By: Kyle MacLelland
During Larry King's CNN days he brought his global audience in-depth coverage of major world events and one-of-a-kind Q&A's with A-list celebrities, newsmakers & politicians. As a live broadcast, viewers were often treated to unexpected twists and turns — like the time The King stayed at his desk for nearly 5 hours as OJ crept down the 405 south at a snails pace or that infamous (and slightly awkward) Marlon Brando smooch.
Many of these unanticipated moments, however, were prompted by the "live listener call in" segment, where Larry and company would take viewers' phone calls from across America. Larry's frequent & abrupt transitions from basic conversation to something like, "Des Moines, Iowa -- you're on with (insert pretty much any famous person from the past century)," kept his guests on their toes and his audience consistently engaged.
Since his departure from live TV, Larry has steered the (pre-taped) 'Larry King Now' web-show ship sans a phoner segment for almost three full seasons. Instead 'LKN' fields a social media call-out where fans tweet, Facebook, or Instagram their questions for the guest. Although an exciting change of pace for LK, the social media portion of the show certainly doesn't quell Larry's behind the scenes pleading to — "BRING BACK MY CALLERS!"
With that said, today Larry's desire to once again say, "Caller from Sweet Lips, TN, you're on the air" (that's a real town, BTW) have finally been met!
Nationally syndicated radio host Charlamagne Tha God (from 'The Breakfast Club' ), makes history as the first 'LKN' guest to answer phone questions on air. Take a peek at the segment below to see Larry in all his glory and hear Charlamagne dish on everything from Rihanna, Kanye & Sir Paul to homophobia in rap and hip hop. By the way — who's the caller from Cranford, NJ? That kid sounds like he's got a real knack for the radio airways (or maybe just some very talkative genes).
Also — here's a YouTube Clip featuring some of "Larry King Live's" funniest prank viewer phone calls.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC, its affiliates, or its employees.
