Producer (34 page)

“Suggesting me as successor is a great honor,” Ryan told me. But in order for him to ever seriously consider the suggestion,
he would have to clone himself, since his workday already consists of twenty-five hours. I don’t know a busier guy!

I e-mailed Bill, thanking him for a perfect show, and he wrote back, “I was happy to do it for Larry, you, and everyone
at the show who has been so good to me. I’ve considered LKL a second home on television for a long time, and it was an honor
to be chosen to hear Larry’s confession that I would not have missed for the world, so I thank you for asking.”

After the show, Larry and I had dinner with a great friend, Haim Saban, a mega media mogul and worldwide leader in the entertainment
industry. It was a terrific celebration and we relaxed as we went over the day’s events. Haim congratulated Larry on his body
of work and said, “There’s only one of you, my friend.” He celebrated Larry’s brand and counted off many things that he could
do with his name and reputation. Larry even had a few sips of red wine. (He’s never liked to drink.) At the end of the evening
when we were all hugging good night, Larry took the written statement out of his pocket and gave it to Haim. “Here’s a souvenir
for you.” Haim smiled and put it in his pocket.

That night, the price of Larry’s suspenders went way up on eBay. With more than fifty thousand interviews in fifty-three years
under his belt? Yes, I guess it was time.

KNOW WHEN TO HANG UP YOUR NIGHTLY SUSPENDERS

In life, you know when it is time—to speak up, to move on, to share, to go to ground, to live, and finally, to die. This was
Larry’s time to hang up his nightly suspenders, a decision he made with grace, humility, and humor. When he announced his
intention to end his nightly show, he was at the top of his game and he left everyone in his life and the entire world wanting
more—including me.

I
’d like to leave you with a final lesson that lies beneath all that I’ve written before. No matter who you are, where you
live, or what your gender, race, or religion, you know in your heart what is right and you know what is wrong. After all,
you live with yourself every day. When you take a look in the mirror, you won’t see happiness looking back at you if you feel
bad about the choices you’ve made.

A wise friend of mine once told me a wonderful story that sums it all up. A single dad, the time came when he had to have
the “sex talk” with his teenage daughter. Girls don’t want to hear about this, especially from their dads, but he sat her
down and said, “There are only two things I want to say about sex. First, if you’re about to do it, make sure you’re doing
it for you, not for the boy. Second, think about how you’ll feel five minutes after you do it.”

When his daughter eventually married and had children of her own, she told her dad that she never forgot that talk. It was
all about being true to herself, and she considers it one of his greatest gifts to her.

We can apply this gift to any area of our life:

•   How will you feel after you hurt someone?

•   How will you feel if you don’t take the chance?

•   How will you feel five minutes after you tell someone that you love them?

•   How will you feel if you let a friendship drift away?

•   How will you feel if a friend died today? Do you have unfinished business?

To me, being true to yourself is the only way to go. That is the best that anyone can ever do.

I
could not have written this book had it not been for all the amazing experiences I’ve had in my life and all the good energy
that has surrounded me. There are many people who are responsible for my happiness, so I’ll attempt to say thank you and how
much I appreciate everything all of you have done for me.

First, I would like to acknowledge and thank the staff of
Larry King Live
. I honestly believe this is one of the most amazing and talented group of people in the television news industry. They know
what it takes when we are asked to stay live for two more hours after we have planned for only one. They know what it takes
to work around the clock during a breaking news story. They know what it takes to put on a telethon to raise money for a natural
or national disaster, when that is not in our job description. Or just the everyday battle of changing the show five times
before we go on the air. I am so proud of all of them and want them to know that this book would never have been written had
it not been for them. Thank you so much, you are all the best.

Thank you, Benjamin Alden, Nancy Baker, Andrea Beaumont, Barbara Berti, Erika Birkholm, Quinn Brown, Carol
Buckland, Carmelina Castillo, Greg Christensen, Geoff Doner, Dave Dubiel, Lisa Durham, Liz Flynn, Avrielle Gallagher, John
Gilmore, Chip Hirzel, Sarah Holbrooke, Amy Huggins, Hieu Huynh, Ryan Jimenez, Kyle Johnson, Michael Judge, Sean Kelly, Eleanor
McManus, Katherine McQuade, Virginia Moubray, Brad Parks, Jason Ravou, Sonja Reitmeier, Stephen Salvador, Sarah Schnare, Rosy
Stefanatos, David Theall, Lisa Thompson, Hunter Waters, Michael Watts, and Lindsay Geier. And a special recognition to Carrie
Stevenson and Allison Marsh who work on the show around the clock and never ask me why I’m calling them in the middle of the
night. I love you all, and thank you so much.

Walker, my son. I love you, you are my best friend. You give me more joy than you will ever know. Thank you for being my beautiful
and loving son. And I know one day you will be a famous writer!

Amaya, my daughter. I love you so much. You are a beautiful soul and a gifted singer. I cry every time I hear you sing. Thank
you for being a teenager who actually loves her mama!

Larry King. There is only one of you. Our humor is our glue, your talent is my inspiration. It is an honor to be your producer
and your friend. Thank you for believing in me and trusting me. And my love always to Shawn.

Randy Woods. Thank you for finally finding me and for being the nicest man I’ve ever known. Your support and kindness are
gifts. And I can’t take my eyes off of you! Thank you for making me happy every day.

Terry Brown, my sister. I love you. Thank you for always being there for me and teaching me how to be a good mother and decorator!
To my mother and father, who I wish were still
here but now are finally together. And my sisters, Peggy and Mary. Thank you for everything you have done for me.

Mary Heckmann. You are my beautiful soul mate and friend. Thank you for sleeping with me all of those nights! And thank you
for loving me as much as you do.

Michelle Weinger, the twin sister that I never had! You are always there for everyone in your life, including me. Thank you
for making me laugh and sharing your mom with me! And sharing your sweet husband, Duayne.

Jenny Craig, my mama and my wonderful friend. Thank you for making me part of your family. I love having you in my life. You
are such a role model for me, from your family to your work ethic to your kindness.

To Ali, Tracy, James, Jennifer, Sammy, and Liam Fayed. You are truly my family. I love you all and have loved watching the
boys grow from babies to amazing men. You have all meant so much to me in my life, and I will never forget all the priceless
things you have done for me. Thank you for making me part of your life.

Sabih and Hani Masri. You both are two of the most important people in my life. You have taught me so much about the world.
But most of all, you have been steadfast and fantastic friends. Thank you for being in my life.

To Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel—being with you for a day seems like an hour. You are two of the lucky ones who have true
love and you are soul mates forever. You are such good friends, and we love spending time laughing with you both. Thank you
for our great friendship, your wisdom and the comfortable and good times we have together. We truly cherish our time with
you both.

Katie Couric. Little did we ever know when we were starting
out that you would make history. But then, I knew it all along! Thank you for your friendship, your advice, your parents,
and your love. We’ve had an amazing journey that isn’t over yet, Kats.

Lisa Gregorisch, Sister Sledge. You are truly a gift in my life. I trust you with everything except my children, but actually,
I even trust you with them! You are a huge force in this business. You are talented and honest. And such an amazing friend.
Now if only I could get you to stay up long enough to go out to dinner, that would be nice.

Cindy Vance, my beautiful friend whom I adore and love. Thank you for your endless advice and love.

Trish McEvoy. Little did I know all those years ago that when you put my makeup on at Neiman Marcus that you would be such
a part of my life. Not only do I love how you made your makeup brushes by cutting regular paintbrushes when you were first
starting out, I am lucky to call you a friend. I am so proud of you and your accomplishments, sister, and I am loving you
as my friend. Thank you so much for everything.

To Deepak Chopra and Carolyn Rangle. I pinch myself when I think of how lucky I am to have you in my life. Thank you for your
wisdom, your loving friendship, and for constantly educating me about myself and how I belong in this life.

Thank you to Jan Miller, my agent. Jan, I have never seen you look anything but perfect. I want all of your bracelets! Thank
you for believing in this project enough to introduce me to Hachette. And to Harry Helm, my editor at Hachette, I know you
liked me because you could visit California in your shorts, but also I’m glad you took a chance on me. And a special thank
you to Adlai Yeomans, the best editorial assistant in the business.

And to Andrea Cagan, my collaborator and writer, thank you
for all those nights when we sat by the fire while I told you all these stories. It was like going to a shrink, but a lot
more fun! You are so talented and such a beautiful woman, inside and out. It was a privilege to work with you on this book.
And to Rick Davis, my friend and colleague at CNN, who had to edit this book as well, thank you for having my back and being
my friend at CNN for thirty years.

To Char Margolis, whom I met before she really knew me. You are such a good friend, and I adore you. My life is more full
because you are in it.

Nathan Turner, my brother, who has the same taste as I do! I love the time we carve out for each other. Whenever I am with
you and the kids and our dogs, I am home. Thank you for choosing me to be your friend.

JZ Knight. I am so lucky to have you in my life. There are only a few people I’ve met who are so incredibly unique and fascinating.
You are clearly one of those people. Your energy has been a blessing to me. Thank you for everything you continue to do as
my friend and loving guide.

To Rosa Garcia, thank you for making our home so warm and happy. And I wish everyone who reads this book could try your tortilla
soup! I love every flower you have planted!

To my hometown and oldest friends whom I still see! Jennifer Kersten, Nancy Packard Rosen, Jane Riley Murray, Martha Fuerste
Henry, and Mary Eby Smith. We never got caught burning the sofa in high school!

To Mary T. Browne. I know I saw you at least once at Roshek’s. It’s great when good friends come to you later in life, and
I am blessed you came into mine. You are the best, Mare.

James Van Praagh. Not only do you see dead people, but I’m glad I have you in this life to keep me focused and laughing.

To my beautiful college friends. I always feel so close to you
all, even though we don’t see each other every day, and even though we were a lot cuter thirty-some years ago! To Cynthia
Guill, we will always be connected to each other in a very special way. To Torrey Shuford, Dolly Horner, Sara Simpson, Susan
Bance, Connie Moore, Debbie McChesney, Karin Chriss, Candy Lloyd, and Cissy Benedict.

To my Rancho Santa Fe posse! A great group of wonderful friends that I am so lucky to have. Kathy Connor, Deborah and Ron
Greenspan, Martha and John Eggemeyer, Joy and Hugh Bancroft, Cathy and Brad Geier, Chrissy and Rick Nicholas, Chris Penrod,
Connie and Bill McNally, Art and Catherine Nicholas, Ron and Georgia Spogli, Shelby and Bill Strong, Joani and Chuck Wafer,
Marty and Pam Wygod, and Carol Thompson. And to Robin and Gerry Parsky, thank you for insisting that I stay in the Ranch to
hang with this wonderful group of people. You have been terrific friends. And Gerry, thank you for my new best friend, Jerry
Weintraub!

To Sheila and Bunny Pourhosseini and Tom and Jen DeLonge. Thank you for making life more interesting, by bringing music and
makeup to my everyday life and the lives of my children. You guys sure make our times together unpredictable and filled with
love.

To George Pratt, John Assaraf, and Ken Druck. I am so blessed with knowing you and learning from you. Thank you.