Larry King on His 'Oversold' Successor Piers Morgan
Larry King recently made comments to the U.K.'s BBC Radio 4, suggesting that Piers Morgan "oversold" himself when he took over King's timeslot on CNN January 17. On Wednesday, Piers confronted King on "Piers Morgan Tonight."
"I have spent the last few months saying following you is like following Frank Sinatra," Piers pleaded. "I couldn't have paid you higher praise. You come in my backyard and say I'm an oversold, undangerous [TV host]."
King defended his comments, saying that Piers is an adequate host but the show's performance has been disappointing because he felt that the promos promised a level of excitement that the program couldn't live up to.
"I've always oversold myself," Piers admitted. "I quite like doing that. It's quite funny."
King went on to grill Piers about his recent appearance on "Late Show with David Letterman" where the late-night host jokingly suggested that Piers punch a guest in order to boost ratings, prompting Piers to quip, "Would it work if it was Larry, or would it be seen a little bit too cruel do you think?"
"We decided that punching you would not be a great move," Piers told King on Wednesday. "You're my hero... Everyday I do this, my admiration for what you achieved grows."
"Piers Morgan Tonight" airs weeknights on CNN.
