Everyone wanted to talk to Larry King. Over the course of his 50-year career in media, the legendary talk show host chatted with more than 50,000 people. Perhaps he booked so many interviews because guests thought he would take it easy on them. King was hardly known for his rough-and-tumble style. He preferred to keep things brief and breezy no matter who was sitting across from him. At times, King’s laid-back approach drew criticism from hard-hitting journalists, but his audience grew throughout the ’80s and ’90s and his ratings soared every time the villain in a sensational news story came to deliver a mea culpa on King’s show.
Whether asking Paris Hilton about life in prison or mistaking Ringo Starr for George Harrison, Larry King remained adamantly himself — untechnical, entertaining, and always dressed in suspenders. Below are 10 signature Larry King interviews.
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando did not like giving interviews, so in many ways Larry King was the perfect person for him to talk to. King brought his show to Brando’s house so that the actor could promote his memoir “Songs My Mother Taught Me.” Throughout the 45-minute interview, King holds on as Brando offers rambling responses to his simple questions. The best part comes at the end when the two men sing “Got a Date with an Angel” together, and Brando plants a big ol’ kiss on King.
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Frank Sinatra
In this interview, Larry King once again uses his gentle touch to draw a major, reclusive star out of his shell. This is Frank Sinatra’s final major interview, and for that reason alone it’s captivating to watch. Like Brando, Sinatra doesn’t like the media—he refers to people who write “kiss and tell” books as “pimps and whores”—but he likes Larry King.
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O.J. Simpson
In general, being called “fair” is a good thing, except when the person calling you it is O.J. Simpson. King ended up in a bit of hot water after he let O.J. Simpson, fresh off his acquittal, phone in during his interview with Simpson’s lawyer Johnny Cochrane. “How are you?” asked King. In his four-minute response to the question, Simpson gets defensive and repeatedly lashes out at Marcia Clarke and the proceedings of the trial that he’d recently won. The Washington Post called the interview a “talk show equivalent of taking the witness stand without having to undergo cross-examination.”
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Prince
“You are an unusual person” King said to the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. “As compared to who?” responded Prince. It’s an absolutely perfect exchange between two people who could not be further apart on the decibel spectrum. Watch and enjoy as Prince attempts to explain the crime of bootlegging to Larry King.
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Jerry Seinfeld
When Jerry Seinfeld swung by “Larry King Live!” in 2007 to promote “Bee Movie,” he clearly expected the host to have done his homework. Discussing the mega-popular show “Seinfeld,” King says,”You gave it up, right? They didn’t cancel you. You cancelled them.” It sounds like a compliment, but that’s not how Seinfeld took it. Appearing outraged, Seinfeld responds, “You’re not aware of this? You think I got canceled?” “Have I hurt you Jerry?” King jokes back. “I was the number one show on television, Larry. Do you know who I am?” It’s hard to tell if Seinfeld is actually offended or if the whole interview is just two New Yorkers screwing with each other. Either way, it’s good for a laugh.
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Lady Gaga
It’s the battle of the thickest New York accent and neither Gaga nor King can stand to lose. When Gaga appeared on the final season of “Larry King Live!” she came dressed for the occasion — in suspenders and a thick-knotted tie. “Should I call you Larry or should I call you King Larry?” Gaga asks the legendary host. It’s hard to say who is the bigger idol here.
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Snoop Dogg
I would have liked to see the email from Snoop’s PR team suggesting that he and Larry King go for a spin in Snoop’s low-rider to promote the rapper’s new job as a TomTom GPS navigator. I imagine it was light on details. “So we’re gonna go up and down and bounce? For what purpose do you have that?” King asks Snoop before stepping into the car. “That’s called low riding. That’s called hitting the switch. Yeah, that’s dipping. On the west coast, that’s what we do.” Snoop coos back.
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Miss Piggy and Kermit
What Larry King lacked in interrogative skills, he more than made up for in silliness. In this interview with notable on-again-off-again couple Ms. Piggy and Kermit the Frog, King navigates the couple’s complicated terrain with the sensitivity and delicacy of a couples therapist. At the same time, he presses them both to open up, telling the ever-hesitant Kermit “this is a tell-all show!”
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Ross Perot and Al Gore
Larry King was at peak relevancy when he had Vice President Al Gore and billionaire Ross Perot on to discuss the merits of NAFTA. Perot had been on “Larry King Live!” once earlier in 1992 to announce his candidacy for president and had since come out as an opponent to the trade agreement. Perot had a hard time getting his point across in the debate forum. He repeatedly complained that Gore was interrupting him. (“Can I please finish?”) and appeared frenzied beside the young Veep. Unfortunately for Perot, over 16 million people watched the debate, a then-record rating for CNN.
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Donald and Melania Trump
Look, it’s the guy from “The Apprentice!”
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