“The first to prove that daytime talk and women watching should be taken seriously,” Oprah said in a tribute.

Talk shows hosts are paying tribute to the man who paved the way for everyone in the genre: Phil Donahue.

The legendary daytime talk show host, who created the format with The Phil Donahue Show from 1967 to 1996, died on Sunday at 88. In a statement provided to the Today show, Donahue’s family said the TV talk show journalist died in his home surrounded by family, including his wife of 44 years — actress Marlo Thomas — as well as “his sister, his children, grandchildren and his beloved golden retriever, Charlie.”

Known as the “King of Daytime Talk,” Donahue was a trailblazer thanks to his work spanning three decades, and other talk show hosts are honoring him on social media, including his former competitor, Oprah Winfrey.

Read the tributes to Donahue from other talk show hosts, below.

Oprah Winfrey

“There wouldn’t have been an Oprah Show without Phil Donahue being the first to prove that daytime talk and women watching should be taken seriously,” Winfrey wrote on Instagram along with a photo of herself with Donahue. “He was a pioneer. I’m glad I got to thank him for it. Rest in peace Phil.”

Katie Couric

Katie Couric, who hosted Katie from 2012-2014 along with many other TV journalist hosting gigs, wrote that it was “so sad to hear” the news of Donahue’s death.

“The Phil Donahue Show, which premiered in 1967 in Dayton, Ohio, gained credibility and acclaim for for tackling controversial topics like child abuse in the Catholic Church, feminism and race relations, and it was the first show to allow audience members to ask guests questions,” Couric wrote on Instagram. “Donahue won 20 Emmy Awards and paved the way for so many other daytime talk show hosts. He will be missed.”

Rosie O’Donnell

Rosie O’Donnell, who hosted the Rosie O’Donnell Show and The View, wrote on Instagram that Donahue was “a beautiful man in every way,” and that she “will miss him.”

Montel Williams

Montel Williams, who hosted the Montel Williams Show from 1991 to 2008, shared a statement on social media. In the photo, he wrote, “Yesterday, we lost a true pioneer. Phil Donahue, the godfather of talk shows, forever changed the landscape of television. My thoughts and prayers are with Marlo and his family.”

In the caption, Williams added, “Phil Donahue wasn’t just a talk show host; he was the godfather of the genre. He broke barriers with audience participation on pressing issues, setting a standard that many of us strive to live up to. My heart goes out to his family. Rest in peace, Phil. Your legacy will live on.”

Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres posted a clip on Instagram with Williams and Thomas on her Ellen DeGeneres Show where Williams praised her for being “a hit” too.

“Phil Donahue was a daytime TV legend,” she wrote in the caption. “I’m sending love to his wife Marlo Thomas, and their family.”

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Kelly Ripa

Kelly Ripa posted a photo on Instagram with Donahue, Thomas, and her husband and Live with Kelly and Mark co-host Mark Consuelos. She wrote in the caption, “Good friends are hard to come by and even harder to lose. To a life well lived. We love you Marlo and will miss Phil eternally.”

Geraldo Rivera

Geraldo Rivera posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Donahue’s “death deeply saddens” him.

“He was a hero, a talk show pioneer who inspired me to try my hand at the genre he invented,” he wrote. “What an historic figure. I am profoundly sorry for the loss his death represents to Marlo and his family and to society. He was the most important talk show host ever. He recognized that the daytime tv audience was under served. He remembered the home makers, and gave them an avenue to the rest of the world. A giant has passed. And my wife Erica joins me in sending condolences to Marlo and remembering our friend and hero, Phil Donahue.”

Rivera also shared a photo from 2010 in which Oprah hosted “the daytime talk show veterans, Montel, Sally Jesse, Phil, Ricki Lake, Geraldo” in Chicago:

Sally Jessy Raphael

And Sally Jessy Raphael, who hosted Sally from 1983 to 2002, shared two photos with Donahue on X.

“This is a very sad day,” she wrote. “I admired Phil Donahue for so many reasons, and he was one of the finest broadcasters in American television. If there wasn’t a Phil, there would have never been a Sally. My thoughts & prayers go out to Marlo and their family.”