When Phil Donahue was offered a prime-time slot on MSNBC in 2002, he was already a household name. The person who developed the format of the daytime talk show would now be the face of the network that was gearing up to be the biggest competitor to Fox News. But seven months later, his show was canceled. The official explanation given was poor ratings. But a series of insider memos and emails from the network revealed the real reason Phil Donahue was forced back into retirement: he was too critical of America's coming war with Iraq.

SOURCES:

Phil Donahue and the Art of Remembering by Maria Bustillos

https://www.cjr.org/public_editor/msnbc-public-editor-phil-donahue-and-the-art-of-remembering.php

Chasing Fox by Gabriel Sherman

https://nymag.com/news/media/68717/#print

Phil Donahue on MSNBC Firing by Jack Mirkinson and Marc Lamont Hill

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/phil-donahue-chris-matthews-msnbc-firing_n_2926643

The Surrender of MSNBC by Rick Ellis (archived)

https://web.archive.org/web/20130824023817/https://allyourscreens.com/index.php/features2/760-the-surrender-of-msnbc

Battling for the Soul of Donahue by Rick Ellis (archived)

https://web.archive.org/web/20030314191429/http://www.allyourtv.com/0203season/news/03042003buyersregret.html

MSNBC Cancels Donahue by Bill Carter

https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/25/business/media/msnbc-cancels-donahue.html

Phil Donahue on His Firing from MSNBC by Democracy Now

https://www.democracynow.org/2013/3/21/phil_donahue_on_his_2003_firing

Countdown to Big Ratings by Stephen Battaglio (archived)

https://web.archive.org/web/20110517134556/http://www.tvguide.com/biz/Countdown-Big-Ratings-35184.aspx

Phil Donahue and his Show by Dr. James Todd Uhlman

http://daytonarenahistory.org/project/phil-donahue-and-his-show/

Donahue cold open source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIa1UgSpJAE&ab_channel=PhilosophyandEsoterica