Larry King Leaving CNN Throne After 25 Years

NEW YORK – Early last June, CNN celebrated 25 years of "Larry King Live" with a week of shows whose A-list guests included President Barack Obama, LeBron James, Bill Gates and Lady Gaga.

It was hyped to the hilt and suitably eventful, even as King and Lady Gaga regarded each other with the bemusement of a human encountering an alien life form.
Then, at the end of June, King suddenly announced he was retiring from his show — a weeknight fixture at 9 p.m. Eastern since June 1, 1985. He told viewers, "It's time to hang up my nightly suspenders."
After Thursday's edition, King will indeed hang it up, suspenders and all.
The lineup for this farewell hour should be stellar, though no names have been announced. The mood should be spirited and flowing with emotion.
But until now, it's been an oddly subdued leave-taking. The promotion machine at a network can make noise over most anything. Or try. CNN isn't bothering. Having paid King his tribute last June, before he even said he would be stepping down, CNN now is treating him as a lame-duck star, a chapter the network is rushing to move past.