Since she was just a young girl, it was clear that Marlo Thomas was destined for greatness. She was born on Nov. 21, 1937, in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Beverly Hills, California. She is the eldest child of Rose Marie Cassaniti and comedian Danny Thomas and the eldest sister to Terre and brother producer Tony Thomas. While she was given the name Margaret Julia at birth, her family typically called her Margo. After some time and some mispronunciation issues along the way, she became known as Marlo Thomas.
Although Thomas initially went to school to become a teacher, she found a great passion for the arts, and it was clear that she had the talents to make her dreams come true. Nowadays, Thomas is known for being an actress, producer and author. She even uses her platform for the betterment of others and has become increasingly popular for her work as a social activist.
Thomas first skyrocketed to fame with the sitcom “That Girl,” which aired from 1966 to 1971. Afterward, she was on the children’s TV series “Free to Be… You and Me.” Since then, Thomas has received several awards and honors and was even awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014, and has continued to be a national outreach director for St. Jude’s Research Hospital, which was founded by her father. Through it all, Thomas has still found time for a loving and successful relationship with her long-time husband, Phil Donahue.
Nowadays, Thomas is in her 80s, and while some fans have commented on how beautiful the actress still looks, others have criticized her appearance as she’s aged.
Marlo Thomas (1967), (Bettmann/Bettmann via Getty Images)
Thomas has a long list of accomplishments to be proud of over the course of her long-lasting and increasingly successful career. On top of that, she has shown that she has a heart of gold and does her part to give back to others. Through it all, she has had the love and support of her husband by her side.
Donahue is a pioneer in the television industry. He is best known for being the creator and host of “The Phil Donahue Show” – also known as “Donahue” – which was the first talk show format that included audience participation. It has since inspired countless daytime TV talk shows of a similar format.
Thomas and Donahue first met in 1977 when Thomas was a guest on Donahue’s show. “I went on his show, and that was the end of story, as they say,” Thomas told ABC 7 in 2021. The couple fell in love and married on May 21, 1980. Afterward, Thomas became a stepmother to Donahue’s five children from his first marriage.
It was clear that Thomas and Donahue had a beautiful connection then and still do to this day as they continue to enjoy the ups and downs of married life. “This is the safest place I can be; he is going to be my everything – my cushion of life,” Thomas said.
Thomas cited Donahue’s support of her career as one reason why they have been married for so long. Rather than critique her work, Donahue prefers to enjoy it and be there to encourage her in all that she does on screen and on stage. Thomas has even jokingly referred to her husband as her “stage-door Johnny” to Today because of how much he supports her.
Marlo Thomas, Phil Donahue (1978), (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
It’s evident that Thomas is her husband’s No. 1 fan, regularly posting pictures of them together on her Instagram. In June 2022, Thomas posted a photo of herself and Donahue holding each other as they posed for the shot. The year prior, Thomas posted a throwback photo of the couple from a day at the beach.
Some fans commented on how happy they were to see Thomas and Donahue still so in love, and even remarked on how great Thomas looked at the age of 85. One person said, “Still have a nice body.” Another person commented, “Wow Marla tell me your secret ❤️.”
Unfortunately, others had negative feedback on Thomas’ appearance.
One person commented: “Phil looks pretty good still but how much face work did Marlo get. Definitely not for the better.” Another person said, “She doesn’t look like she used to. Didn’t recognize her.” A third added, “Great couple, but Marlo, you look like a burn victim!! Why did you let Drs ruin your beautiful face??” Another person chimed in and said, “Marlo I never missed that girl. I am so shocked what you did to your beautiful face.”
Others commented on Thomas’ nose: “What happened to her nose? Face?” One Redditor even speculated that Thomas used the same plastic surgeon as Michael Jackson due to the resemblances of their noses.
While many people have speculated that Thomas has had a facelift, nose job and other plastic surgery, the actress has not said much on the topic other than voicing her support for those who want to change their appearance. She once said: “But people think if you look well, you have to have had plastic surgery — and that’s not true. But even if you did want to — go ahead!”
Phil Donahue, Marlo Thomas (2019), (Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)
Are you a fan of Marlo Thomas? What do you think about the way she looks? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends.