Dear Abby, you will be missed

Phillips assumed authorship from her mother, Pauline Phillips, in August 2002

Published Jul 26, 2026  •  2 minute read

Advice columnist Jeanne Phillips attends the Venice Family Clinic Silver Circle 2011 Gala at the Beverly Wilshire on February 28, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. Photo by David Livingston /Getty Images

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It’s been nearly four decades of Dear Abby columns, but that is set to end here at the Toronto Sun as Jeanne Phillips has announced her immediate retirement.

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“For some time, I have wanted the freedom to travel extensively without worrying about meeting deadlines,” Phillips said, in part, in her farewell letter to readers and fans, published recently.

“Although writing a seven-day-a-week advice column has been a pleasure (not to mention my life’s work), at 84 years of age it is time for me to follow that dream.”

Sister vs. sister

Phillips assumed authorship from her mother, Pauline Phillips, in August 2002.

But it all started more than 45 years before that when Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips walked into the San Francisco Chronicle office in January 1956 and, after proving her worth during a rewrite test, she got a gig to dole out advice.

Pauline had years of practice, helping her twin sister Esther — who was born Esther Pauline Friedman, then Esther Pauline Friedman Lederer and went by the professional name Ann Landers — by reading some of the letters sent in by readers and suggesting answers and advice.

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A sibling advice partnership was forbidden, so Pauline set off to write her own column. Dear Abby took off and soon became Ann Landers’ main rival, naturally leading to a feud — albeit brief — between the sisters as their respective columns were popular for those seeking practical yet witty advice.

While both columnists had loyal followings, Pauline’s Dear Abby column quickly became the most widely syndicated in the world.

Columnist Jeanne Phillips attends the 44th Annual Los Angeles Press Club Southern California Journalism Awards on June 22, 2002 in Beverly Hills, California. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) Photo by Frederick M. Brown /Getty Images

Advice until the end

Lederer passed away on June 22, 2002, and the “Ann Landers” column died with her.

It was replaced in many newspapers by “Annie’s Mailbox,” edited by Lederer’s former staff.

Phillips retired from writing “Dear Abby” in 2000 and died of Alzheimer’s disease on Jan. 16, 2013. Jeanne took over advice-giving duties two years after her mom’s death.

Now it’s Jeanne’s turn to take a permanent break, and similar to her aunt, and leaving the Dear Abby column in the hands of her syndication editorial team, who have worked closely with Jeanne for decades.

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The Toronto Sun has been publishing Dear Abby columns since its first edition on Nov. 1, 1971, allowing for the seamless launch when it purchased the syndication rights from defunct Toronto Telegram.

Columnist Jeanne Phillips attends the Planned Parenthood Gala Dinner commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Roe versus Wade Decision at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on January 22, 2003 in Beverly Hills, California. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) Photo by Frederick M. Brown /Getty Images

What’s next for Sun readers?

Jeanne will continue to contribute answers and advice through the end of the year before her team takes over.

That said, there truly is no one else people turn to advice so when she says farewell, the Sun and other Postmedia publications will also be saying goodbye.

“Dear Abby is the gold standard of advice columnists, and has been for nearly seven decades,” Brent Bartram, president of Andrews McMeel Syndication (AMS), noted in a statement.

Phillips added: “After 40-plus years of working with Andrews McMeel on a nearly daily basis, I am confident that the standards I have worked so hard to preserve will be upheld by them and carried into the future.”

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