CNN officially severs ties with Larry King
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CNN and Larry King are going their separate ways.
Though King gave up his daily prime-time talk show on CNN in December 2010, he still had a deal for several specials. The last of those — ‘A Larry King Special: Dinner With the Kings’ — aired in December.
In a statement Wednesday, CNN said it had ‘the greatest respect for Larry,’ and wished him ‘the best of luck with his new endeavors.” King added that he has nothing but love for CNN. King’s staff of four will likely be let go from CNN but may be able to reapply for new jobs at the network.
King, 78, was replaced by British media personality Piers Morgan. Though Morgan’s ratings have not been blockbuster, overall he has done better than King was doing at the end of his run in attracting viewers in the 25-54 demographic that CNN targets. However, so far this year, Morgan’s numbers are worse than what King was averaging before giving up the show.
The decision by CNN to discontinue King’s specials brings to an end a relationship that lasted more than 25 years. In that last special, King told his guests, including Conan O’Brien, Tyra Banks, Shaquille O’Neal and ‘Family Guy’ creator Seth MacFarlane, that he wanted to be frozen after he died.
‘I want to be frozen on the hope that they’ll find whatever I died of and bring me back,’ King said.
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— Joe Flint
