Larry King announced in June that he would be leaving his CNN show Larry King Live this fall after 25 years, with America’s Got Talent judge British journalist Piers Morgan widely believed to be his intended replacement. But the New York Post is reporting today that CNN has asked King to stay on until the end of the year, apparently because Morgan is finding a permanent work visa very hard to get. King has reportedly agreed.
King wasn’t separating from the network entirely — CNN was still planning to air occasional Larry King specials, so it’s no huge surprise that he’s agreed to help his employer out by staying on longer. But if Morgan, who has not yet been officially announced as King’s successor, can’t come up with a visa going into the spring, the delay could cost him the job that many (including King) thought was an odd fit. A long delay could also free up some of Morgan’s rumored competition — though she has said she doesn’t want the job, Katie Couric’s CBS contract expires in June.
