Herb Gardner, a dramatist, and Thomas were long-term partners. When Thomas appeared as a guest on Phil Donahue’s television talk program in 1977, they had “love at first sight.” They tied the knot on May 21st, 1980. Donahue’s five children from his first marriage live with Thomas as their stepmother.
In May 2012, Thomas spoke to AARP about her connection with her stepchildren and said, “I decided that I would not strive to be Phil’s children’s mother in the traditional sense because they already had a mother. Instead, I would just try to be their friend. I’m happy to report that the friendships I formed with them 30 years ago are still going strong now.”
