King’s ‘miserable’ marriage
LARRY King’s marriage to his seventh wife, Shawn King, is on the brink of collapse.
We’re told the legendary broadcaster’s family is encouraging him to pull the plug on his “miserable” union with Shawn after 20 years.
A source says the couple — who we’re told haven’t been happy together for 10 years, in spite of their “fake” lovey-dovey public image — have been close to splitting numerous times following her alleged affairs and mistreatment of King, who is 83. Now the insider says they are closer than they’ve ever been to breaking up.
“Shawn went away to Utah two days after Larry had surgery [for lung cancer in July this year],” said the source, “While she was away, Larry was hap- pier than he’s been in years, and his family was really hopeful that he’d really do it [end their marriage] this time.”
The source added that there has been a “snowball effect” of circumstances that have led the Kings to the edge. Larry and Shawn’s children, Chance, 18, and Cannon, 17, are old enough to take care of themselves, and King began to “reflect on his mortality” after his cancer scare and the death of his younger brother, Marty Ziegler, in August.
“Larry is at a crossroads. He’s getting older and thinking, ‘ Why do I have to put up with this?’ ” a friend told us. “He’s been miserable for a decade.” We’re told that Larry and Shawn, 58, have both talked to divorce lawyers. They previously filed for divorce in 2010, but reconciled. She is King’s seventh wife, although he has been married eight times (twice to the same woman). Shawn has also had two alleged affairs during their marriage. In August 2016, Page Six reported that she had a yearlong affair with public-speaking guru Richard Greene. Larry and Shawn called the reports “malicious gossip and false tabloid innuendo.” And in 2010, baseball coach Hector Penate told “Entertainment Tonight” that he had an affair with Shawn. She also denied that affair. Our source added that family members had told Larry that he “looks like a fool” for not divorcing Shawn after her reported infidelity. A rep for King didn’t comment, and Shawn couldn’t be reached.