inspired her dad, Danny Thomas, to create St. Jude. “There were little kids in his neighborhood who got real sick, and there was no place to go. So, he wanted to have a place that was free for all kids,” she said.

After the package, Marlo spoke to Today‘s Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin, and Carson Daly about the Family Commons live from the hospital. “These children, all day long, daily, they’re having all these schedules of doctors appointments and treatments and radiation,” she shared. “This is the one place where they can get back their childhood.” (She did not address her husband’s death on Today.)

Marlo’s Today segment marks one of her first public appearances since Donahue’s death. News broke in August 2024 that the iconic talk show host died peacefully surrounded by his family after a long illness.

Marlo, who was married to Donahue for 44 years, broke her silence on his death via Instagram one day after his death. “Hello, Friends. I’m sure by now you’ve heard the very sad news that I lost my sweetheart last night, so I know you understand that I’ll be stepping away from this page for a while to take care of myself and the many people who took care of Phil, and held him close to their hearts,” she wrote at the time.

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The actress noted that she “didn’t want to disappear without saying thank you for the beautiful messages of love and support that have been coming in all day, and for the wonderful and generous way that you’ve let Phil and me share our life adventure with you over the years.” She added, “As a man who spent his career loving his audiences, Phil got such a kick out of our cozy little community here, and I know he would be very touched by the heartwarming thoughts and memories you’ve been sharing.”

The post, which features a snap of herself and Donahue riding a scooter on vacation, remains her most recent Instagram upload. “Until I return, I wish you good health and happy days in the company of family and friends, and I hope that you will continue to hold close those you cherish most, just as I was blessed to do with my beloved Phillip,” she wrote. “Love, Marlo.”

Today, Weekdays, 7 a.m./6c, NBC