The iconic CNN interview talk show, Larry King Live, will soon be off-air, according to the show’s long-time host. Larry King announced his impending retirement at the beginning of the June 29 broadcast of Larry King Live. Having conducted roughly 50,000 interviews, King explained his feelings on the future, saying, “It’s time to hang up the nightly suspenders.”
Larry King said Tuesday he planned to retire from Larry King Live sometime in the fall, after a suitable replacement can be found. Though King didn’t mention a lot of specific reasons for his retirement later this year, he did mention one: little league games. The CNN interviewer explained retirement would allow for he and his wife, Shawn Southwick, to attend their children’s sporting events more often, among other things.
King and Southwick recently went back and forth on the matter of divorce, apparently opting to stick it out for now. King’s wife, Shawn Southwick, also suffered a recent drug overdose, and some fear the incident may have been a suicide attempt. You can hear the Shawn Southwick 911 call, made by Southwick’s father, here at this link.
Personal problems aside, Larry King doesn’t plan on fully retiring from CNN when he leaves his nightly show later this year. Larry King stated he plans to host shows covering “major national and international subjects” from time to time.
As he announced his retirement plans, Larry King also expressed pride in the show’s historic run. King pointed out the recent Guinness Book of World Records win that recognized Larry King Live as setting a world record for being the “longest running show, with the same host, in the same time-slot and on the same network.”
After 25 years of Larry King hosting Larry King Live, it is hard to imagine the time-slot being filled by anybody else. With King’s retirement will come a new face and a new name, creating a new title for what will essentially be a new show. It will be interesting to see how the format and set changes, if at all, and how viewers respond to the change.
According to the Huffington Post, ratings for Larry King Live have hit their lowest levels recently, perhaps another thing prompting King to retire. Will a new host breathe new life into the prime-time interview format, or is the quarter-century old show destined for the TV tomes? Stay tuned.
Sources:
Larry King Live – Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Huffington Post – Larry King Live ratings information
Shawn Southwick 911 Call – Radar Online
