CNN’s Larry King is Live No More

The word icon is used to describe so many people of dubious distinction that it has virtually no meaning. Yet I can think of no other word to describe talk show host Larry King. In fact, I can assert without fear of contradiction that no media personality has done more to inform more people about current events than he.

For the past 25 years, Larry has chronicled the major events of the day by interviewing the principals involved. And his particular genius, or appeal, has been his ability not only to seem interested in everything everyone he interviewed had to say, but also to ask the precise questions of each one that viewers like me wanted answered. In this respect, it speaks volumes that he’s famous for saying that he thrives on asking questions that other interviewers dare not ask.

There’s no denying, though, that A-list entertainers, sports stars, and political leaders, including U.S. presidents and foreign heads of state, figured most prominently amongst his guests. 

Here, for example, is a sample of those he interviewed, courtesy of the Mail Online:

Richard Nixon, Al Pacino, Marianne Pearl, Prince, Barbra Streisand, Martha Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret Thatcher, Oprah Winfrey, King Hussein of Jordan,  Tony Blair, Marlon Brando, George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, George W. Bush and Laura Bush, Johnny Carson, Jimmy Carter and Roslyn Carter, Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Bette Davis, Sammy Davis Jr., Mark “Deep Throat” Felt, Gerald Ford and Betty Ford, Jackie Gleason, Mikhail Gorbachev, Billy Graham, Audrey Hepburn, Bob Hope, L. Ron Hubbard, Michael Jordan, Bobby Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Pete Rose, Michael Phelps, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ken Lay, Monica Lewinsky, Madonna and Sir Paul McCartney.

Actually, just naming his guests is rather like a code for insights into world history over the past 25 years. Some of his more notable shows for me, however, include the one featuring a debate between Ross Perot and VP Al Gore on NAFTA, his coverage of the O.J. Simpson car chase, and his 20-consecutive nights of shows on Hurricane Katrina as its tragic aftermath was unfolding.

I also thought it was interesting that Wesley Snipes appeared on his show 10 days ago to make a last-ditch, and ultimately futile, appeal to avoid having to report to prison to begin serving a three-year sentence for tax evasion.

Unfortunately, prevailing tastes are such that Larry’s in-depth interviews with newsmakers of the day cannot compete with the ratings that partisan political talk shows (like The O’Reilly Factor) or mind-numbing reality TV shows (like The Jersey Shore) generate. 

Accordingly, despite Larry’s face-saving talk about leaving voluntarily to spend more time with his family, considerations for the bottom line forced CNN to cancel him. 

He hosted his final show last night, which featured an eclectic mix of guests, including the hottest politician in America today, former President Bill Clinton, paying homage and bidding farewell. 

Apropos of the dumbing down of talent and taste, CNN is replacing Larry with tabloid newspaper editor, pop-culture interviewer and America’s Got Talent judge Piers Morgan.

We’re really gonna miss you Larry. Thanks for all of the great interviews.

So long…