PIERS MORGAN – The New LARRY KING?
Piers Morgan has been named as a potential replacement for Larry King. Now that the King one has announced his retirement, Morgan is the favourite to take over the time slot on CNN.
RadarOnline.com reports that Morgan is days away from finalizing a $10 million deal with the beleaguered news network to replace King, and a source reveals CNN has made it clear Morgan is the network’s “first choice”, adding:
“He is very, very close to agreeing to terms.”
CNN quickly dismissed reports that a replacement has been finalised, earlier this week. Their statement at the time said:
“Not surprisingly, there is no shortage of people who would love to succeed Larry King if and when he moves on, but rumors that we are close to signing a deal for a Larry King replacement are untrue.”
Other potential candidates include Katie Couric and American Idol host Ryan Seacrest.
In a statement on CNN, King gave his reasons for his departure, which involved family, but didn’t mention his ever-declining ratings:
“I talked to the guys here at CNN and I told them I would like to end Larry King Live, the nightly show, this fall and CNN has graciously accepted, giving me more time for my wife and I to get to the kids’ little league games.”
His announcement also comes just a few weeks after his own personal life made headline news. In April, King and his wife, Shawn Southwick, filed for divorce after both accused the other of infidelity. A month later, the reconciled couple called off the divorce and moved back in together. Earlier this month, Southwick suffered a prescription pill overdose and has been recovering since.
