Larry King, the legendary and prolific talk show host and interviewer, died on Saturday, a few weeks after being hospitalized with COVID-19. (However, no cause of death has yet been released.) Tributes poured in, with people honoring his long career on radio and television. But one of those memoriams — from Piers Morgan, who replaced King after his long-running CNN show ended in 2010 — was widely seen as disrespectful over social media.
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. pic.twitter.com/1JsXeeZYEk
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 23, 2021
“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)” Morgan wrote. He added, “But he was a brilliant broadcaster & masterful TV interviewer.”
Morgan’s “tribute” to King was seen by many as narcissistic.
Piers Morgan is the ultimate (and quite frankly most annoying) narcissist. It’s insufferable. Nothing can happen without it somehow relating to him and his pathetic life. A man just died. Fucking hell. https://t.co/HYYIKMczh6
— soufflé (@N0TASH4) January 23, 2021
“LOOK AT ME! EVERYBODY! THIS IS ABOUT MEEEEEE!”
– Piers Morgan pic.twitter.com/eSILaW0ZCM
— PC Bullsh*t
(@PCBullsht) January 23, 2021
I’m forever stunned at how the most shameful man in Britain, Piers Morgan, continually makes everything about himself.
He’ll be as good as Larry King was because shouting appears to be his only ability. pic.twitter.com/45GphLuiLO
— Chris Rose (@ArchRose90) January 23, 2021
Others just generally found it disrespectful.
well we all know piers morgan is a piece of shit but this is just beyond https://t.co/LyVz4Ou8h7
— Sarah Jeffery (@sarahjeffery) January 23, 2021
Some dwelled on the fact that Morgan included a pretty decent diss from the late Mr. King.
if i had been humiliated as bad as piers morgan was by larry king i would probably be a bitter old bitch about it too
— Lauren (not a hologram) (@ActNormalOrElse) January 23, 2021
People told him where to go.
Piers Morgan: “ Larry King was a hero of mine until…”
Everyone on Twitter: pic.twitter.com/RtRnUKCQX7
— Rich (@UptownDCRich) January 23, 2021
Twitter to Piers Morgan after hearing what he said about Larry King pic.twitter.com/4kMX2nevtw
— Rich (@UptownDCRich) January 23, 2021
Others were just sad to see that Piers Morgan was being talked about at all.
Very sad to hear about Piers Morgan
Nothing’s happened to him
I’m just very sad to hear about him
— Jokerswild (@JokersWildUK) January 23, 2021
Piers Morgan is the kind of asshole other assholes look at, and say, “now there’s an asshole!”
— 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝑴𝒂𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑩𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉
(@MagsBitchs) January 23, 2021
Short list of people who have made it the farthest in “show business” with the least amount of talent:
1. Kim Kardashian
2. Ray J
3. Piers Morgan— Kenny BooYah! (@KwikWarren) January 23, 2021
Piers Morgan is a professional troll. There is no barrel he will not scrape to get attention and we should all collectively ignore him.
— Talia Lee
(@Eelailatan) January 23, 2021
A list of all of Piers Morgan’s greatest qualities pic.twitter.com/uYd8Xuj6EH
— Rich (@UptownDCRich) January 23, 2021
Starting in 1985, Larry King Live ruled the CNN airwaves, becoming not only their longest-running program but also it’s highest-rated. King did as many as 50,000 interviews over the show’s run, from politicians — including every president from Richard Nixon on — to UFO “experts.” The show ended in 2010, and was replaced by Piers Morgan Live. That program was cancelled after three seasons due to continuously declining ratings.