Piers Morgan's Tweet About Larry King Has People Upset
News of the tragic death of TV icon Larry King led the many celebrities, journalists, and politicians who knew the talk show host to air their grievances and express their condolences for the family of King. Yet, Piers Morgan's "condolences" are causing quite the stir on Twitter.
King famously hosted Larry King Live! on CNN from 1985 to 2010, the longest running talk show with one host. Upon his departure from the network, it was Morgan who became the TV legend's successor. However, Morgan did not exactly live up to King's legacy, with his CNN program lasting only from 2011 to 2014.
Upon the announcement of King's death, Morgan first tweeted a photo of King writing, "RIP Larry King, 87. A television legend." The tweet acknowledged King's decades-long career that earned the television host multiple awards. But Morgan's comments on King and his legacy did not stop there. In fact, they got a bit weird.
Piers Morgan brought up his old feud with Larry King
Piers Morgan took over Larry King's slot on CNN turning Larry King Live! to Piers Morgan Live! in 2011, and apparently, even upon King's death, the bad blood between the two TV hosts remains.
Morgan followed up his tweet calling King "a television legend" with a second tweet recanting how much the two hated each other. "Larry King was a hero of mine until we fell out after I replaced him at CNN & he said my show was 'like watching your mother-in-law go over a cliff in your new Bentley.' (He married 8 times so a mother-in-law expert) But he was a brilliant broadcaster & masterful TV interviewer," wrote Morgan on Twitter.
The tweet was (obviously) met with criticism for being distasteful. Twitter users responded, calling out Morgan for "trying to grab 5 minutes of fame," and writing such a "disrespectful tweet."
When one user applauded Morgan for his honesty, the former TV host doubled down, writing, "Larry hated me replacing him at CNN and never made any secret of it, which I found very sad because he was one of my heroes – but I still think he was a superb broadcaster & one of the all-time TV greats." What an odd way to honor one of your professional inspirations!