After 25 years on the air, Larry King says it’s time “to hang up my nightly suspenders.”
The talk show, 67, host said Tuesday he’ll end his run on Larry King Live in the fall but will remain with CNN for occasional specials, “giving me more time for my wife and I to get to the kids’ little league games.”
“With this chapter closing I’m looking forward to the future and what my next chapter will bring,” says King.
A replacement for King’s 9 p.m. ET slot will be made “in the weeks ahead,” according to CNN.
“Larry King defined the art of the television interview,” CNN says in a statement. “His candor, curiosity and compassion are legendary, and his ability to interview people from all walks of life – world leaders, celebrities and everyday people – has made him an icon.”
King is stepping down during what he’s called a “difficult time” in his marriage to Shawn Southwick King, 50.
They were involved in divorce proceedings but reconciled a week later. Then in May, his wife, who has a history of painkiller addiction, was found with empty pill bottles strewn on her bed in a possible suicide attempt.