What Makes a Marriage Last: 43 Celebrated Couples Share the Secrets to a Happy Life Together

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 

Power couple Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue have created a compelling and intimate collection of intriguing conversations with famous couples about their enduring marriages and how they have made them last through the challenges we all share.

What makes a marriage last? Who doesn’t want to know the answer to that question? To unlock this mystery, iconic couple Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue crisscrossed the country and conducted intimate conversations with forty celebrated couples whose long marriages they’ve admired—from award-winning actors, athletes, and newsmakers to writers, comedians, musicians, and a former U.S. president and First Lady. Through these conversations,
Marlo and Phil also revealed the rich journey of their own marriage.

    What Makes a Marriage Last  offers practical and heartfelt wisdom for couples of all ages, and a rare glimpse into the lives of husbands and wives we have come to know and love. Marlo and Phil’s frequently funny, often touching, and always engaging conversations span the marital landscape—from that first rush of new love to keeping that precious spark alive, from navigating hard times to celebrating triumphs, from balancing work and play and family to growing better and stronger together. At once intimate, candid, revelatory, hilarious, instructive, and poignant, this book is a beautiful gift for couples of every age and stage.

Featuring interviews with:

Alan and Arlene Alda •
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick

President Jimmy and
Rosalynn Carter • James Carville and Mary Matalin

Deepak and Rita Chopra
• Patricia Cornwell and Staci Gruber

Bryan Cranston and
Robin Dearden • Billy and Janice Crystal

Jamie Lee Curtis and
Christopher Guest • Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen

Viola Davis and Julius
Tennon • Gloria and Emilio Estefan

Michael J. Fox and
Tracy Pollan • Chip and Joanna Gaines

Sanjay and Rebecca
Gupta • Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann

Neil Patrick Harris
and David Burtka • Ron and Cheryl Howard

Jesse and Jacqueline
Jackson • Elton John and David Furnish

John and Justine
Leguizamo • LL COOL J and Simone I. Smith

Melissa McCarthy and
Ben Falcone • John McEnroe and Patty Smyth

Mehmet and Lisa Oz •
Rodney and Holly Robinson Peete

Letty Cottin Pogrebin
and Bert Pogrebin • Rob and Michele Reiner

Kelly Ripa and Mark
Consuelos • Al Roker and Deborah Roberts

Ray and Anna Romano • Tony
Shalhoub and Brooke Adams

Judges Judy and Jerry
Sheindlin • George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth

Sting and Trudie
Styler • Capt. Chesley “Sully” and Lorrie Sullenberger

Lily Tomlin and Jane
Wagner • Judith and Milton Viorst

Judy Woodruff and Al Hunt
• Bob Woodward and Elsa Walsh 

Marlo Thomas is an award-winning actress, author, and activist whose body of work continues to impact American entertainment and culture. She has been honored with four Emmy Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, a Golden Globe, a Grammy, and has been inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame. In November 2014, President Barack Obama awarded Marlo the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a civilian can receive.

Phil Donahue is a writer, producer, journalist, and media pioneer who revolutionized the talk show format and ushered in a new era of broadcast television. The Donahue show was honored with twenty Daytime Emmy Awards, including ten Emmys for Outstanding Host, and ten for Best Talk Show. In 1996, the Daytime Emmys presented Phil with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to television journalism. Phil has been inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award. He lives in New York City.